How to tame a Aggressiveeeeee BP

Well i got of my 2 new 08 female bees about 2 weeks ago feed them twice but evertime i go in to pick them up there bodys are all arched back to strike if i come near any suggestions?:taz: are they to big now to tame

Get a water bottle or something to lightly touch them on their heads to snap them out of it, and then pick them up. Sounds to me like they are more frightened than aggressive.

just pick them up. there bites don't hurt. they will eventually get used to you holding them.

I have never met an aggressive snake.. (well, I'd almost call a couple pissy cottonmouths I have stumbled upon to be aggressive), just remember that your snake is DEFENSIVE.

I realize it might just seem to be arguing semantics, but it's an important distinction for understanding what your BP is thinking, and how to deal with it so you can handle your pet without being tagged.

If they are giving you some defensive strikes when you try to handle them, they feel threatened. You're a big ugly creature to them, sticking appendages near their bodies. They are small and still quite young for their species, inundated with instinctual responses to possible threats.

The key is to get them to feel safe and secure. The first and foremost key ingredient to this is good husbandry. Good caging, temps, humidity, tight enclosed hides, and housing both snakes individually rather than together are generic rules that are easily broken, and very likely to lead to stressed snakes that don't feel safe and secure.

Secondly is to get them to feel that the "big ugly creature" they see regularly isn't there to eat them. This can take time. Regular handling , with gloves if you need it, is recommended. Frequent, short sessions are best. If the snake is bitey, the one thing to NOT do is jump, feel threatened yourself, and leave the snake alone. This teaches the snake that if it bites at you, it gets left alone, and only reinforces defensive striking.

In handling jumpy/frightened snakes, I take a philosophical approach. "Be the tree". I do everything in my power to limit my movement to slow, predictable motions that won't scare the snake. I don't "hold" the snake, I make myself into climbing branches, or a "tree" :D

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

In handling jumpy/frightened snakes, I take a philosophical approach. "Be the tree". I do everything in my power to limit my movement to slow, predictable motions that won't scare the snake. I don't "hold" the snake, I make myself into climbing branches, or a "tree" :D

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That sounds like "If you were a tree, what type of tree would you be?" :D

Great advice, thanks!

If they're 08's from a breeder then they probably weren't handled very much, that and a change in their environment so they feel insecure. Just treat them like any hatchling you would get. I would imagine they will likely calm down with time.

if you are scare of the bite, use some leather gloves. (if you use ordinary cotton glove, if they bite, their teeth can get stuck to the cotton fibres, if leather, it will only leave marks & no stuck teeth etc) And handle them from there on. They will get use to your handling & you wont cause any harm, then the gloves can come off.
as a bonus to them, after handling, give food. so they will respone to your handling as a pre-food treats.
Good luck.

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Originally Posted by EdShal

as a bonus to them, after handling, give food. so they will respone to your handling as a pre-food treats.
Good luck.

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Has that worked for you? If I handle mine, and then try to feed them soon after, they have no interest in eating. They're still worked up from being handled. So conditioning like that wouldn't work for mine.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Has that worked for you? If I handle mine, and then try to feed them soon after, they have no interest in eating. They're still worked up from being handled. So conditioning like that wouldn't work for mine.

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how it depends on how many days was his last feed. I usually handle all my balls before offering them a meal. But no rodent in room yet. once i brought the rodent in, and try to handle them.. i got tag. but its not all of them does this, just two. the other seem well behave..

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Originally Posted by EdShal

I usually handle all my balls before offering them a meal...

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Sorry Ed, you have made it to the completely out of context thread for that one......LMAO!!:rofl:

What I do is scoop them up from under their bodies, don't hesitate. Give them full support and be gentle and calm. Eventually they will realize you are not a predator, just be persistant. This has always worked for me so far.

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

Sorry Ed, you have made it to the completely out of context thread for that one......LMAO!!:rofl:

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hahaa.. it does indeed.. :laughing:

Even though this isnt my thread this has helped me to thanks

Just touch the snake on the back and get a sense of how they are going to react.. This is like any animal. Unfortunately I don't see how the "food" after handling is going to work, it's not a dog! I feel snakes don't actually want to be held/pet/cuddled etc., they just tolerate it..

When I go to pick any of mine up, (especially my spider bp so it doesn't completely freak her out) I touch them on their backs, sometimes I get a hiss, if they are looking at me funny I just touch them gently with a snake hook and they snap out of it pretty good.. The water trick may not be a good thing, atleast in my experience, any ball python I've sprayed with a water bottle from even just misting, does not like it at all! Just makes them more cranky in my opinion.

Cheers!
Mike

once I've lifted the hut up I wait a few moments and make sure my snake is awake before I touch her, otherwise when I touch her she jumps and it makes me jump lol and then after that I touch her on the back to see how she reacts
and when I first got her she was really jumpy and twitchy, being 'the tree' really worked for me!!

Defensive is more the word, aggressive would be the snake coming at you striking, which I have really only seen one snake do, and it's not based on the whole species.

Some people use seomthing to tap their snake before every handling, so that the snake associates that and knows they are about to get handled, so it's not to mix up feeding time. Over time your bp should settle down. I don't believe I have met any that have been aggressive with a good bit of handling.

Someone make a damned sticky for these "aggressive snakes."

Doesn't sound like a strike pose to me ("arched"). My bee is unlike all my other BP's. He hardly ever hides and he loves to lift his head high and arch his back. Sounds like yours are doing the same thing.