aggressive ball python

ok, so on sunday my ball python bit me because i accidentally hurt him, but i didn’t think much of it. Just now I reached in to touch him, and he struck at me, though luckily I moved in time. I put on two pairs of gloves because now I’m wary and tried touching him again, making sure he saw me before I did, and he looked like he was getting ready to strike. He's always been extremely docile, but now I'm worried. What's going on? (I feed him one mouse every Sunday, he recently finished shedding, and he’s 2 years old. I've had him since he was 4 months.)

What do you mean by you hurt him? Is the snake injured? An injured snake is going to be defensive.

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Originally Posted by damientheballpython

ok, so on sunday my ball python bit me because i accidentally hurt him, but i didn’t think much of it. Just now I reached in to touch him, and he struck at me, though luckily I moved in time. I put on two pairs of gloves because now I’m wary and tried touching him again, making sure he saw me before I did, and he looked like he was getting ready to strike. He's always been extremely docile, but now I'm worried. What's going on? (I feed him one mouse every Sunday, he recently finished shedding, and he’s 2 years old. I've had him since he was 4 months.)

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You are underfeeding the animal for starters.. Also, how did you hurt him??

No no, I mean I was wearing a fluffy jacket and it got caught on some remaining shed that was sticking up so I accidentally pulled some of the shed

Oh, that's too little? How much should I feed him? And it wasn't an injury he just had some shed sticking up and I was wearing a fluffy jacket that got caught and tugged on it

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Originally Posted by damientheballpython

Oh, that's too little? How much should I feed him? And it wasn't an injury he just had some shed sticking up and I was wearing a fluffy jacket that got caught and tugged on it

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My males take small rats 45-65 grams once a week. A mouse is around 15-20 max.. How much does he weigh? Any pictures?

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Originally Posted by damientheballpython

Oh, that's too little? How much should I feed him? And it wasn't an injury he just had some shed sticking up and I was wearing a fluffy jacket that got caught and tugged on it

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Yeah. I don't think this is the issue. Brings up a lot of other questions however.. Stuck shed, hydration, temps etc.. I'd love to see a weight though..

also, I should add, yesterday when I got home from soccer it looked like his head was shaking? But I was very tired and I could've been imagining it. (btw he is NOT a spider morph) and I'm probably just being paranoid but I feel like he's moving weirdly

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also, I should add, yesterday when I got home from soccer it looked like his head was shaking? But I was very tired and I could've been imagining it. (btw he is NOT a spider morph) and I'm probably just being paranoid but I feel like he's moving weirdly

The snake may just be a bit spooked and need a little time. I wouldn't sweat it.

As for the food size, yes a mouse is too small. The snake should be on small rats by now.

Can you tell us about your setup?

Enclosure type? Size?
How are you heating the enclosure?
What are your temps? Humidity?