Please help! Really aggressive ball python

[Compher]

Hello everyone,

My name is Steve, I just got a new ball python about 4 weeks ago. He is pretty small, I'm not sure of the age, but he's about 12-14 inches long and is captive hatched.

The guy at the pet store said he was a tiny bit aggressive and tried to snap at him once when they first got him in, however I didn't care and bought him anyway.

His name is Dante. I handled him the first day I got him for about 5 minutes, and he never tried to snap at me and showed no signs of any aggression.

I read that it's good to let them be for a little while with no handling so that they get used to the new home. He was really active the first few nights that I've had him, until I got a hide for him. Since I've gotten the hide I havn't seen him come out of it but twice, and when he sees people, he gets back in as fast as he can. I fed him frozen fuzzies 3 times in the 3 weeks that I've had him, and he took them no problem.

However, now when I try to handle him, he gets really aggressive, tries striking a lot and sometimes hisses. I've noticed that a few days ago his eyes were a little glazed over looking indicating that he might be getting ready to shed. Could this really cause such aggression?

His tank is always 75-80 on the cool side and 90ish on the warm side. and humidity is always at 50%.

How can I get him to be not so aggressive so that I can handle him without having to put on gloves? I've tried almost everything, Approaching slow, fast, and nothing he strikes at me every time I try to get near him. Is this normal?

How long should I wait before trying to handle again? Is it possible that he is just an aggressive snake and will never be handleable?

This is my first ball python, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[Sammy412]

He may actually be hungry. Baby balls should be fed every 5 days, so depending on his age or the size of the prey item, he may very well be wanting food. ALso, youshould have 2 hides, one on the hot spot and one on the cool side, just so he doesn't stay where he is because he's afraid. What kind of setup do you have? Balls like small spaces, so if your setup is too big, he will be nervous/aggressive. Remember he is small. You can use fake vines and greenery to provide him with some cover.

Once you make sure all the issues are taken care of, let him settle in. Baby balls do tend to be nippy, but with some handling ususally settle down nicely.

[Compher]

I believe it's a 20 gallon long enclosure. He has a cave hide on the hot side, and a rock "half log" on the cool side with a water bowl in the middle.

I've fed him a thawed fuzzy mouse 5 days after I got him then one a week later, and a week after that. He took it within the first 10 seconds of putting it in there each time.

He is definitely getting ready to shed because 3 days ago his eyes were almost white/blue. Should I start feeding him bigger food? It wouldn't be a problem for me to get bigger mice then fuzzies.

It doesn't really seem like he's hungry tho because he repeatedly strikes over and over at hands and faces when he is not in his hide, and will run back in there as soon as he thinks we're not looking at him.

and the only way to get him out of the hide is to move it, he won't come out on his own, not even at night.

[smoffler]

Since he is so small when he bites you it isn't going to hurt so just deal with it handle him about 15mins a week and after about a month he should start to warm up with you. Or you could do the t shirt trick which is you put a t shirt in your pillow for about a week so it gathers you scent and then cut it up and place it in his hides so he gets familar with your scent and knows that your not a predator.

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[Sammy412]

He sounds just really afraid. I have one baby we bought from a great breeder, who was like that. We let him settle in for a couple of weeks, no handling just feeding/cleaning. Then we started handling him every day, sometimes several times a day, just for 5 minutes or so each time, unless he had eaten. We have gradually increased the time we keep him out to about 10-15 minutes, and decreased the number of times. We only take him out once every day or so now, but it's just a few minutes before he is moving around our hands checking things out. That was 5 weeks ago, now he is one of the nicer babies....lol. Sometimes it just takes time. He's probably not coming out because even a 20L is big for a baby. I keep my babies in 6qt sterilite tubs with locking lids. They like the small space and seem to do better. If you want to keep him in the 20L, that's not a problem. Like I said, I'd give him some fake vines and greenery to provide him with some cover. That way if he wants to come out, he won't feel so exposed. Remember, babies are small and feel vulnerable.

[steveboos]

Well you came to the right place Steve, i'm also a Steve, so your in good company.

First of all, ball python's when young can be nippy at times, the biggest plus about this is that they normally are very good eaters. You want to have a ball python that eats consistenly, and it seems as if your does.

When it comes to handling, when in shed, yes they can act more aggressive. When they have that glaze over their eyes, they can't see anything compared to normal vision, so as a defensive mechanism, they will strike, hiss, or do anything they can to get the predator to leave them alone.

For your sake, i wouldn't worry about this being a life long temperament, but it could also mean you have a very good breeder!! Ball Python's are going to hide all day long, as they should. It seems as if your snake is hungry and searching for food. I have fed mine anywhere from every 4 days to once a week for young BP's. Try and see if feeding him more often will leave him so full that he wont really need to look for food.

Also unless your dying to hold him, i would leave him be for a couple weeks to get used to his new home. Ball Pythons need a lot of time to adjust to a new environment, they don't like change!

[Compher]

Ok so he was out last night.however when I got up to get ready for work, all I did was walk by the tank and he struck at me 3 times.i wasn't even that close to the tank. I'm starting to think it isn't a hunger problem and that he is just mean

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[smoffler]

Try the t shirt trick before even considering giving up on him

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[rabernet]

Ok so he was out last night.however when I got up to get ready for work, all I did was walk by the tank and he struck at me 3 times.i wasn't even that close to the tank. I'm starting to think it isn't a hunger problem and that he is just mean

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Snakes aren't "mean", they are responding to stimuli in their environment. It sounds to me like it IS either a hunger issue, or a fear response.

I don't even start hatchlings on fuzzy mice, they are started on hopper mice and within a few meals, are moved to either rat fuzzies or small adult mice (just past hopper stage).

So he was either striking out of hunger and tracking your heat signature, or he's so overwhelmed by the size of his enclosure and sees you as a huge, heat emitting predator and he's trying to scare the big monster away.

Most of my nippy babies grow out of it, when they've put on some more size and feel more confident in their surroundings.

[MordreTheBP]

i got lucky on the temper. he is shedding ( not a great shed) and he dont strike. i make sure i keep his tub at 50 to 60% humidity and UTH runs about 88 to 93 the way i have it set up... and only comes out of the hide when he gets water or goes under the hide/tree thing to cool. and when i hold him he like to face me. and just lay his head down on my hand. i hold him once a day.