Hi. I have an eleven year old ball python named Zuri. She was always a great companion, was handled a lot, was never afraid of letting a child hold her because she had such a great personality. She has always lived in a 55 gallon tank with multiple spots to curl up under, 2 water dishes and a heat lamp. There has not been problems with heat or humidity in her cage which is something that I track. Her substrate has always been coconut bedding. About 2 years ago she was asking to come out so I opened the top of her cage and let her crawl onto my wrist. Once she was settled around my arm she struck out and bit me on the ribs. Very unusual for her behavior, it was the first time she had ever stuck, and it was not a defensive strike, she planned on sinking her teeth in and not letting go. A few days later I tried to take her out so I could bring her to the vet to get checked. She was very aggressive and tried to strike again, I had to use a towel to pick her up and she was trying to get me through the towel. The vet said she was healthy, we dewormed her to be on the safe side, no signs of mites but we again treated her just to be safe. The vet was unable to explain why she was aggressive. I have spoken to many snake breeders and no one could answer me or give me tips. One breeder said she was the right age and size to maybe be going into a breeding cycle so I increased her food for a short time hoping that would help. Most recently I have added another type of bedding which retains more moisture to help keep the humidity correct. Yesterday was the first time I was able to go into the tank with out her going into the strike pose. Hopefully that means she is not needing to feel so aggressive anymore. She is currently placed in our loft where there is no commotion and I have recently covered parts of the tank with some towels to avoid anything in the loft that might stress her.

I am hoping to learn anything else that I could be doing for her. She used to be such an affectionate snake and it breaks my heart a little see her always in the tank and not able to roam like she could.

Thanks.