Defensive and hungry

[Snekmomm]

I’m sure you’ve all heard this a million times so I’m sorry! Believe me, I’ve read the threads!

Let me start with: I’m Re and I usually keep corn snakes! I fell in love with snakes through my corn snakes and I thought ball pythons are lovely as well so if I was gonna cap myself at 5 snakes I would make one of them a ball.

I have two 6 year old corns I’ve raised and two 6 month old corns that I got about the same time as my BP. My corns are growing and thriving and sweet as sugar, but my ball python isn’t following the same path.

I KNOW they are not the same snake and I don’t treat or care for them as such. My ball is a normal male about 6 months old. He lives in a ball box (it’s all black except for the door) with two heating pads (each with a thermostat, one at 78F and one at 90F and I do verify temps with a temp gun), a water dish, 3 pretty tight hides, 3 fake plants for cover, coconut husk substrate, and a hygrometer that normally reads at 70%. I change his water/spot check every other day and full clean his enclosure/items once a month.

He is a male 6-8 month old normal poss het pied and clown and he was an unwanted pet, the family said they never had time to handle him so he started getting a bit nippy and they wanted him to go to someone who could give him that time. They said he was established eating f/t mice but had refused his last meal which I thought nothing of. They gave me some of the mice he’s been eating (small) to take home and in the two months I’ve had him he’s eaten for me once, 2 weeks after I brought him home. I offer him once a week, warmed and temped (80-85F) f/t small mice. He strikes at them a couple times, misses and gives up. So it seems he wants to or is trying to eat. I leave them for him overnight by his hide and they are untouched in the morning except that one feeding. I once tried a rat of similar size which got the same reaction. I can’t seem to find live feeders in my area to try.

I don’t have a length or weight on him which is a no-no but he’s just so defensive. He has pretty typical behavior in his enclosure but as soon as I reach for him he strikes. As soon as I get him out he strikes. As soon as he strikes at me he recoils into an S shape for about 30 seconds and strikes again. And again. I think the longest I’ve held him is for 15 minutes once a week, if that. There have been a few weeks I haven’t held him at all, like the first week he was here and a couple of others here and there. I try to keep it quiet and dim when i bring him out. I try not to be scared but I don’t know.. a bite is a bite and I know it will do me no harm but the striking makes me jump and I can’t help it. I’ve tried gloves and big hoodies to feel confident but he lunges straight at my face/body and it shocks me. I’ve tried putting a bandana that I’d worn in his enclosure to get him used to my scent but it’s made no difference.

I would appreciate kindness, but I also do need to know what I’m doing wrong however anyone chooses to point it out. If I left something out please let me know. Thanks all.

[Snekmomm]

I noticed I put his age and morph in two places! The second mention is more accurate/detailed.

[kthoms104]

I also have a male ball python (a baby) and I had a similar situation a while ago. He took his first two meals easily, and then went on a feeding strike for about two months. To help him, I added a lot more things to his tank (since bps like their terrariums to be pretty full, I've heard that it helps them feel more secure). I covered the tank in towels and kept the lights in my room dim for about two weeks, and left him completely alone except to change his water once every few days.
Before this, I had let my dogs go in and out of my room, too. I stopped letting them come in, as I thought their scent might be bothering him.
It may have been some kind of coincidence, but after these two weeks were up he took his food perfectly!
Feeding strikes are super stressful, but I think it also helps to know that they'll take their food when they get hungry enough.

Also, this channel is SUPER useful for many questions about BPs and other reptiles https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGb...vY4uuqwLfYY5eA They answer most of my questions about care/keeping, and I can really recommend watching some videos from it (Also, it has a video on feeding strikes)

[CALM Pythons]

Heating them to 80-85 is no where near the right temp. Their sight is terrible and Pythons use heat pits. Ball Pythons usually get discouraged after 2 strikes so your out of luck. The Rodent needs to be 100 - 105 like Live Prey. That snake cant tell the difference between the temp in his enclosure and the feeder your giving him.
Take a full week off then try with the correct temp. Use a Hair Dryer to toast it up good and check with a Laser.


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[zina10]

I agree with Calm, the rodents are way to cold. They should feel pretty toasty through and through.

If you use water to warm them up use HOT water. Not boiling hot, mind you, not hand burning hot either, but hot. (after they have been defrosted) You can also blast them with a hair dryer real quick, but make sure they are warm through and through, not just the skin, they cool rapidly.

How big is the snake, what does he weigh ??

Seems to me he has been underfed somewhat.

And yes, sounds like he has gotten defensive, maybe even a tad aggressive. He has probably figured out that in the past, that got "that thing" to leave him alone.

He is still young, though, and they are a species that give that bluster up pretty quickly if dealt with it correctly. Very rarely do you have a truly aggressive Ball Python that just never fully gives up being a turd!!

There are a couple good youtube video that explain a certain method. Before I link to them I want to point out that before you try these methods, get that boy a couple good meals by heating up the rodents better. I would also like to point out that these methods are not to be looked at as "discipline" or punishing the snake for the behavior. Its more of a "snap out of this mode" thing. Its done gently but very deliberately. Your movements have to be deliberate.

When I get a defensive Ball Python (like angry or scared hatchlings) out of the enclosure I always come from straight above. I gently use my flat hand to push them down slightly. That right there snaps them out of the behavior. Then I pick them up. If they S up again, hiss or act snappy, I once again gently cup them, use my other hand to push that angry little head down, put slight pressure on the body and then release. Usually right then they are like "ok, I'm done" and start exploring. I know I keep repeating myself but it has to be clear that this is not a punishing or disciplinary movement. It has to be gentle, BUT definitely deliberate. No unsure or jerky movements. Always come from above, not in front of them, they cannot strike straight up.

Here is one video that shows this. Granted, it is easier to do with hatchlings rather then a full grown snake, but yours is still very young and probably not very big either..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQssbM0uk&t=46s


Good luck with that little stinker and let us know how it goes

[zina10]

Also, if you have a cage with a front door and not enough height to come from "above", you can use a paper towel roll that is almost empty to first do a gently push down on their head to get them out of any "I'm gonna get you and I'm gonna kill you" mode Even a slight tab works. They usually snap out of it and turn away and you can grab them.

Also works to let them know its not feeding time when you have to get one out and the snake thinks food is coming and is ready and primed!

[Lord Sorril]

You can try scenting the f/t rodent with a live one.

[Snekmomm]

And there is (hopefully) the culprit! In all I’ve read they said make sure it’s hot, but no actual temperature (not an excuse though I should’ve thought!). Anyway I was like “oh this is hot” not even considering that an actual live rodent temperature is much hotter! So thank you, I will heat it hotter via hair dryer and use my temp gun to make sure it’s enough then get it to him ASAP! On Sunday will be a week since I last offered so I will do this then.

Also kthoms hes in a totally black box except for the door (he stays in the back of it with the heat mostly anyway) and there is about zero floor space with all the junk he’s got lol but I did order a couple more plants to suction to the door to see if it will help with him feeling secure! Also I’ve barred my kitties from the room as well to see if that helps too. He’s out of quarantine so he is now on the snake shelving with my corns - he can’t see them and I’m sure he could smell them before but if their scent is causing him trauma from proximity well.. I don’t know. I have little kids and he has to be somewhere I know they can’t get to him and he can’t get to them and that place is where I’ve put the snake rack!

As far as his weight and length I don’t know yet (I know this is inexcusable as well) and it’s purely due to me being a big baby over his behavior. He does appear a bit small but not hatchling size small and I’m not particularly sure as to how to tell if he’s underweight? I know that some are just smaller and some are larger, it’s like that with corns too but you can tell by looking at them where they stand as an individual like rounded with fatty deposits/sinking spine is overweight and triangular shape with visible spine is underweight... if that makes sense, is there some kind of visual aid like that for ball pythons? Regardless I know I still need to get a weight on him!

As for being underfed - I hate to say it but I’m sure of it by just comparing the prey item to him - my intention is not to be offering him too little food but as I was given the exact food he was eating before he came to me I thought it might be easier for him to eat the familiar item at first. I would love to switch him to rats that match his body size as soon as possible but for now with his stress and my mistake I feel like it’s not possible.

Lastly, I will not try to tame him down until he is regularly accepting food. Your disclaimer has been clearly understood as well! I don’t think punishing a snake would be appropriate in anyway for any reason, his behavior is only a natural part of him being a snake of course! My only goal in this is to get him to relax and hopefully eventually build some trust with me, I want him to know I’m not a threat. And it looks like that’s what this method does! Thank you for that, that’s actually amazing. I honestly got such a kick out of that and am kind of excited to do it, it really is amazing how it flips a switch in them!

Thank you all so much for your advice and links, I shall use it all wisely!

[Snekmomm]

Lord, I can’t find a live one in my area or I’d just feed it to him lol! I mean they have them for pets around here but idk about keeping a pet just to rub it on dead things to feed my other pet!

I hope this doesn’t come off snarky I don’t mean it to I just don’t know how else to explain it!

[CALM Pythons]

Lord, I can’t find a live one in my area or I’d just feed it to him lol! I mean they have them for pets around here but idk about keeping a pet just to rub it on dead things to feed my other pet!

I hope this doesn’t come off snarky I don’t mean it to I just don’t know how else to explain it!

That statement made no sense anyway. Whether it's a dead mouse or a live mouse or dead rat vs live it smells the same.
The only time we use that is when changing from one rodent to another.
I've noticed a lot of information on here latley being given out by people who just got a snake and have absolutely no knowledge so be careful who you listen to.


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