Ball Python Keeps Biting and Holding

[redshepherd]

How heavy is she and what size prey are you feeding her?

That's the first thing I would consider, since she's apparently always hungry LOL. But super unusual for a ball python!

[GoldenRoyal]

Sorry for the late reply, my relatives are over so I’ve been busy.

She just shed a couple of weeks ago so I left her alone after finding this out when I went in to clean her enclosure. I actually picked her up really quick when she was deep in blue for the cleaning and she seemed really calm.

I think she’s around 200-220 Grams. The last time I took a picture of her on the scale was in March and she was 168 grams.


This will be my third week feeding her rat pups. I’m not sure how many grams they are because their website is under maintenance.

I’m going to feed her tonight, because Friday is usually feeding day.

The setup I have for her is pretty simple, just a tub with eco earth substrate, two hides, a water bowl, hygrometer/thermometer, and an under tank heater hooked to a thermostat.

I’m planning on adding more decorations in the future, but I’m not sure what to put still.

The humidity is at 74, ambient temp is 80 degrees, and temp in her hide from the heater is around 90 degrees.


Here’s a pick of her peeking out. owo



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[bcr229]

Here’s a pick of her peeking out. owo

LOL that's the classic "I'm hungry feed me hoo-man" pose!

[GoldenRoyal]

Just finished feeding her.

Here’s a few pics, but it might be hard to determine the size of the rat.
It took her a while to get it down, but she managed. I’m surprised she pretty much went straight to eating. She usually likes to bite and sit like that for a while before attempting to swallow the prey.





And afterwards.





This is basically her default setting. She likes to have her head poking out of her hide whenever she’s awake.


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[GoldenRoyal]

I might have to see if I can get an appointment set up for the vet’s so I can rule out any illnesses or parasites.

Hopefully there is something I can do to fix this. I would rather not give up on my animal even if she is difficult, and I dunno if swapping is really an option anyway because I don’t know any snake owners that live near me. Most people I know think snakes shouldn’t be owned as pets (which I once believed as well) and think I’m crazy for keeping one (including my parents). My room mates have actually been asking me if they can see my snake, but I’m afraid to show her off to them, because if they see her bite me (or worse, if she bites one of them) they’ll come out of the experience with a worse opinion on snakes instead of a better one.


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[Bogertophis]

Snakes often bite & hold their already-dead prey, just to make sure....it's a good instinct, as swallowing a rat that's still alive can be a fatal mistake.

As far as I can tell, the prey you're feeding is sized just fine, so why she is still so hungry is a mystery...unless, as I said earlier, she has "help" from parasites.
You want to take a fresh stool sample to the vet, even if you just drop it off & make an appt'mt for another day with her. Maybe the vet will have an answer
for you, if they can check the stool ahead of time. It's typically hard to make an appt'mt ahead of time & get lucky enough to get a fresh stool on the right day.

I'm glad you are determined to work with her, despite the difficulty and the fact that she's a far cry from being a "good will ambassador" for her species...
Snakes, like other animals, are individuals too. I agree that allowing others to get bit by her won't win any friends for snakes (much less for you). I hope her
personality improves, but if not, that someday you also get a snake that will be more docile, as most are, and one that you'll enjoy cuddling.

[Armiyana]

I picked up a gorgeous killer queenbee and while she shows very little of the spider wobble, she is as defensive as they come.
She doesn't grab on like the 'food??' response you described with yours - That chill one moment, headbump and then slow mouthgrab. She just starts striking erratically. Anything that catches her attention.
I don't think it has to do with the spider gene specifically. I think I just got a 'moody' snake. I've recently seen a normal type behave the same way. I've seen super chill spiders as well.

The biting is rare as ball pythons are typically more passive in thier defense, hence the 'ball'. But the way you described your snake does sound more like a feeding response. If she's pooping well, maybe try feeding every 4 days for a bit and see if that helps? I had that issue with a kingsnake and the increased feeding schedule is what helped mellow him out. But yes! Do get her checked for parasites just in case as well.

It always seems like there's some joke being played on us somewhere. I'm sorry that the attempt to allieve some fears seems to be adding to them instead. You are awesome for trying to see this through and understand the why and not just writing it off and letting your phobia take the front. I think that's wonderful and should help you go far in your field of study when you can show this level of concern and care.

[ballpythoncornsnake]

my ball python has not bitten me yet but she was pretty mad when i took her out to clean the enclosure in the other hand my corn snake as she gotten older shes moody last thursday i digged her out of the tank and she striked at me twice but didn't bite me snakes can be moody sometimes there not like a cat or a dog snakes don't really care about you or love you but there fun to have as pets

[Bogertophis]

my ball python has not bitten me yet but she was pretty mad when i took her out to clean the enclosure in the other hand my corn snake as she gotten older shes moody last thursday i digged her out of the tank and she striked at me twice but didn't bite me snakes can be moody sometimes there not like a cat or a dog snakes don't really care about you or love you but there fun to have as pets

Sometimes you need to re-think how you approach and handle them: remember that being out of their cage ("cave") or being picked up instinctively means danger
from predators that are about to eat them (-like you! -not saying you would, but you need to remember where a snake is "coming from"). If your handling is too abrupt,
& you don't allow them time to recognize you (scaring them in the process) then I have to say that you have earned a bite: most of the time snakes that are handled
with empathy do NOT bite...it's up to you to make a little more effort, & maybe slow down a bit. Communication with a snake is different, because they don't see well
(don't identify us visually) and don't hear, but they know a great deal by our scent and touch...you have to use their best senses to communicate what's going on.

When you re-examine your approach, you'll likely find that your snakes calm down, & living without stress is better for all of us. Remembering what your pet's
best senses are helps to avoid confusion: if you handle their food & smell like a rat, your snake will bite you because they go after scent & motion...this is
easy to avoid. If you need to clean their cage, first give them a chance to recognize your scent so they don't panic (feeling under attack)- either blow air
across your hand in their direction until you see them flicking their tongue (how they 'smell'), or let them sniff a sleeve of a shirt you're not wearing or even
some of your hair IF it's long enough (to keep your face out of the way). When you routinely approach a snake this way, giving them information that you
are not food or a predator but someone they recognize, they relax more and are far less likely to bite. How would YOU feel if you didn't see well, couldn't
hear and some huge unknown creature approached you?

[GoldenRoyal]

Hello everyone,

I’m back with another inquiry. The past few nights I’ve been observing Freyja to see if maybe she has another problem affecting her behavior. She’s been pretty active the last few nights, really exploring her tub, and just before I went to sleep I noticed she was opening her mouth every once in a while. I tried to take a closer peek and it looked like she could have some mucus in her mouth (so I’m thinking possible RI). Moments after I turned off my lamp to go to sleep I hear her make very loud fart-like noises and I turned on the light to see her mouth open, so could that indicate difficulty breathing?
I will try to get her a vet appointment soon (she pooped already this week and I forgot to keep it for a sample) to see if she may be sick.

Could an RI impair her ability to smell, possibly making her mistake my hands as food more often?
Also, for stool samples, how fresh do they need to be?

Thank you for all of your help so far in diagnosing her issues.