Mr Jake the snake problem...

[Bigkrash]

So I picked up Jake, who is a male HET PIED BP right before Christmas. He is about 8 months old and eats weekly. He is kept in a rack system and all of his requirements are met far as temps, humidity, water, and a hide. For whatever reason, he has become upset and has been striking at me. Even if I slide the tub out, he goes into this hissing fit. Now he has hissed before, but that was during his shed. I got back into this hobby for my 9 year old son, and he has been enjoying it. But now since he has seen Jake strike at me multiple times, he wants nothing to do with him. My question now is, should I get rid of Jake or....? Any tips or suggestions on dealing with this is greatly appreciated.

Here is Mr Jake for those of you that haven't seen him


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[KevinK]

If it were me, I'd ride it out.

Just because you hear a hiss or see a few strikes doesn't mean the animal is going to stay mean forever. How much are you handling him?

Not all BP's are puppy dog tame, but even if you or your son gets bit...what damage is it going to cause? Not very much. Soap, water, and a small bandage and you're good to go.

If you truly aren't interested anymore and neither is your son though because the animal struck a few times, find a GOOD home. It's better to find a good home for him than to have an animal you want nothing to do with.

[Lord Sorril]

Do you have other animals you keep as pets? Are you getting attacked-after handling rodents? A little scent goes a long way with snakes...

[pretends2bnormal]

He's young and looks pretty small. He's just being defensive since you are a lot bigger than he is. He is striking and hissing to try and scare off this big predator. If the rack is set up down low and you stand when you open it, you would appear to be looming over him and scare him further.

Whether you keep him or not is in the end up to you, but I think you should re-evaluate why you wanted him in the first place. If you got him just to show your kid and you don't care about him yourself, then it may be best to re-home him. Getting something because a kid wants it is rarely a good reason with live animals unless you want full responsibility over it after the kid loses interest. If you genuinely wanted the snake also, then go ahead and keep him and use it as a learning experience for you both.

He will most likely grow out of being defensive with time, size/age, and gentle handling. Very few do not grow out of it.

Either way keeping him or not, explain why he is being defensive to your kid and the difference between defensive and aggressive. It does no one any good if your kid is afraid or spreads misinformation about his "scary, aggressive" snake to other people.

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[Jamiekerk]

There’s some good videos on YouTube how to deal with hissy defensive snakes, most use open handed method cover head then snake balls up and they pick up and handle it.


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[Skyrivers]

Have you tried to work with him to get over his fear? Getting him to not be afraid now is going to be easier than later. Hold him by sitting him in your lap with a towel on top of him to feel secure. He will get use to your smell. When he starts moving on his own work with him a min or 2 and then put him back. If he bites don't change the routine because he will learn that gets him put down.

[Bigkrash]

Thanks for the replies. We have 5 BP'S total. I love the hobby just as much as I did back in the mid 90's. I just never had a snake strike at me or anyone else. It just seems like something has upset him because he has never done this. We both handle the snakes daily. I even still handle Jake, I just have to watch his movements now. And yes I have explained to my son why he might be striking, but he still does not want to hold him anymore.

I'm mainly looking for suggestions on what to try or how to approach this differently. Don't want to get rid of none of my snakes.


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[Bigkrash]

There’s some good videos on YouTube how to deal with hissy defensive snakes, most use open handed method cover head then snake balls up and they pick up and handle it.


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My wife has said from day 1 that Jake has ADD lol. Over in my picture thread, I have explained Jake to people that he is 90 miles an hour. He does not want to ball up in your hands, he just wants to be on the move. It took literally about 5 minutes to get the picture I posted in here because he is all over lol.


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[Bigkrash]

Do you have other animals you keep as pets? Are you getting attacked-after handling rodents? A little scent goes a long way with snakes...

If you even look at him, he gets all swole up and starts hissing. I swear it's like something has him PO'd


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[SquirmyPug]

Sure his temps and everything are correct? Does he have a couple places to hide? Anything moving around his cage a lot? Kids or animals running around?