Overly aggressive feeder?

[BeddowFamilyReptiles]

I know it’s not really a problem to have a ball that eats so well. My 10 month 800g female Leo het clown has never refused a meal in her life. She absolutely loves to eat. I feed frozen thaw off tongs and have never had an issue. Recently though I had an incident where I went to open her tub from the rack and she was sitting right there and began to come out of her tub very quickly looking for her big juicy rat. I made a bad judgment call trying to corral her back into the tub and she saw my hand and bit me good and deep. She’s not a hatchling anymore so it did do a bit of damage but nothing crazy just scared the crap out of me and bled a lot. I really didn’t like getting bit and now I’m trying to avoid it again. The week after on the next feed she did the same thing where she started coming out of the tub again. I’m thinking of getting a snake hook or a pole to open and close the tub when feeding and getting some longer tongs. Anything else I should try to stop this behavior? I’ve considered feeding her every 5 days instead of 7 to keep her hunger sated maybe? What do you guys think? Thanks

[Bogertophis]

Don't feed every 5 days! You don't need a BP with fatty liver disease, dying young...and they absolutely need time to digest.

It's a good "problem" to have, truly. (& it's more typical in young BPs- yours is only 10 mos. old)

What I'd do, personally, is have a spray bottle of cool water in hand, & give her a spritz in the face when she comes charging that way. It won't hurt anything, it
will just surprise her & change her focus immediately. I'm not one that "hook trains" but that's another option...it's just that your snake may well grab the tongs
& hurt her mouth on them before she figures out they aren't edible either. One way or another, you need to develop signals (using scent & touch) to tell her when
it's NOT feeding time. It's not fun to get bit by your snake & it's easy for her to mistake your warm & wiggling hand for prey...it's up to you to prepare & prevent.

[jmcrook]

Do not spray your snake in the face with water. So completely unnecessary especially for an animal as “threatening” as a ball python. Tap train if you feel intimidated by its feeding response but really a hit from a ball python is nothing.


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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Over feeding is not gonna change the behaviour, you should enjoy the behaviour and work around it.

A snake hook to open tubs is what I use for aggressive feeders (and many people do), they are not aggressive year round just part of the year, not something that can be changed not something I want to change.

[-ryan-]

I agree that I would just use a snake hook to open the bin, and any time she tries to leave the bin when opened (even on a feeding day) gently corral her back in with the hook. It will keep you at a safe distance and a lot of people use that technique with aggressive animals. Spritzing with water may also work, but I am not sure the snake would make the detailed association that it has to do with her charging the feeder. She might instead just associate your presence and the opening of the tub with something unpleasant. I probably read too much into those things, but I try to be as non-invasive in how I work with my snakes as possible.

I would say it's time to slow the feedings down. I have an adult female who is a very aggressive feeder, but it was much more noticeable when I was feeding weekly than when I switched to every other week (and monthly throughout the winter months). I think it gives her time to break the hunt in between feedings. Again, just speculation. It could also just be aging.

[WhompingWillow]

How often are your snakes handled? If she isn't handled between feedings then it's pretty natural for her to associate the opening of the tub/rack with food.

As others have mentioned, a hook can be your best friend, both because it can be used to hook/tap train your snakes and because it can be a barrier between you and their teeth. Longer feeding tongs can also help. I'm waiting for the 18 and 24" hemostats to be back in stock at Reptile Basics.