Defensive 7 month old BP

[Kaelie]

Hi, so I got my ball python a month ago, and since I got him, he has been very defensive. Sometimes to the point where he strikes when I am near the enclosure. I have successfully held him a couple of times without issue, once I have him out of the enclosure he normally calms down, however sometimes he does not and will try to strike at me while I’m holding him. I would just like to know what the best route to take is with this. Would they normally calm down with age or is he at the point where he is how he is going to be? I have heard that holding them a couple times a week can help get them used to handling, but I’ve also heard that leaving them alone for a while can help.

He is in a 10gal tank with 3 sides blocked out, water on the cool side, hide on the warm. I’m planning on upgrading the size of the tank so I am able to provide a hide on both sides. The temperature gradient is currently 91 on the warm side, 80 on the cool, with a humidity of 52%. The heating provided by a CHE with a thermostat because the UTH was unable to keep the temperatures high enough.

Is there anything else I can do to make him get used to handling more? Or is this something he will just grow out of? He’s been feeding weekly on an adult thawed mouse since the week after I got him with no problem.

Thank you and I appreciate any feedback about what I am doing because he is my first snake and I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make him comfortable and healthy!

[Kaelie]

Sorry I’m new to the site and realize this maybe should have gone in a different section however I put it here because I know how enclosure conditions can affect behavior. I’m not sure how to fix it if it belongs somewhere else.

[Bogertophis]

Hi & How soon after you got him did you start handling him? If you're like most people, you might have started handling him before he had a chance
to really settle in. Keep in mind that snakes don't understand how & why their whole world suddenly changed (when we bring them home), and to a snake, this is
terrifying & threatening. For best results, it's best not to handle a new snake until they've had a chance to feel more secure & safe...generally best to wait until
they've fed for 3 times at normal (weekly) intervals, & of course, snakes have individual personalities too...some are shyer than others. Either way, remember that
the only thing that picks up a snake in the wild is a predator that's about to eat them...and that's exactly what your snake assumes about you. It takes time, so be
patient- they do learn that we are safe to be around. You are lucky in that he is feeding for you...handling too soon often makes a new snake refuse food.

It's important that all snakes have at least 2 hides, one on the cool side & one on the warm, so they don't have to choose security over the proper temperature.
Without realizing it, you are probably making your BP hungrier than he'd otherwise be...and hungry snakes often seem "grumpy" too. The reason is that all he has
is the warm hide...he cannot cool off & still feel secure, and snakes are entirely dependent upon external temperatures to dictate their digestive speed. The sooner
you fix this, the better "mood" he may have, but you still need to be patient with handling.

Many people will tell you to handle only for very short periods of time, but I disagree: snakes feel the most threatened by us when we approach & when we pick
them up, so if you only handle for 5-10 minutes, they never quite feel relaxed. Other kinds of snakes (like corn snakes) do not need as warm of temperatures as
BPs do, so they may get restless with handling NOT because they're afraid, but because they're too warm. (Remember we are about 98.6*, whereas corn snakes
prefer temps. from 70-80*.) But with a BP, he should be comfortable with your temperatures...it would be better to sit comfortably with him cuddled on your lap
for 30 minutes, and if he has been afraid enough to nip while you've been holding him, I'd suggest putting a small towel/or cloth over him, so he can learn to feel
safe near you. Snakes recognize us mostly by scent & touch...not vision, so what they see (when we are towering over them!) is pretty scary. Once your snake
gets to really know your scent & touch, then gradually let them look out from under the towel. Goes without saying, don't wave your hands around either, as with
sudden movements, they don't have time to identify you & will again be defensive. In my experience, snakes feel much more secure when held close to us than
they do at arms length...again, because they want to blend in & hide, not feel exposed where predators can get them from every angle. Does this make sense?

[Kaelie]

Yes that makes perfect sense! Thank you for the quick and informative response! I waited until 2 days after he first fed for me, I guess that was maybe too soon but I thought that since he ate he was getting more comfortable. I’ll try covering him up, it seems as though he is usually okay once he’s out, he has only tried to strike at me when I was holding him once. I do plan on getting a second hide, however it seems like it would be cramped in there, so I was planning on getting a different tank, that also has front doors so I don’t have to reach in from the top as much because it seems like that is when he gets defensive.

Again, thank you so much for your advice and response, I’ll make some changes and see how that goes!

[Bogertophis]

I know you said you were already planning to get a larger cage & another hide, but I wasn't sure you "connected" that to his behavior. You're correct that
some snakes dislike top opening cages because an owner reaching in is a bit like a hawk swooping down for a meal...but that said, all I've ever used is glass
tanks with screen tops, and I don't get bit much...that's because I also use signals to my snakes so they know it's me. You may have seen members mention
"hook" (or "tap") training...that's just using a safely-blunt tool (so your hand is out of the way) to touch the snake, so they know it's handling time, not feeding
time. I personally don't hook train my snakes, I mostly give them my scent (by blowing air across my hand thru the screen so they get my scent), but touch is
also used, depending on the individual snake. Anyway, your snake should settle down OK, he sounds pretty normal for this stage of settling in.

[Paddy]

Two of mine were like this. One trick I found is to get their attention with one hand. Not waving it around just letting them see it, well out of strike range. They focus on that hand completely so then you can scoop them up with the other hand from behind. Works for me anyway!

[Kaelie]

Thanks for everyone’s responses! I upgraded his tank now he has two hides on each side, it’s been about a week and a half since I did so, I haven’t tried handling him again yet because I haven’t seen him out much since a couple days after I put him in there and I’m not sure how I feel about pulling him out of his hide just to handle him. He ate once, but refused food last night. So now I’m not sure if the tank is too big, but I filled any extra space with fake plants, so it seems like it has a lot of coverage! He used to explore at night but he hasn’t done that either after he was in there for a few days.

[Craiga 01453]

Thanks for everyone’s responses! I upgraded his tank now he has two hides on each side, it’s been about a week and a half since I did so, I haven’t tried handling him again yet because I haven’t seen him out much since a couple days after I put him in there and I’m not sure how I feel about pulling him out of his hide just to handle him. He ate once, but refused food last night. So now I’m not sure if the tank is too big, but I filled any extra space with fake plants, so it seems like it has a lot of coverage! He used to explore at night but he hasn’t done that either after he was in there for a few days.

Sounds like he may be coming up on a shed