Little question

[Vinc]

Hey I’ve had my ball python for about 6 months now , absolutely amazing experience I’ve had with her, she has never tried to bite or anything along the lines . just wanted to know if anyone has had this experience or is this what I think it is .
so I got home and just turned off my day time light and looked to see I should change the water (reminder I don’t feed in the tank ) and as I opened the top (it has clamps ) it kinda jolted out and looked up , and I was thinking I scared it , so I put my hand at the top of the cover and it went for a bite , I didn’t get bit because the cover but u know I was hoping it isn’t going to start being aggressive . so I played around with my hand on the top and it didn’t even try , I took it out 5 mins latter and she was normal happy , slithering up my arm. just wondering is this me scaring it or waking it up , or is this maybe a type of aggression starting.

[Lord Sorril]

(reminder I don’t feed in the tank )

People who recommended feeding in a separate enclosure to decrease aggression were mistaken. By removing the snake to feed they will associate your hands/leaving the enclosure with food. Cage opening=Food=Strike Heat Source for Food (snake logic). If you continue to remove her at feeding time you can expect to be bitten.

[Vinc]

But then what’s the difference with a mouse , it would be cage open=mouse

[Lord Sorril]

But then what’s the difference with a mouse , it would be cage open=mouse

That was my original logic when I first kept ball pythons (I did the transfer method as well originally). However, when they sense that food is near they will go into 'feed mode' and strike at warm moving targets. You don't want cage opening/handling associated with triggering 'feed mode'-you want the scent of the food item to trigger it. Some keepers will pre-scent their snake rooms with rodents so they know it is feeding time.

Note: If your snake is very hungry it probably will still take a shot at anything that moves regardless.

[Craiga 01453]

Using a separate feeding tub is old school and proven counter productive over time. The "tank aggression" is 100% myth.

In fact, using a separate feeding tub:
A) increases your chances of being bitten. Snakes remain in "feed mode" for as long as 24 hours after eating, increasing your chance of being tagged when moving the animal back to the enclosure.
B) increases the chance of the snake refusing food. Moving the animal = stress. Stress = refusal.
C) increases the chance the snake regurgitates it's meal. Moving = stress. Stress = regurge.

There's literally ZERO benefit to using a separate feeding tub.
Feed inside the enclosure.


As for your question specifically... You may have startled the snake, the snake may be hungry, I'm not sure since I wasn't there to observe the animal's behavior. I would just chalk it up to a flukey type thing unless it starts to happen regularly.

And to piggyback on that..
- how much does the snake weigh?
- what size prey are you feeding? How often?
- when did the snake eat last?