Severely nippy BP!

[RedDemon5419]

Hi! First time posting so bear with me, I apologize if this isn't the right forum to post this in.

I've got a roughly 1 year and say, 4 months old ball python named Astrid, Normal Pastel.
When I first got her she was generally calm and everything, but I got her from a petsmart.
Since i've had her she's bitten me,and nipped herself quite a few times. Thankfully she hasn't hurt herself severely by doing that, but the issue obviously, is that whenever I enter my room and she pokes her head out, she always enters a defensive strike stance.
It's getting very difficult to swap out her water dish daily, even handling her because she's just so defensive and mean when in her tank, but when I get her out of it. She's generally okay.
But because she's getting more and more unpredictable, I'm having a hard time handling her.
Is there a reason why she's so mean? Is it something I'm doing wrong? Husbandry? Other snakes in the room? Is it just a personality thing that'll go away with age when years pass?

My other boy Bjorn is in the same room, and while he's significantly younger, he acts like a normal BP, hides his head when I get near. The usual.
Any advice is appreciated because I love my Astrid to death and it makes me sad that she's so defensive and nippy.

[303_enfield]

It's a female!

Tap train her when going into "her" house. Now, almost everybody will say I'm wrong, handle her more. She has to learn you aren't going to hurt or eat her. Some snakes will calm down after a clutch. I have an eight year old that if not tapped first will rip you out going into her tank. Tap her an she's a puppy, out of the tank an she's a puppy.

Give it time an you'll be fine.

Good luck!

[walzon1]

What do you mean by nipped herself a few times she bites herself?

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[RedDemon5419]

What do you mean by nipped herself a few times she bites herself?

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by nipped herself I mean I have a snake hook I use to pick her up with, she knows it's there because I put it into viewpoint clearly, and occasionally just turns around and strikes at the hook, which sometimes she just catches herself. I don't see any blood when it happens, since it's rare, and I check the area to make sure there's no bad puncture marks or anything.

[RedDemon5419]

It's a female!

Tap train her when going into "her" house. Now, almost everybody will say I'm wrong, handle her more. She has to learn you aren't going to hurt or eat her. Some snakes will calm down after a clutch. I have an eight year old that if not tapped first will rip you out going into her tank. Tap her an she's a puppy, out of the tank an she's a puppy.

Give it time an you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Tap train? I'm not sure what that is! What do you do?

[walzon1]

by nipped herself I mean I have a snake hook I use to pick her up with, she knows it's there because I put it into viewpoint clearly, and occasionally just turns around and strikes at the hook, which sometimes she just catches herself. I don't see any blood when it happens, since it's rare, and I check the area to make sure there's no bad puncture marks or anything.

Oh ok probably just defensive strikes no teeth. My boy doesn't like his cage being messed either he gets pissy. But I don't allow that anymore if they show attitude and then you hurry up and clean then walk a way it just makes them more empowered next time you show up, getting pissy means you hurry up and leave that's what they want. So even if changing water I ball him up set him aside change the water and put him back. Once you get them upset it's harder to calm them down and keep it from happening again. They should never be striking, if so I think you need to practice handling skills a little more, slow down take your time. Figure out why or how your pushing her buttons and try not to do it again.

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[EL-Ziggy]

Some snakes are pretty defensive inside their enclosures but will calm down once they're out. Hopefully your critter will grow out of this. I agree with tap training. That's just rubbing the animal with a snake hook before you reach into the enclosure to let them know it's not feeding time, and they're either about to be handled, or you're doing some cage maintenance. I do this with all of my snakes. I have a couple that I still have to remove from their enclosures anytime I'm changing water or spot cleaning because I know they'll tag me.

[RedDemon5419]

Some snakes are pretty defensive inside their enclosures but will calm down once they're out. Hopefully your critter will grow out of this. I agree with tap training. That's just rubbing the animal with a snake hook before you reach into the enclosure to let them know it's not feeding time, and they're either about to be handled, or you're doing some cage maintenance. I do this with all of my snakes. I have a couple that I still have to remove from their enclosures anytime I'm changing water or spot cleaning because I know they'll tag me.

Ohh that's what tap training is.

I've been doing that! lol

After the first time she nipped me I ordered a hook and just rub the hook along her body, but even then she still is defensive. She's nipped herself even like I've said in other posts, nothing bad but still, she doesn't like being touched even with the hook it seems.

[bcr229]

First, if you have the snake in a tank then it needs to go into a tub that is 6-7" high. Tanks have high walls and in order to pick up the snake you have no choice but to come at it from overhead, which is very threatening to the snake.

Second, this video explains tap training and dealing with defensive snakes. While the snakes in the video are all much bigger than your ball python, the techniques for handling them are the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjlg1njtfY

[Bogertophis]

...whenever I enter my room and she pokes her head out, she always enters a defensive strike stance...

Keep in mind that most snakes don't see very well. They see motion as either prey ("if it's small it might be edible?") or predator (if it's big & scary as you are to her).
Don't take it personal...she is not able to identify you visually, so she assumes the worst; she needs better info, ie. touch &/or scent, to know what's coming her way.
"Tap" training is one way to use touch (from a distance so you don't get bit). Be patient, most snakes learn & get much calmer.