Severely nippy BP!

[Moose84]

FYI, I'm a "die-hard" lover of glass tanks for snakes, & I can't remember the last snake bite I got, & I've been keeping many snakes (all kinds) for a crazy number
of years. I do remove my 6' buzzard wings right before I "swoop in" to pick them up though... (Let's all try to be a little more open-minded, eh?)

I don't think anyone is trying to be narrow minded.. When you see this same post almost once a day and have experienced it yourself I think the whole cage/tub debate goes out the window.. I admire your PC nature Boge, but I also think its vague and leads to people believe they are doing the right thing when sometimes they aren't.. This place can quickly become an echo chamber for poor practices and diverting attention from the topic only re-enforces that..

[Craiga 01453]

I don't think anyone is trying to be narrow minded.. When you see this same post almost once a day and have experienced it yourself I think the whole cage/tub debate goes out the window.. I admire your PC nature Boge, but I also think its vague and leads to people believe they are doing the right thing when sometimes they aren't.. This place can quickly become an echo chamber for poor practices and diverting attention from the topic only re-enforces that..

I honestly don't think glass is the issue here. I've been using glass since I started out 20 years ago. I did take a break for a few years, but have about 15 years of experience keeping snakes in glass. I've never had an aggressive snake. I've had some nippy youngins who all outgrew it...in glass. So I don't think glass = aggression is accurate at all.
Snakes thrive in glass all over the world.

That being said, OP, you are all over the place with your replies. The thread is titled "SEVERELY NIPPY BP" yet now you're saying the snake is puppy dog tame???
I'm confused...

[RedDemon5419]

I've used glass successfully for many years. That being said, it's important to be open minded to different ideas and solutions when we take on animals. We owe it to them to put their needs first.
I'm not saying a tub is the answer, since I believe the same can be accomplished using glass.

The positive feature about tubs vs glass, in regards to security which is the issue here, is that tubs are generally not transparent, or at least cloudy. This provides the animal with the security it craves.

The same can be accomplished using glass. Just simply use cardboard or something similar to "black out" the sides, back and top of the enclosure. Make sure there's at least two proper hides that are nice and snug and add plenty of clutter.

You can also eliminate stress by not going into the enclosure daily. If I recall correctly you said you change the water daily? No need. As long as clean water is available there's no need to change it daily. That's just overkill adding unneeded stress. I change mine every 3-4 depending on species and size of the water bowl. Just change it when you're going in the enclosure anyway. No need to open the enclosure just for a water change. Change it if you're taking the snake out or spit cleaning after a pee/poop.


Also, how long are you handling the snake when you do handle? And how often?

One of the first things I've done was wall off the back and sides of the tank with dark paper(on the outside) made sure the top was covered at the appropriate amount for optimal humidity levels and made sure there was enough places she could hide around in. A lot of clutter. Things like that, when I swapped her over out of quarantine.

The only reason I change water daily is because I de-chlorinate it with reptisafe. So far I haven't really noticed a difference in between the snakes drinking it or not so I'm probably just gonna go back to regular old tap water. I change it every three days or so in that case if it's just regular old tap water, not de-chlorinated tap water.

As for handling, I handle her between 15 minutes to an hour. I usually sit down and watch a few youtube videos with her, let her roam about on my arms, the couch. She generally likes to try and make me take off my glasses when she scopes about my head. She's curious and generally likes to explore. I usually try to handle her every 3 days or so. I leave her alone for two days after I've fed her for obvious reasons.

[RedDemon5419]

I honestly don't think glass is the issue here. I've been using glass since I started out 20 years ago. I did take a break for a few years, but have about 15 years of experience keeping snakes in glass. I've never had an aggressive snake. I've had some nippy youngins who all outgrew it...in glass. So I don't think glass = aggression is accurate at all.
Snakes thrive in glass all over the world.

That being said, OP, you are all over the place with your replies. The thread is titled "SEVERELY NIPPY BP" yet now you're saying the snake is puppy dog tame???
I'm confused...

I've said she's nippy in her tank when trying to take her out.

When I hold her, she's tame.
I was holding her earlier today before I fed her. her head wasn't out of her hide, went in, brushed the hook against her to let her know I was there, picked her up with the hook and used my other hand to fully pick her up. She was fine.

She's only severely nippy when her head is out of her hide. Example being, I walk in my room, her heads out of her hide. She see's me and gets into a defensive strike pose. Another being I'm going into my room to go to bed, she sticks her head out of her hide and rests it atop of it to watch me relax in bed.

One person said in the thread it might be a territorial thing. Possible, who knows! That's why I'm here asking. Sometimes she's severely nippy. Other times she's just a noodle in a glass tank.

[Craiga 01453]

One of the first things I've done was wall off the back and sides of the tank with dark paper(on the outside) made sure the top was covered at the appropriate amount for optimal humidity levels and made sure there was enough places she could hide around in. A lot of clutter. Things like that, when I swapped her over out of quarantine.

The only reason I change water daily is because I de-chlorinate it with reptisafe. So far I haven't really noticed a difference in between the snakes drinking it or not so I'm probably just gonna go back to regular old tap water. I change it every three days or so in that case.

As for handling, I handle her between 15 minutes to an hour. I usually sit down and watch a few youtube videos with her, let her roam about on my arms, the couch. She generally likes to try and make me take off my glasses when she scopes about my head. She's curious and exploitative. I usually try to handle her every 3 days or so. I leave her alone for two days after I've fed her for obvious reasons.

Ok. It sounds to me like you're doing things right. You may just have an example of a BP who's a bit defensive and needs a little time and extra effort. But it's very uncommon for a BP to remain defensive into adulthood.
I think it's important to recognize the difference between defensive and aggressive. Defensive is common and easy to work with over time, and this behavior definitely sounds defensive and not aggressive.

As for the water...as long as your tap is safe for you to drink it's safe for them too. You can also leave water out for 24 hours to naturally dechlorinate it.

[RedDemon5419]

Ok. It sounds to me like you're doing things right. You may just have an example of a BP who's a bit defensive and needs a little time and extra effort. But it's very uncommon for a BP to remain defensive into adulthood.
I think it's important to recognize the difference between defensive and aggressive. Defensive is common and easy to work with over time, and this behavior definitely sounds defensive and not aggressive.

As for the water...as long as your tap is safe for you to drink it's safe for them too. You can also leave water out for 24 hours to naturally dechlorinate it.

There's no naturally aggressive BPs as far as I'm concerned. Only defensive ones.
I got her Feb 9th 2018. The store said they had her for 4 months or so, so I'm estimating she's about a year and a half roughly, give or take. When does a BP be considered an 'adult' instead of a juvenile anymore? Is it when they're ready to breed or when the pass year 1? I'm feeling like this is a 'I'm a moody teen' stage for her.

I've felt that way about the water too but I've seen so many people say 'you gotta de-chlorinate your water! Iz bad for your reptiles!' I figured 'Why not? It's 8 bucks for the reptisafe, I'll try it'

[Craiga 01453]

There's no naturally aggressive BPs as far as I'm concerned. Only defensive ones.
I got her Feb 9th 2018. The store said they had her for 4 months or so, so I'm estimating she's about a year and a half roughly, give or take. When does a BP be considered an 'adult' instead of a juvenile anymore? Is it when they're ready to breed or when the pass year 1? I'm feeling like this is a 'I'm a moody teen' stage for her.

I've felt that way about the water too but I've seen so many people say 'you gotta de-chlorinate your water! Iz bad for your reptiles!' I figured 'Why not? It's 8 bucks for the reptisafe, I'll try it'

Oh ok. I thought you'd had her only a few months. I must've misread something. But any which way, just be patient with her. I'm confident she'll come around. I honestly think going into the enclosure less often will help.

Going in with confidence goes a long way too. If you're displaying any signs of nervousness the snake can pick up on that and become nervous as a result.


And yeah, the water thing only applies if your water is unsafe for your consumption as well. Safe for you = safe for your snakes.
This is why I feel it's so important to cross reference information and learn from reliable sources. The internet is a fantastic learning too, but also a breeding ground for false information. So pick and choose who you learn from carefully.

[RedDemon5419]

Oh ok. I thought you'd had her only a few months. I must've misread something. But any which way, just be patient with her. I'm confident she'll come around. I honestly think going into the enclosure less often will help.

Going in with confidence goes a long way too. If you're displaying any signs of nervousness the snake can pick up on that and become nervous as a result.

I'll cut back on going into the cage often and stop using the reptisafe to rectify that issue. In any event I appreciate the advice, thank you!

[Craiga 01453]

I'll cut back on going into the cage often and stop using the reptisafe to rectify that issue. In any event I appreciate the advice, thank you!

I'm happy to help. Please keep us posted. Feel free to PM me anytime if you have questions.

[dr del]

I've said she's nippy in her tank when trying to take her out.

When I hold her, she's tame.
I was holding her earlier today before I fed her. her head wasn't out of her hide, went in, brushed the hook against her to let her know I was there, picked her up with the hook and used my other hand to fully pick her up. She was fine.

She's only severely nippy when her head is out of her hide. Example being, I walk in my room, her heads out of her hide. She see's me and gets into a defensive strike pose. Another being I'm going into my room to go to bed, she sticks her head out of her hide and rests it atop of it to watch me relax in bed.

One person said in the thread it might be a territorial thing. Possible, who knows! That's why I'm here asking. Sometimes she's severely nippy. Other times she's just a noodle in a glass tank.

To be honest that sounds like she is in feeding mode rather than a defensive posture. tap training will take them out of both but maybe she is just ready for a step up in feeder size?