Socializing time frame?

[Lilah]

I am a brand new owner and would love some opinions about balancing stress and socializing.

I've had her since the begining of the month, when I first got her I gave her several days of being left totally alone to settle in, and then attempted to feed her, she showed zero interest. I didn't know when she was fed last so I wasn't worried. I handled her a couple times before trying to feed her again but she only tried striking me or the mouse and didn't touch it when I left her alone with it for a few hours. Since she was too stressed to eat I have not handled her at all other than to weigh her once (I didn't have a working scale when she arrived) and since then and she has successfully eaten twice (yey!)

However, the reason I had started handling her somewhat early is she is extremely defensive and I am very lucky her teeth aren't big enough to break skin. If I go into her tank to refill her water, clean, mist, etc she will repeatedly tag me, and will even try and get me through the glass (though only if I've been in the tank first). I've learned to put her hide over her but twice she's poked her head out to try and bluff. I do my best to move slowly and confidently but I have a very high startle reflex so when she strikes I usually jump. It's annoying and counterproductive but not something I'm ever likely to be able to control.

Since I've been trying to minimize stress and get out of her way as quickly as possible, I'm reinforcing that being defensive is effective and gets me to go away. While I can respect that she may not be a good socializer, I would very much like to get to a point where she's comfortable with me performing basic maintainance or at least that I can move her into a seperate bin while I do it (since I'm basically giant predator swooping in from above)

Currently my plan is to give her one more meal on Friday and if she eats wait two days, handle her briefly (10 minutes) on Monday and Wednesday and try feeding again on Friday. If she doesn't eat I'll leave her alone till she does and reevaluate from there.

I would love opinions on if this seems reasonable, or if I should wait longer, or honestly anything else you might have to offer. I suspect I erred by trying to handle her early rather than waiting till she ate, I'm sure she would appreciate if y'all could help me from making similar newbie mistakes.

Thanks and sorry this is so long, I didn't know which info was most relevant so I just gave it all.

[Lord Sorril]

There could be a lot of factors that are in play with a defensive non-eater--Here are a few:

Age of snake
Weight of snake
Health of snake (reliable breeder vs. indifferent chain store)
Original feeding pattern
Prey Type vs. Original Prey Type
Enclosure Setup: (Size/Heat/Humidity/Hide Types)
Environment-Noise/Vibration/Bright Light=Stress
Handling=Stress (do not handle the snake until it is established on a regular eating pattern for at least a month)

These are just a few of the possible reasons a ball python will not eat.

Also: Offering food too frequently is also a form of stress. Only offer one appropriately sized prey item once/week.

[Bogertophis]

Eating reliably at normal intervals for a newly-acquired snake is "Job #1". NO handling until snake has "settled in" (feels established) as evidenced by their willingness to eat. I usually recommend that a snake has taken 3 meals at normal intervals before any handling is attempted, to be sure the snake is feeling safe in their environment, especially if you're a "new" owner (one without snake experience). And it's often better not to offer even that first meal for 1 to 2 weeks when you first bring a snake home. They don't feel "safe" enough to eat yet...remember they learn their way around in the wild, & they don't understand why & how their entire world just changed, so even if it meets all their requirements, it's still very unsettling to them. And they can't look up the answer on the 'net.

Your snake is still very afraid & defensive...work on her eating reliably first. Snakes have individual "perspectives" (opinions) on being handled...they are not by nature "social animals", & while most will come around to accept us, some will not. Be patient & realize you are a huge scary giant to your snake...in other words, suspected of being a predator that plans to EAT her. Seriously, try to empathize with what your snake is feeling, & slow down accordingly.

[Lilah]

@Bogertophis
Thank you! Would you say that my time table is still too rapid and I should give her a few more weeks to settle in before handling her?
Are there any other signs I can look out for that can give me an idea of what her stress level might be?

[Midwest]

How much time is it spending roaming around the enclosure. Each snake is different but typically a hiding BP is a happy BP. I've had our BP since November (hatched last July) and the first couple weeks it would spend a lot of time roaming and outside of its hides. After a month or so it would come out every evening just at dark for 20-30 minutes then back to the hide. That is pretty much the routine now. If it is constantly out trying to get out that could be a sign of stress.

Once it's eaten 304 times routinely is the most common advice given for when to start handling a new BP.

[Lilah]

@Midwest
That's good to know, she has been exploring a lot less, I'm glad to know that's a good sign!

[Bogertophis]

@Bogertophis
Thank you! Would you say that my time table is still too rapid and I should give her a few more weeks to settle in before handling her?
Are there any other signs I can look out for that can give me an idea of what her stress level might be?

Snakes each have their own experiences & genetics...ie. their own personality, so I can't give you a one-size-fits-all answer, much as I'd love to.

With snakes, all you can do is watch their behavior (& that includes willingness to eat) & "read between the lines". There is NO rush to "tame" a snake, certainly not a BP,
and there's no point taming one that won't eat, 'cause it won't live forever without eating, so that's why eating is job 1. If you're not patient, snakes aren't the best pet for you.

[EL-Ziggy]

I agree with holding off on handling until she's eaten a few nore times. As far as her defensive striking I'd suggest hook training her so she knows there's no food coming once you rub or tap her with the snake hook. You could also use a gloved hand to remove her from the enclosure and then remove the glove once she settles down. That's what I do with my scrub python who's pretty defensive inside his enclosure but he usually calms down after a few minutes.

[Bogertophis]

The scariest thing for snakes is our approach...remember that. They see but they don't identify us visually...they need other cues (our touch & scent, once they learn it) to identify us, so our approach is taken as a threat to them...the approach of a big scary predator. And think about how small (short!) they are, compared to us...I mean, would YOU think that something 100+ times bigger than you that was approaching you was just a friendly creature, or would YOU panic & try to hide or defend yourself?

The better you can imagine yourself as a snake, the quicker you'll learn to figure out what your snake is going thru & the better you'll be at showing them that they're safe.

Feeding 3 times at normal intervals (and with no refusals unless in shed) for a new snake BEFORE any handling means it might easily be 1.5 to 2 months before you should try to handle them, especially since it's not uncommon for snakes to refuse food for the first few weeks & it's going to be a week or so between each meal. Being re-homed is frightening & confusing, & fear is not an appetite stimulant.

You'll probably have better luck feeding her if you wait until you see signs that she is hungry: evening/night time, BPs are ambush-predators, meaning they wait for clueless prey to waltz past their hiding place, & feeling secure from where they are, they grab the prey. So with dim lighting, watch in evening for your BP to be peeking out of her hide. BPs rarely feel like accepting food when "out & about" in their enclosure, they feel safer when hiding. It's also important to offer f/t that's very warm- "lifelike", since BPs rely on their heat-sensing pits to take their temperature & identify their prey. Are you feeding live prey or f/t (frozen thawed)??? If f/t, thaw in water first, then use a blow-dryer to rapidly warm it up & offer immediately for best results. BPs don't like cold food...they're pretty finicky, fyi. Most snakes don't care, but BPs do. And I HOPE you're using feeding tongs to offer prey?

[Lilah]

Sorry for the delay in update, good news, she's eaten twice with great enthusiam since the last post. I'll start handling briefly after she's digested her next meal and see how it goes.
I haven't heard of the blow dryer trick before, I'm currently doing f/t with hot water (not hot enough to cook it) so far she's been good with that, and yes, I definitely use tongs!