Ball Python Feed Biting Me Constantly

[CRH3012]

So I just got a new ball python in and he's the craziest snake I've ever had. 3 different times now he's bit me mistaking me for food. None of those were on feeding days. Every time I take him out and he gets up close to my shirt, pants or jacket he immediately bites and constricts like its a rodent. I've personally never experienced this and if anyone has how do I get this behavior to stop? Got him from a well known local breeder but could it be he just wasnt fed enough and is hungry all the time? Strangest thing I've ever experienced and definitely would like to avoid him biting my shirt/pants from here on out lol

[Kerimac]

Bless his heart. I've never heard of this behavior.

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[bcr229]

Put a few drops of white vinegar on a cotton ball. When he grabs put it up to his nostrils so he gets a good whiff of it. That should break the food response.

Some breeders only maintenance feed their youngsters so yours might just be hungry all the time.

Also check his enclosure temperatures. If you keep his enclosure on the warmer side then that can increase his metabolism and make him hungry.

[CRH3012]

Appreciate the tip. Temps are 90 degree hot spot 80 degree cool side so I should be good with husbandry. Will definitely try that next time! Just sucks I can't ever take him out without him biting my shirt lol

[Bogertophis]

He sounds both under-fed and under-socialized, and with some patience & more appropriate sized meals, he'll probably out-grow it.

One more thing IF the issue continues: have his stool checked for parasites. When snakes are "sharing" their meals with intestinal worms (from eating live prey), they'll
be ravenous all the time since they aren't actually getting all the food for themselves. Just a thought...if it continues... Pay attention to how fast he digests his
meals...if parasites are helping, his digestion might be faster than normal, as a tip-off.

[CRH3012]

He sounds both under-fed and under-socialized, and with some patience & more appropriate sized meals, he'll probably out-grow it.

One more thing IF the issue continues: have his stool checked for parasites. When snakes are "sharing" their meals with intestinal worms (from eating live prey), they'll
be ravenous all the time since they aren't actually getting all the food for themselves. Just a thought...if it continues... Pay attention to how fast he digests his
meals...if parasites are helping, his digestion might be faster than normal, as a tip-off.

So keep track of how often he goes to the bathroom? He's about 450 grams so at that weight how often would you say he would be going to the bathroom?

[Bogertophis]

So keep track of how often he goes to the bathroom? He's about 450 grams so at that weight how often would you say he would be going to the bathroom?

For one thing, snakes don't usually defecate once for every time they eat...their bodies have evolved to conserve water & nutrients. An adult wild snake I once took in (not a BP, & species is irrelevant anyway) appeared hungry, & after I fed him, he defecated in about a day or day & a half at most after eating that meal. He was found to have a heavy parasite load of intestinal worms...I de-wormed him using a safe medication to expel them...SO many worms! And that was a large adult mouse that he ate too, not a pinky or fuzzy that digests much quicker. So it's just something to watch for, not a precise thing I can tell you. You know it takes longer than a day or day & a half for a snake to digest an adult rodent, so if you see that happen, be suspicious. It's a little hard to judge with a captive snake that's been eating regularly, since they might just happen to go after eating, but it was saved up from previous weeks. Does he appear to have good body weight, or is he thin? We're also not seeing him to judge. If he seems thin or continuously hungry despite eating reliably, be suspicious.

Most BPs are not biters, but even though it's not typical, there are a few around that have "challenging" personalities*. Let's hope your's is an easy "fix" lol.
*With all the breeding for specific color & pattern traits, most breeders aren't paying attention to "personality" & sometimes what goes along with a particular
appearance trait just happens to be a bitey personality. There's a lot (positive) to be said for "normals" IMO.

[CRH3012]

For one thing, snakes don't usually defecate once for every time they eat...their bodies have evolved to conserve water & nutrients. An adult wild snake I once took in (not a BP, & species is irrelevant anyway) appeared hungry, & after I fed him, he defecated in about a day or day & a half at most after eating that meal. He was found to have a heavy parasite load of intestinal worms...I de-wormed him using a safe medication to expel them...SO many worms! And that was a large adult mouse that he ate too, not a pinky or fuzzy that digests much quicker. So it's just something to watch for, not a precise thing I can tell you. You know it takes longer than a day or day & a half for a snake to digest an adult rodent, so if you see that happen, be suspicious. It's a little hard to judge with a captive snake that's been eating regularly, since they might just happen to go after eating, but it was saved up from previous weeks. Does he appear to have good body weight, or is he thin? We're also not seeing him to judge. If he seems thin or continuously hungry despite eating reliably, be suspicious.

Most BPs are not biters, but even though it's not typical, there are a few around that have "challenging" personalities*. Let's hope your's is an easy "fix" lol.
*With all the breeding for specific color & pattern traits, most breeders aren't paying attention to "personality" & sometimes what goes along with a particular
appearance trait just happens to be a bitey personality. There's a lot (positive) to be said for "normals" IMO.

Appreciate the response. Like I said he comes from a pretty reputable local breeder so I'm really hoping it's not some sort of parasite. Below is a link to a picture of him. He looks healthy to me when comparing him to my other snakes that are around the same weight. He's 450 grams or so. I honestly don't mind if its just him being very excited to eat. It's just so odd that he's attracted to the material of my shirt or jacket almost like he thinks its the fur of a rodent lol. He doesn't go for my hand or anything like that when I take him out just once he puts his face up against a piece of my clothing he strikes and constricts it like he's going to eat.
https://i.gyazo.com/6129bcad3e043a86...ec5164423f.png

[Bogertophis]

He's a good-looking snake, & most likely he just needs more food, your patience & "life experience", lol.

Rosy boas are typically docile non-bitey snakes too, but I've seen a few of them that sorta push their noses into the hands holding them (testing, mind you, for the head to swallow!) & then bite it! Some snakes are just silly that way... Maybe some people (or their clothes) just taste better than others...

[CRH3012]

Thank you so much for the responses!! I will start taking him out a few days after he's fed to work on it with him. I'll make sure I follow the 10% their body weight rule to ensure he's being fed the proper amount