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  1. #1
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    Intense Feeder Response: Taming Advice?

    Hello! So a young ball python fell into my lap essentially five or six weeks ago with very little info other than it was male, was used to being fed two live adult mice once a week and simply hadn't been handled a lot and needed a home. He has the MOST intense feeding response I've ever seen on a ball python (comparable to my kingsnake, boa and a few corns). He switched to f/t fuzzy rats with no issue and I just bumped him up to small rats as he is just over a year mark and seems to be growing well. My only real problem? Is he tracks any and all movements he sees outside of his enclosure and always seems to be in feed mode. Anytime I open his enclosure he goes for my hands and if he gets me he instantly wraps and will hold on until I use a little cool water to persuade him to release.

    Any suggestions on how to help my little guy get more comfortable with handling and break whatever association he has with bare skin and food? I've started hook training but it doesn't seem to snap him out of feeder mode. It seems like he just equates any movement and his enclosure opening with food and I worry about the level of stress constantly being in feeder mode will do to him. Should I just keep trying to handle him once or twice a day and take the bites as they come until he breaks the association? Or does anyone think he is too old to break this habit? He's just over a year mark based on what the previous owner said and his size.

    I've dealt with bitey babies and defensive ball pythons, taming them and getting them used to handling has always been quick and easy but this is a new one for me and has been a bit more challenging. Any tips are absolutely welcome.

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran nikkubus's Avatar
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    Taking bites is better than jerking your hand away or dropping him, but I would really work on trying to handle him in a way that he doesn't get to the point of biting you. If a hook is not working to break the response, a roll of paper towels might work better. It would be better to give him some time to calm down and break that response, even if it takes you 10 or 15 mins to get him out. I would start really slow with handling him rather than going from not being handled at all to being handled daily. I would pick 2-3 days after eating, and handle him for a brief amount of time, maybe 10 mins, and then leave him alone till the next week. Slowly over time you can handle him more often or for longer periods if the sessions are going well. If the sessions are doing nothing but causing him stress, more of them is not going to make him calmer, it's only going to make him behave worse. You have to build some trust with him, which means giving him positive human experiences. The more you open that enclosure besides feeding, the more that will help break his conditioning that it being opened means food. It's also possible he is just really hungry because he wasn't being fed quite enough. Do you have a weight on him? How is his body condition?

    You can also try to break the feeding response by misting down the enclosure. Almost none of my snakes enjoy being misted, and go in their hide and curl up if they aren't already.
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    May I suggest getting a fresh stool sample to the vet, to see if he has parasites (intestinal worms). That ("sharing his meals") would explain his insane appetite & resulting behavior, & since he was fed live rodents, it's a real good possibility. It really helps to know what you're dealing with first.
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    BPnet Royalty KMG's Avatar
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    Could the meals still be too small?

    I wouldn't let it continually bite me. I use my paper towel roll on a snake like that....or a towel over their head.
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    Lord Sorril (06-02-2021)

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    Rub the end of the hook with a drop or so of white vinegar or sharp-scented hand sanitizer (lemon scent works well). One good sniff of that will break the food response on my retics.

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    Bogertophis (06-02-2021),EL-Ziggy (06-03-2021)

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    Re: Intense Feeder Response: Taming Advice?

    Keep hook training him and use a pair of thick gloves to remove him from the enclosure. You can ditch the gloves once he calms down and hopefully he’ll mellow out within a few months.
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  11. #7
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    Re: Intense Feeder Response: Taming Advice?

    Quote Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy View Post
    Keep hook training him and use a pair of thick gloves to remove him from the enclosure. You can ditch the gloves once he calms down and hopefully he’ll mellow out within a few months.
    Gloves always worked well for me too, Once they work out there is not point (reaction), they tend to give up.
    Last edited by Ascended; 06-03-2021 at 04:52 PM.

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    I agree, sometimes just using thick gloves for a bit while the snake learns that biting is pointless & that you taste bad. Most snakes learn that they come to no harm by being touched & held by us; however, if it's truly a feeding (hunger) issue, please rule out parasites with a stool check from the vet.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  14. #9
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    Re: Intense Feeder Response: Taming Advice?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    please rule out parasites with a stool check from the vet.
    Good point. Because of the below information you gave

    Quote Originally Posted by SharpGrey View Post
    was used to being fed two live adult mice once a week and simply hadn't been handled a lot and needed a home. He has the MOST intense feeding response I've ever seen on a ball =
    I've dealt with bitey babies and defensive ball pythons, taming them and getting them used to handling has always been quick and easy but this is a new one for me and has been a bit more challenging. Any tips are absolutely welcome.
    If the live food was not from a very reputable source, there is a chance of transfer of various worms.

  15. #10
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    Re: Intense Feeder Response: Taming Advice?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ascended View Post
    Good point. Because of the below information you gave


    If the live food was not from a very reputable source, there is a chance of transfer of various worms.
    And remember, internal parasites aren't merely inconvenient or annoying, they're doing damage to the snake's body- robbing it of nutrients needed for growth, sure, but literal damage is also possible, & more likely, the longer you delay treatment. It's just something I'd want to rule out; snakes can't talk so you have to read their symptoms.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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