Spicy little Ball...

[Auntie_Moe]

We got a new guy last week (Thursday) he is currently in quarantine, I don't know his age other than he is a 2020 hatch and he weights 209 grams..

We have not been bothering him other than to clean and refill his water and feed him.

I seriously think he hates us.. I always peek into his hides to see where he is before I move his bowl. Every time I come back he will be sitting outside or on top of his hide in strike position.... The day my husband picked him up he opened up his box checked him all out to make sure he was good. Put him back in his bag in the box to wait for me to come get him. The little guy escaped and was sitting on his desk striking at him..

Am I gonna have my hands full with this little dude? Or should I just chalk it up to his travel and new environment?

I told my husband this is gonna be the 1st ball to bite me.. He is such a spicy little noodle..

[Bogertophis]

Some snakes are more stressed & fearful than others- be patient, his entire WORLD just changed without anyone consulting him, much less offering him an explanation. Of COURSE he's defensive...I would be too. From where he's sitting, you folks are the scary ones!

[Bogertophis]

...I told my husband this is gonna be the 1st ball to bite me.. He is such a spicy little noodle..

Incidentally, if you'd rather avoid a bite, when you're ready to handle him some to get acquainted, try putting a small cloth/towel over him (so he feels safer hiding from you), then gently pick him up, keeping him inside it, & just sit a while so he has a chance to get to know your scent & touch. If you do this a few times, sooner or later he'll figure out he feels safe with you, safe enough so hopefully he won't bite when you finally let him peek out. Stay patient, snakes do learn. But visually, things confuse & frighten them pretty easily- they learn our scent and touch though, and once they do, remember to use that any time you need to re-identify yourself.

This was basically how I totally tamed a yearling boa (BCI) some years ago, that no one wanted. She bit everybody & changed homes many times during her first year, getting ever more freaked out & defensive, until she was offered to me. I never got even one bite from her in all the years I had her- not that she didn't WANT to bite me at first, lol. But even she learned to feel safe with me- I can't tell you how long you'll need to work with yours, but you'll know when you "get there". This isn't so common with BPs, they're typically more laid back, but all snakes have their own personality- remember that.

[Auntie_Moe]

Bogertophis Thank you for that suggestion. I will keep that in mind when I handle him the 1st time..

[ApathyAngel]

Mine is super bitey, too. I got her as a rescue and she was in rough shape, so I figured she'd calm down as she got healthier.

That was... 6 years ago, I think? And she never calmed down. But now it's part of her charm. She's a fiesty, grumpy lady.

But it hasn't been an issue. I tap her before reaching into the tank, and she hisses like mad for the first couple of minutes, but then she calms down. I've worked with her a lot, and now she tolerates kisses from my 9yo daughter on the top of her head.

She's really mellow, as long as there's no food around and I've spent a couple of minutes just helping her relax and reminding her that no one is gonna eat her. As long as I tap her and go slow those first couple of minutes, she's completely fine.

Any time she smells food, though, all bets are off. Her feeding response puts my retic to shame (though part of that is that she was severely malnourished and underfed for the first two years of her life, so that's just a quirk she has).

I mean, I've been working on revamping her tank, and today her temp/humidity gauge fell off. But today is feeding day, and she knows it. Literally the second I opened her door, she was up and ready to strike.



And she's like 4 feet long, almost as thick around as my wrist. I don't feel like trying to pry her off me.

So today it's just gonna sit there, and I'll get it after she's done eating.

So even if yours never grows out of his bitey phase (they do typically calm down as they grow, babies tend to be way more neurotic than adults), it's still super manageable, with just a little bit of work.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

[Auntie_Moe]

Update on Dusk aka spicy little ball. He is starting to settle, eats like a champ, hasn't missed a meal yet.. Didn't try to eat me last night when I took him out yeah Dusk!! No more striking at me, strikes at everyone else..

He is still in his quarantine tub, his non quarantine home is still occupied by one of my other balls who has been forever waiting for his PVC enclosure... Now that he seems to be adjusted and happy in his tub I'm dreading the move to the other enclosure... I'm debating leaving him in the tub till he out grows it. Just move him from the quarantine room.. My daughter is pushing for racks, she plans to breed in a few years and Dusk is actually the base for her plan. I'm thinking him just staying in the tub might be OK, due to he will at some point end up in a rack.

[Bogertophis]

... No more striking at me, strikes at everyone else.....

Well, that's a start, at least.

It seems to me that my snakes feel safe with others after I'm the one to initially pick them up, because it's our approach that is most confusing & scary for them- they still have that instinct that screams "Predator! " in their heads, but once in familiar hands, they recognize the "routine" of being handled & still feeling "safe". So for a while, you should be the one to get him out & hand him over to others- it's always better to avoid bites, IMO, but it's MOST important to keep your snake from a state of panic, where he feels he has to defend himself. Then be patient, he'll learn.

[Auntie_Moe]

Just gotta say Tag you're it!! Spicy little Ball aka Dusk tagged my daughter this morning... Not nice of me to laugh but I knew it was coming at some point.. She didn't even do anything she was holding him... One of our dogs ran through the room and startled him, her arm got in the way..

[Bogertophis]

Just gotta say Tag you're it!! Spicy little Ball aka Dusk tagged my daughter this morning... Not nice of me to laugh but I knew it was coming at some point.. She didn't even do anything she was holding him... One of our dogs ran through the room and startled him, her arm got in the way..

That's very typical for a little snap-dragon that isn't really relaxed with being held yet. It was bound to happen, especially with a dog bouncing around, lol. I trust she has "recovered"?

[Auntie_Moe]

That's very typical for a little snap-dragon that isn't really relaxed with being held yet. It was bound to happen, especially with a dog bouncing around, lol. I trust she has "recovered"?

Snap-Dragon... I like that...

She was fine.. She was so excited to text me to tell me she got tagged.... Kids...