aggression

[eMonk]

I don't think 2 weeks is enough time to tell. Sometimes after 2 weeks they can still be a little stressed from being moved and what not.

Thanks again Kaorte. This sucks because he is my only bp morph and I can't even handle him and see him up close. Hopefully in the near future I will beable to.

[Kaorte]

Thanks again Kaorte. It sucks because he is my only bp morph and I can't even handle him and see him up close. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to.

Don't worry. my lady pastel was pretty mean when I first got her. She has gotten over it though and is such a darling.

[frankykeno]

2 weeks is a blink of the eye (if snakes could blink that is) in a snake's life. Give the snake time to settle in. Also remember hissing doesn't always indicate a willingness to bite. I have a number of snakes in my collection that will hiss every single time you touch them but it's more of a grumbling complaint than anything serious.

Just be patient with a new snake. It's a lot to adjust to for an animal that likely hasn't a clue what's happening now in it's life. Develop simple handling routines that you do over and over. I believe routine helps these animals to adjust better to us. Remember as well that handling is something you want but not necessary to the snake's well being.

[casper]

A friend and his daughter visited last night and when they approached my snake cage my snake went nuts snapping at the glass. After they left he calmed down and I was able to pick him up and hold him without any problems.

I can go to the cage without my snake going crazy but my son or anyone else comes close my snake goes into strike mode and smacks the glass when people gets too close.

I find this a little bizarre.

[piper]

A friend and his daughter visited last night and when they approached my snake cage my snake went nuts snapping at the glass. After they left he calmed down and I was able to pick him up and hold him without any problems.

I can go to the cage without my snake going crazy but my son or anyone else comes close my snake goes into strike mode and smacks the glass when people gets too close.

I find this a little bizarre.

Is this a ball python? These aren't display snakes.. Do you have the sides of the tank covered? Sounds like the snake is very stressed out. May need to move him to another room. Just because you handle him fine, doesn't mean he is fine.

[pvdgod]

my ball python also strikes at the glass sometimes and sometimes is terrified and dives into his hide when he sees me. This is usually during shed or just after a meal though. When they act like this its best to leave them alone if you are afraid of being bitten. Then after a day or so he comes out and just hangs out in the open, oblivious to me and anything else. If i take him out then he is a darling, or if you can see they are curious or trying to get out of the cage, then you know they went to come out and will probably be more behaved if handled. My ball was from a pet store so there's a good chance she is WC or captive hatched, not captive bred. I would assume that such ball pythons are more likely to exhibit this anxiety type behavior, even though my temps and humidity are always perfect. Im curious to see how a CB BPs behavior differs. Picking up a few this weekend at White Plains, so cant wait to find out. Anyone else notice that their pet store ball pythons exhibit this behavior? Anyone have CB BP's that do this also? Interesting to find out if this is a symptom of a pet store animal. If so its just another reason to only buy CB from a reputable breeder.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Ball pythons personalities can vary quite a lot--some come out of the egg reasonably curious and only a little shy--others come out of the egg ready to rumble and kill anything that threatens them. Over the first few weeks, some personalities will become calmer, and others more high strung. I have found that the very defensive snakes (aggressive really isn't the right word) will usually grow out of it by the time they are 3 months old, if not sooner.

However, there will always be some that never do. They just do not like to be bothered, and will bite to secure their right to be left alone. Relatively rare in ball pythons, but definitely not non-existant.

Give a young python less time to practice this behavior. If they get very upset, leave them alone for a few days before approaching them again. Pushing the issue only seems to make the snake more furious, and more likely to react badly the next time.

Also, like everyone else, snakes have moods. Some days, they may not mind being handled, while on other days, they may just not feel like being touched--this is what hissing usually indicates, a warning that they want you to back off. I try to respect my older snakes' wishes when they hiss, since they don't do it very often.

[casper]

Is this a ball python? These aren't display snakes.. Do you have the sides of the tank covered? Sounds like the snake is very stressed out. May need to move him to another room. Just because you handle him fine, doesn't mean he is fine.

Yes my snake is a ball python. The sides are covered except the front. The cage is in the computer room so there is not much traffic.