How can I avoid getting tagged?

[N1GHTRA1N]

Ok so I've had my BP for around 4 months now. I've been feeding him a adult mouse every 5-6 days in a separate 10 gallon aquarium. Recently I've noticed that on the 5th day he comes out of his hide when I'm around and gets his neck in a S shape and looks like he wants to eats. This had been for the last 4-5 feedings. I decided to increase the feeding frequency. I last feed him on Tuesday, the time before that was Friday (4 days). I tonight I decided to feed him again. Before we went to buy the mouse my wife said he was watching her as she walked by his terrarium. When I got home with the mouse he was part way out of his hide in a S shape. I slowly tried to lift the hide off of him as I always do and pick him up. As soon as I lifted the hide a little and touch him I got tagged on my left thumb. I washed the blood away (it was only a little) and then removed the hide and successfully moved him to his feeding tank. He didn't tag me again but looked like he wanted to. He ate the mouse and I put him back in his terrarium and he went to his warm side hide and that was it.

So this was the first time I've been tagged, it doesn't hurt, feels kind of like getting poked with a few thumb tacks or something. However I'd like to avoid this in the future, since I can't see it being a good thing for the snake. I normally handle him for 10-15 mins ever 2 or 3 days and have been once seen him look like he wanted to tag me. The last several feedings though he looked like he was ready to tag me but didn't until tonight.

What can I do in the future to avoid this?

BTW he is about 24-26" long and weights around 250g. Should I continue to feed every 4 days instead or 5 or 6 days? Should I continue feeding in a separate tank? Is he just tagging me because he mistake me for food because he is hungry?

Thanks in advance.

[DM1975]

He might be mistaking you for food. I feed all of my animals in their enclosures, but others feed in separate enclosures successfully, but if you smell like a mouse or rat then that might be your problem. Are you feeding appropriately sized prey?

[psycho]

Well first of all hatchlings should be fed frequently...juveniles & adults you can feed 'em every 6 or 7 days...you might get him overweight...Your ball python might have feel threatend when you reach for the hide & probably that's why it tagged you...ball pythons might seem like if they're on the striking position but aren't gonna do a thing sometimes...try covering the tank with a towel or someting for a week or so & then watch its behavior...

[cinderbird]

increase his food size, honestly it sounds like he's hungry. And switching him to another tank to feed is one of the best ways to get bitten. You probably smell like dinner and are messing with him in on or around the time that he is eating. (the cage aggression thing is a COMPLETE myth).

What size mice are you feeding him?

[N1GHTRA1N]

increase his food size, honestly it sounds like he's hungry. And switching him to another tank to feed is one of the best ways to get bitten. You probably smell like dinner and are messing with him in on or around the time that he is eating. (the cage aggression thing is a COMPLETE myth).

What size mice are you feeding him?

I'm feeding him adult mice. They are being purchased from a local pet store and are about the half the size of a juvenile rat. The rat just looks to big for him right now.

I'm sure that he is just thinking I'm food. I didn't do anything different tonight then I did every other time I've fed him or taken him out.

I think I'll continue with frequent feedings every 4 days or so. I don't want to get tagged so hopefully he is cool from now on. I'm going to be out of town for a while and my brother will be doing the feedings, I'm hoping he doesn't get tagged. I'll be feeding him on Wednesday (4 days from this current feeding) and my brother will feed him twice while I'm gone.

If I decide to feed in his enclosure instead of a different tank how can I do it best? I never did it because I was concerned the mouse would be harder to catch and would end up hiding in a spot where the snake wouldn't bother him.

Thanks.

[cinderbird]

I'm feeding him adult mice. They are being purchased from a local pet store and are about the half the size of a juvenile rat. The rat just looks to big for him right now.

I'm sure that he is just thinking I'm food. I didn't do anything different tonight then I did every other time I've fed him or taken him out.

I think I'll continue with frequent feedings every 4 days or so. I don't want to get tagged so hopefully he is cool from now on. I'm going to be out of town for a while and my brother will be doing the feedings, I'm hoping he doesn't get tagged. I'll be feeding him on Wednesday (4 days from this current feeding) and my brother will feed him twice while I'm gone.

If I decide to feed in his enclosure instead of a different tank how can I do it best? I never did it because I was concerned the mouse would be harder to catch and would end up hiding in a spot where the snake wouldn't bother him.

Thanks.

0. take out any offending cage furniture (second hide or vines or something) this will keep the mouse from hiding. Whenever i fed my animals live i hung around until i was sure a prey animal was dead, big hemostats in hand, to make sure no one was bit by their dinner.
1. prescent - this lets your snake know its dinner time.
2. insert rodent into OPPOSITE side of cage snake is in.
3. snake enjoys rodent.

if you can manage, you can also hold the rodent with a pair of feeding tweezers or hemostats by the scruff. honestly, i never found this to work well and just let the snake do its thing. They're predators, they know what to do

im sure someone with more live feeding experience can chime in though.

oh, and have you tried tapping him on the head with something to snap him out of feeding mode? if i've got an unusually frisky one they get a tap on the noggin with the snake hook or the hemostats. ..or getting misted with coolish water usually takes the wind out of their sails

[rabernet]

I feed live in the enclosures, but I don't remove the hides. I feel like they prefer the security of their hides to ambush hunt, AND the hides offer protection to their bodies as well.

[N1GHTRA1N]

0. take out any offending cage furniture (second hide or vines or something) this will keep the mouse from hiding. Whenever i fed my animals live i hung around until i was sure a prey animal was dead, big hemostats in hand, to make sure no one was bit by their dinner.
1. prescent - this lets your snake know its dinner time.
2. insert rodent into OPPOSITE side of cage snake is in.
3. snake enjoys rodent.

if you can manage, you can also hold the rodent with a pair of feeding tweezers or hemostats by the scruff. honestly, i never found this to work well and just let the snake do its thing. They're predators, they know what to do

im sure someone with more live feeding experience can chime in though.

oh, and have you tried tapping him on the head with something to snap him out of feeding mode? if i've got an unusually frisky one they get a tap on the noggin with the snake hook or the hemostats. ..or getting misted with coolish water usually takes the wind out of their sails

I'll try that next time, I'll either tap him or spray him to see if that works. If he looks like he'll strike that is. I just want to make sure I'm doing nothing to hurt him, I want to make sure he is well taken care of.

[OldHippie]

I just got bitten. I was a bit late in feeding him - been busy in the rest of my life - and he's been 'searching' for the last couple of days. Also, I approached him with the food from behind where he was looking, simply because it was more convenient. Rather than coming across for the rat as he usually does, he came up and got me. I recovered the rat with the hemostat, presented it again and he struck on it, not on me.

I also have to mention that I handled the (F/T) rat (with the hand that was bitten) just before the feeding, to be sure it was sufficiently warmed. So it's possible it smelled like food.

Bottom line: it wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't a big deal, either. My ball is perhaps 1-1/2 years old, and the description I've read that "it's like a bite from a kitten" wasn't far off. I actually feel a bit more comfortable, just like a rider who's finally been down for the first time and knows what to expect.

My plan? I intend to present food in front of him, rather than having him double back on himself. That raised his head up and probably made my thumb look like a better target. In the past, I've actually pulled him from a hide when I knew it was time to eat, placed him back on the floor of his enclosure and presented the meal. That way, I was able to orient him to allow me space around his 'furniture' to approach and strike the food. Ah, always a learning process.

[sg1trogdor]

Well it will happen eventually no matter what you do. Just comes with the territory. But if you want to know my secret you'll have to beg......Ok you talked me into it. I have super human reflexes