becoming less dosile

[Erykedge]

My ball python has been acting different when feeding, hes directing his attention more toward me then the mouse. Wondering if there is anything I'm doing wrong that could be causing his increased aggression.

[SnakeLady1990]

Few questions...where do you feed him? what do you feed him? how long have you had him? and have you changed anything recently in the feeding routine or in general at all? (housing, bedding, live to f/t, ect.)

[Erykedge]

I feed him in his Terrarium. Feed him the same thawed mice. Have had him 6 months and he is nearly 4 years old.

He has escaped his cage a few times in the past few months, that last time it took me almost a full day to find him.

Also wondering if the mice could have gotten frost bitten or gone bad, they were all in the same bag and im nearing the end of the bag, so not sure if they have had anything damage them, or if that would be a cause?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

hes directing his attention more toward me then the mouse.

That's because you are warmer than the prey offered, when feeding F/T warming up the prey to proper temp is very important if the prey is not warm enough YOU become the warmest target there

[SnakeLady1990]

If they are not fully thawed he may be picking up the heat radiating from your hand. The organ they use to sense food focus's on heat...if you put your hand and a frozen thawed mouse in front of a snake, they will pick up the scent of a mouse and the heat on your hand and might bite you instead of the mouse. Tongs could help with this as they do not hold heat.

I wouldn't feed him in his cage either...then he starts to think anything that comes in his cage is 'food' and since you probably take him out to mess with him he might mistake your hand for food sooner or later.

Frozen/Thawed should be good in a freezer for 1 year if properly sealed. (zip locked).

I would get a tub to feed in. I feed all my snakes outside thier tanks/tubs and I have 9 of them, haha.

[SnakeLady1990]

Also, there has been some hear-say that snakes who get out of thier tanks and roam around can get a little frisky. I would get a 'critter cage' 40gallon for him. They have two black clasps that hold the lid shut...and the lid is a sliding lock lid so instead of going straight down, it slides on top. Then there is also a third lock on the front you can either stick a pin in to make sure they cannot slide the lid off or you can put a mini padlock on to keep others out.

Here is a link w/ good photos.

http://www.petsr4u.com/proddetail.asp?prod=75366027

[Swingline0.0.1]

I wouldn't feed him in his cage either...then he starts to think anything that comes in his cage is 'food' and since you probably take him out to mess with him he might mistake your hand for food sooner or later.

Not true at all, that is a misconception. If anything only taking him out for a meal would indicate that it is meal time, and time to get more aggressive.

[Punkymom]

I've had my snakes "zone in on" my hand when I didn't have the prey warm enough. They like it really warm! Are you offering with tongs? That makes a difference, too. The tongs will be cold so they won't focus on the tongs, just the food. I always feed my snakes in their cages and I have had 0 cage aggression over here. I'm sure it's fine to feed in a separate enclosure, but to do so for cage aggression is a rumor when it comes to ball pythons.

[rj1204]

Its probably been said, but you may want to switch him to rats too. A nice warm small rat will definetely take his attention off you.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Cage aggression really isn't an issue with ball pythons. They frequently fail to feed well if an owner attempts to feed them in a separate enclosure--they prefer security over eating.

As has been pointed out, the problem is likely how warm the mouse is. Heat it up so it feels warm to the touch before offering it, and this should solve the issue.

Switching to rats is a good idea, since adult ball pythons feed on small rats, and it would take many mice to equal the weight of one rat. They are not, however, more appealing to ball pythons than mice are (on the contrary, I've found the opposite to be true), so it may take some work to get the snake to accept a new prey species.

Ball pythons are individuals--some will eat any warm-blooded prey you offer them, whether it's a rat, mouse, ASF or even baby chick, while others stubbornly refuse anything other than the prey species they first started feeding on as hatchlings (and you don't get to pick that, either--some hatchlings will refuse rats, and not eat until offered a mouse).

You shouldn't mistake confusion for aggression. Your python isn't being aggressive when he tunes in on you instead of his mouse...he's just confused. He smells a mouse, but you're the biggest heat signature, so you must be the mouse, right? They have poor eyesight.