My BP hs gt aggressive.......need a solution

[juliusqueezer]

well.....i hav gt this ball 2 months ago.......i used to handle him on my hands easily.....took him out n stuff......until one day wen i went to reach him......he got into an attacking posture n he ws aiming right at my hand...didnt strike me thou...mayb cos i moved my hand away..it freaked me out......i tried agn.....n agn the same response......i felt really baad.....wats the use having a snake n u cnt handle it........i strted handling him with gloves nw..since i gt a new vivarium.. i use the gloves to transfer him to the feeding container.....i tried shwing him my hand frm outside the vivarium.....movd my hand a lil...he noticed it n striked....thank god the glass ws in between.....tht to i fed him the day b4......i realli wanna hold him with my bare hands.....i miss it.....wats wrng.....is this behavior normal.....wat shud i do to get him used to me.....he ws all fine with me b4.....nw he jst wants to strike my hand....shud i feed him more.....hes a meter n half mayb.....i feed him one hamster every week.....cos mice is rarely available here.......i wanna hold him back agn like b4......shud i jst go for it....n get bitten.....wil tht solve the prob......need help here

[jason_ladouceur]

first off i don't see any reason to move him to a feeding tank. in my opinion you very well condition him to expect to be feed when you reach in to pick him up doing that. second it's sounds like he's behaving like he's hungry. how much and how oftn are you feeding him and how big is he. and most importantly you really shouldn't worry about getting bit by a ball python. it's really not painfull, it leaves little to no lasting damage. and the fact is if you are going to keep any exotic pet, including snakes you more than likely are going to get bit sooner or latter.

[Royal Hijinx]

You need to handle him while not associating the handling with food. Do not put him down just because he strikes at you or he will associate that with a way to get rid of you.

As said above, he may still be hungry. How big are the hamsters in relation to his girth? You may need to feed 2 at a time, feed more often, or find bigger food items.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Use a tap stick--a small stick that you can use to touch him, before you reach in to pick him up. If he's expecting food, or even if he's getting aggressive, a gentle touch on the head, and stroking the sides with a tap stick will convince him that balling up is a better choice than biting.

[brdash549]

Its their breeding season now also. He might just calm back down in a month or 2. I would continue to work with him like the others said though.