Nippy Strike Happy Ball

[Firefighter7457]

Very New, got my first ball 2 days ago....
HALF TRUTHS OR WHOLE LIES:
my ball is nippy, and since i want him for a pet this is a problem. he struck at my oldest son once and now he is scared. i was told to get him out daily for 10 mins or so to help stop this. as i haven't been bitten yet im a little gun shy. i was told to put an inanimate object with my scent on it and rub him with it, if he struck i shouldn't stop to let him know even if he struck that i should keep rubbing so he doesn't learn striking doesn't get him put back in the tank. he struck at the wooden dowel i had but i persisted like i was told and he didn't strike again, i rubbed him with it for about 10 mins and let him be. am i on the right track? he wasn't held by the previous owner and has never been around kids. am i pushing too hard too soon? or doing the right thing to stop the nipping?

[Koolaid]

Well if you got him 2 days ago I would let him rest for another week and be left alone... he needs time to relax and maybe he won't be a problem child anymore... After one of my balls got shipped here, she was trying to tag me as I was taking her out of the box... I left her alone for 10 days and then she was fine (and been fine ever since)...

[wolfy-hound]

Right after you get a new snake, you should always let it settle in. It just got moved to a new place, and it thinks everything is going to try to eat it. It's not biting you to be mean. It's just nervous.
Koolaid is right, give it ten days to calm down and get used to it's new home. Make sure that all the temps and humidity is correct, before you start trying to handle him. Most of my balls were not handled before I got them, and most all were immediately placid snakes.
Good luck! And show us some pics of your new pet! We's love pics!

[Thor26]

also make sure it has two dark hides that he can barely fit in. "A happy ball is a hiding ball"

[JayBP]

To go along with what has already been said, you shouldn't rub your ball python for 10 minutes straight. That'll just stress is out and probably cause it to strike at you even more.

[sweetcheeks]

I agree with letting him be for awhile, then after the stressing time is over for him/her having to move and change enclosers, then get him out and handle daily no more than 10 to 15 mins each time....

we handle ours daily for one reason or another for anywhere between 5 mins to 15. also he will likely not eat for a couple weeks because he's stressed, but then again so do eat relatively quickly, it just dependson the snake.

[evil mechanic]

one of my het hypo females were extremely nippy when i first got her. she couldnt be picked up for a month without trying to tag me. after holding her every day and still picking her up after tagging me she is sweet as all the others. dont give up, and please stop rubbing her with a stick! im sure she doesnt like that.

[CaneCorso]

My normal was real nippy when I got him home. Lots of hissing and striking, I just left him alone for almost two weeks and now he is fine. It sucked to have to wait to handle him for so long but it's worth it. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Somed00d]

how is the ball doing? I find that unless its a feeding strike they are painless.