I have a male regular ball python that I have had since Jan '12. I have never had a problem with him being temperamental from day one.

Now, my cousin gave me his pastel female that I am going to guess is about 6 months old because he cannot handle her. He tried to hold her one day and for whatever reason, she struck at him. Ever since then, he was afraid to hold her. He would go 4-5 weeks without holding her once, which of course made her even more likely to bite. He knew this was not fair for her, so he gave her to me.

I have no fear of getting bitten. She has struck at me several times, and it has been no big deal. However, I do want to know about how long it will take for a snake in this situation to calm down on average. That way I will know if it is only the fact that she was not handled before or if she really does just have a mean streak in her. I know her age does not help either.

Also, just for reference (tips are definitely welcome), I handle her every day except for the day before, day of, and day after a feeding. No one else is allowed to be around her but me when I hold her. I will sit there perfectly still with her in my hands while she either curls up, explores, or sits there tensely. The feeding schedule he had her on was either one large or two small mice every week. However, he fed her live, which I am leery of doing. I was successfully able to feed her prekilled though after just one day, and am hoping to feed her frozen/thawed eventually. I did not start handling her until I had a successful feed.

I really hope I am doing this right. I am following my instincts and what I did from the beginning with mine. Any tips/suggestions/advice would be helpful!