Hey everybody! This is a question and a quick update on one of my ball pythons, Veneno.

He's grown up so much, he no longer need the "ito" at the end of his name (I used to call him "Venenito") For those of you that don't speak much spanish, puttin "ito/ita" at the end of the word makes it seem small/cute/young.

I've had Veneno for almost a year now, and he's about a year old or so. When I first got him, I was skeptical to hold him. He was always very nippy. Veneno, being my first snake, and first ball python, made me nervous when I held him, and only did so every so often.

Now that I am more experienced with handling snakes, and have gained much more knowledge of him [Veneno] and BP's in general, I have been holding him almost everyday, or at least every few days (also depending on when he's eaten), for the last couple of months.

It seems to me, he is getting much more used to me. This makes me happy So that answers my own question, kind of, but my question is:

In your experience, can a ball python, although still very young by BP age, become as docile as a usual Ball is if it has not been used to being handled/Just nippy in general?


As I said before, he is getting much more used to me.... I think.
He used to try to get away from me and thrash when I picked him up...

Now, he hisses when I first take him out of his cage, but only once. Then again, so does my other baby And he's the most friendly BP ever!
Just the other day, he simply lied out on my lap, and just chilled!

I was amazed he was being so calm. To reward him for being so good, I took someone's advice from on here that told me "When they get calm, place them back in their cage so they associate good behavior with getting what they want."


And I'm positive his nippy-ness doesn't come from stress, really. His temps and humidity are good, and he eats every meal no problem


Whoa. Sorry for so much ready everybody! :]