My Bp has a serious aggro issues why?

[Jah-Riddem]

do you have a digital thermometer with probes or are you using a dial/tape thermometer and humidity gauge? if you're using the latter then those are inaccurate at best. you can actually get a thermo/hygrometer combo for like 12 bucks and if you have a soldering iron (10 bucks) then you can mod it for 3 external probes to the original 1 (2 temp and 1 humidity). it sounds like he's trying to get higher up to the basking lamp so it might be too cold for him. if you're able to take pics of the enclosure at all it would help. having him comfortable in his environment would be, in my opinion, your first step to a better attitude.

time for bed for me lol, I'll get back to you tomorrow after work probably.

i would very much like to see your moding 3 external probes to the original 1 (2 temp and 1 humidity). and how you set it up!

[Jah-Riddem]

Wow nice. Doesn't every 3 days seem kind of too much? I can see feeding every 5 days, but 3 seems kinda too much since snakes have slow digestive systems. I feed all of my snakes on a weekly basis (7 days) and I also record how much they ate, the day and date they ate, and what they ate. Always nice to keep a record I also keep track of their length and width (monthly) and when they shed (the day, date, how they shedded like assisted or self shed, and how many pieces they shedded in).

nice


well i was told every 3 days till he stops than goto 7 !

and hahaha i cant record my snake he wont let me take any measurements and i need a scale ! lol but thats a reallllly cool idea! you should take that info and graph it and share it so others can see the growth pattern of a snake :-)

[CoolioTiffany]

Great idea, I really think I should do that. I'm mainly monitoring Monty's (male BP) growth to see how large he grows until it's breeding time. When I get a gram scale, I'm measuring their weights. And when I start breeding, I'll keep record on how many eggs are in the clutch, how many slugs, what morphs I produced, males and female count, hatch date, date when the eggs were layed, and things like that. Wow that's a lot.. lol.

And by the way you should try feeding your snake every 5-7 days so it can properly digest it's meal. Snakes seem to take food offered whenever it is offered so they will eat multiple times in a day and eat every single day so they should really be fed the appropriate amount on a weekly basis so it does not regurgitate meals and doesn't get overweight.

[Freddiesinmyseat]

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=92057

that's the mod I use, it's a great tutorial. oh, and don't get confused about how you put the wires to the probe, it's really simple. just think of it as extending the little legs on the probes, they still go to the places they were hooked up at, just with a longer connection using pieces of wire from the original probe

I also just enlarged the original hole for the 1 probe to be able to fit 3 cords coming out. it looks very clean overall (aside from the tape I used to hold them in place in the bins lol)

[DustinB]

Are you handling the day he eats and the day after he eats? Most snakes really don't like to be messed with up to 48 hours after they eat. He really only needs to eat an appropriate sized meal every 5 days up til he is 500 grams or so(from what I've read on here). Then every 7 days.

He also needs 2 hides so he can choose where he wants to be, mine almost always stays on the cooler side. If he is always on top of the hide on the warm side and you are using a heat matt he is probably too hot in the hide.

Leave him alone for 48 hours after feeding every 5 days, get him another hide, make sure you temps are 80-82 cool side, 90 - 95 warm side with an ambient of around 82-85. Do all of this, let him settle in a week or so, then try handling him a couple days a week for 15min and put him up. If he strikes don't put him up, just be calm with him. He will probably start to relax a bit more with time.

[TheOtherLeadingBrand]

I have one like this. I've given up hope of ever being her friend... lol

[Darkice]

All of my ball pythons are are easy to hold except for one. I have a yellow belly that just hates people. He never strikes at the person holding him though. If anyone else is close he will attack. I call him my Loaded Snake. I just point and shoot.

[llovelace]

When he strikes at you do not put him down, Decrease your handling time.

[MasonC2K]

My Bp has a serious aggro issues why?

Looks like you need to find a good tank or healer.

[rabernet]

I disagree with holding him more often and for longer periods of time so that he can get used to your scent.

He's clearly stressed out by being handled, so forcing him to endure more stress makes no sense at all when you think about it, it will only serve to make him associate you with a negative experience.

I would take him out for VERY brief handling sessions once a day (but not during the 48 hours immediately after eating).

The moment that he relaxes even a little bit, put him up. What you are doing, is reinforcing calm, relaxed behavior by rewarding him with something that he desires (which is not to be held and to be put back up).

Good luck!