Possibly rescuing an "aggressive" BP?

[Lolo76]

I'm sure this is a familiar story, but I was perusing Craigslist last night, and came across a possible rescue. This girl's giving away a 3-4 year old female BP (for FREE), whom she claims has become aggressive from lack of handling. After reading more details from her response email, I think the poor snake is just really stressed out - probably from improper husbandry and care. So I'm thinking about driving down this weekend (it's about 70 miles away), to see if she'd be a good rescue. Here's the email she sent, and I'd like any opinions on whether this sounds do-able...

"She used to be a really good girl. I could rap her around me neck and she would just chill there for hours. But when I moved out here, a year and a half ago, I no longer had much time to handle her. Not to mention that one or my room mates is terrified of snakes and won't allow me to bring her out of me room, which was a really difficult change for her.

I'm not gonna lie, she is no longer a happy girl. When I go to get her out to feed her she strikes at the walls of her cage and makes it really hard for me to get her in her feeding box. She openly strikes at me and has gotten me a few times. But like you said, it has never hurt. She has only ever nipped me, never has she clamped down. I think she's just really scared and no longer really knows who I am.

I would love more than anything if you would be willing to take her. You really sound like you know about pythons, which makes me feel a lot better. I still really love me little girl and want her to go to a good home. I can no longer take care of her and the thought of putting her down just breaks me heart. So I really need to find someone to take her.

I don't have any pictures of her at the moment. I used to, but they were destroyed when I fried my computer. Sorry. She is really beautiful though. Her colors are pretty dark and her paterns are really sharp and defined. And you've already read about how big she is.

If you wanted to come and see her before you made a final decision, I'd be fine with that. Let me know if you have anymore questions."

Whaddya think?? Worth checking out???

[Lolo76]

Oh, and this sentence tipped me off to a possible solution: "When I go to get her out to feed her she strikes at the walls of her cage and makes it really hard for me to get her in her feeding box."

The ONLY time Mona has ever struck near me, was the time she was ravenous (hadn't eaten in 3 weeks), and started striking at the tub when I pulled out a live rat near her. So I'm thinking this snake doesn't appreciate being moved for feeding, and could even be striking as a feeding response. I feed all of my BPs in their tubs, so that would probably help her calm down.

[Vypyrz]

Sounds like that seller typed that e-mail on "Talk Like A Pirate" day. ARRRGGG, Me python be a bit unruly lately. Me swears it on the beard of Davey Jones. But seriously, why does it seem that no one ever has pics because either their computer or camera is always broken. I mean most people are proud of their animals and stick pics of them everywhere (Myspace, Facebook, Photobucket, etc...) Only you can make the decision whether or not you want to make a 140 mile round trip to see a snake at a persons house that you have never met, and they can't produce even one photo (current or old) of the animal they are selling. I say, if you go, pack heat and take some back-up...



Rob

[dsirkle]

I would guess that the snake has been kept in poor conditions (neglect) and not fed often enough.A contented well cared for ball that isn't handled regularly shouldn't strike out like that. If you care for it properly it should settle down.

[Lolo76]

Sounds like that seller typed that e-mail on "Talk Like A Pirate" day. ARRRGGG, Me python be a bit unruly lately. Me swears it on the beard of Davey Jones.

LMAO... I thought maybe English was their second language, but the mistakes were too random for that.

But seriously, why does it seem that no one ever has pics because either their computer or camera is always broken. I mean most people are proud of their animals and stick pics of them everywhere (Myspace, Facebook, Photobucket, etc...)

True, but some people are just morons.

Only you can make the decision whether or not you want to make a 140 mile round trip to see a snake at a persons house that you have never met, and they can't produce even one photo (current or old) of the animal they are selling. I say, if you go, pack heat and take some back-up...
Rob

It is a girl who's doing the adoption, and I have a big dog who will come with... he's all the heat I need. I'm not too worried about safety on this one, since they're not looking to SELL anything - I just won't bring any cash, beyond what I need for the drive. Oh, and she lives in Santa Cruz, which is a town I'm always happy to visit!

[Lolo76]

I would guess that the snake has been kept in poor conditions (neglect) and not fed often enough.A contented well cared for ball that isn't handled regularly shouldn't strike out like that. If you care for it properly it should settle down.

That's what I'm thinking... her original post mentioned the housing (which she's offering for free along with the BP), and it sounded like typical mistakes - too big, insecure log hides, heat lamp, etc. That plus the feeding in a separate tub, IMO, are big contributors to this snake's attitude.

[Lolo76]

FYI, here's the original posting:

"My ball python is roughly 3.5 - 4 years old ans is close to 4 feet long. I haven't had enough time to handle her and she has become aggresive. I work too much and am not able to really work with her. I would love to see her go to a good home with someone willing to tame her. She has a 30 gallon tank with a (slightly broken, but still works) sliding lid, sand covering the bottom, a plasic water dish and a small plastic dome thing which she sleeps under. I'm not asking for any money for her and her supplies, just a good home that can take care of her. Please contact me if you're interested. "

I forgot she also uses sand as a substrate... isn't that dangerous for snakes??

[HerpKeeperVA]

Gotta love people that use SAND in a ball's enclosure. No wonder she's grouchy, lol.

[Patricia]

SAND???

One of the first things this newbie read was how bad sand is as it can get in between the scales. Oh, poor snake! Imagine having sand permanently in your crevices. It'd put anything into a permanent rage!

[nixer]

ARRRG is got sand in me skibbies.
perhaps its hard to get aspen at sea