Snake Bite - Possible causes?

[Tim Marek]

Last night our ball python of almost 5 years bit my lady on her left forearm as she wore it around the neck.

She walked into the bathroom we feed them in and Roses (our oldest ball) struck and bit her. It took 10 mins of coaxing to get her to let go but she did safely and was returned to the tank. She seems no worse for the event but was very agitated, actively exploring the tank and looking for a way out for almost a hour.

She has been somewhat agitated for a week or more now and we think maybe she has grown to the point of needing more mice per feed and is overly hungry. They are due to feed anytime now. We feed one mouse per week, every two weeks, so she gets 2 large mice every 14 days or so.

Other than being overly hungry, sharing a large cage with 2 more balls, and the recent change in weather from warm to cold, what else could be making her grumpy?

Thanks in advance for the help,

Tim and Rosie
Fallon NV

[RichsBallPythons]

Where to start.

Oh yea 1 snake=1 enclosure. You need to separate t he snakes ASAP. Feed her more than 2 mice every 2 weeks. Feed weekly 2-3 mice or 1 sm rat.


Get them in their own setups first before anything and give them a settle in period.

[Elise.m]

Feed her rats, not mice. Unless she'll only eat mice, then feed her multiple mice per feeding.

Get them all their own tubs/tanks. Tubs are less expensive, and hold humidity better.

I would work on separating them as soon as possible since it's breeding season, you might end up with a clutch of eggs you're unprepared for.

[waltah!]

If she's 5yrs old she should definitely not be eating mice. Move her to rats and you will probably see a less "grumpy" snake.

[mainbutter]

wow a 5 year old female only being offered 2 lg mice a feeding? Yeah she's not 'overly hungry', you've been 'seriously underfeeding'.

[blackcrystal22]

Why are you feeding them in a bathroom?
Feeding them in their enclosure is much more sensible, and she probably was scared because she was around the neck, which they can't hold onto very well.

Also, if your moving them, the rat scent will make them hungry and more bitey. I'm not really surprised she bit you. You shouldn't handle a snake at all before feeding or for 48 hours after feeding as well.
She should be eating small rats at that age. 2 mice every two weeks is not enough at all.

She sounds stressed, and other than the major factor of stress of having more than one snake in the cage (I also hope your ready for eggs and babies, because if she is 5 and there is a male they may have already bred) it sounds like you have other husbandry issues as well.

How big is the cage? For an adult, it shouldn't be anything other than a 20 gallon. I personally recommend a 32q tub.
Why would the change in temperatures matter? What are you using for your heat source and how are you regulating and reading it? Do you have a thermostat and thermometers that are not gauges? What's the humidity, substrate, and hides available for the animals. Are there log hides?

Any source of stress can cause a more aggressive snake, not to mention it's good to eliminate all stress factors anyway to avoid the snakes from getting ill. Don't take it personally, these are common Petco employee advised problems and we hope you do your best to correct it. :]