Is this a normal ball or is she special? (:

[srhsocalstyle]

thank you so much, you are so helpful!

[PghBall]

Oh, if you still have that branch I see in your second pic, I would cut it down some and try laying it on it's side. I have one in with my son's ball and I did this. It gives him another place to lay out and still feel "covered". My son's uses it to ambush his prey. Also, if your snake is 2 years old, you should really switch to a bigger prey item (like a small rat). My new '10 pinstripe takes a rat fuzzy and he is tiny.

[PghBall]

thank you so much, you are so helpful!

I am just helping you like so many on here have helped me with questions. There is alot of useful information on this site and great people who are willing to help. Who knows, you may even change your mind and keep your girl after you get her settled right.

[srhsocalstyle]

Thank you for the suggestion. She is still really small though and I dont know why, my reptile store owner said she is fine on fuzzies still. I have tried feeding her more but she got constipated.

[PghBall]

A good rule of thumb for feeding is to feed a prey item that is around 15% of your snakes weight and no wider than the widest part of your snakes body.

[A.VinczeBPs]

They can go weeks to months without pooping, I doubt more food would make her constipated, more food would also help her anger issue, as it's probably hungry all the time.

To the first post, it's a reduced pattern normal.

[sarahlovesmiike]

Definitely up the prey, and don't worry about constipation, balls can go a really long time with out going to the bathroom. I'm talking like 6 or 7 months. That's the longest mine have ever gone at least. After they are on the bigger prey for a while they will start to go more regularly. And she'll grow like a weed.

[blushingball419]

As for your original question... she has pretty gold sides and looks like a slightly reduced pattern, but yeah, she's a normal. $100 is quite a bit if she isn't a het. I paid $80 for my girl (at a local pet store) and she has similar colors to yours.

It sounds like she has security issues, though. Even if you're going to be getting rid of her, you should at least give her another hide on the other side of the tank. Laying the branch down is a good idea! That and testing the temps/humidity to see if they're correct will probably calm her down a lot. 90 is good for the hot side, but the overall temp of the room shouldn't go below 75, and it's better for it to be around 80. Bps don't need to soak either... the only time you might have to is if she had a bad/stuck shed. Also, she really needs to be moved up to larger prey!! I'm sure part of the reason why she strikes is hunger. A 2 year old snake should be eating large mice at the least, but if you're moving up from fuzzies then I would go to a small mouse.

[srhsocalstyle]

Thank you all very much I will definately give her more hiding room and up her prey!

[angllady2]

If you really don't want to give her up, but feel you must be doing something wrong to make her angry all the time so it would be best if you did, please reconsider.

Truthfully, she's scared and stressed and hungry, and that is why she is so aggressive. Give her another hide and clutter her tank up a bit more, give her some quiet time without handling her, and definitely up the size of her prey, and I bet you money she'll calm down and be a real sweetie in no time.

If she is really two years old, you have been severely underfeeding her, no thanks to that crummy pet store who knows jack about keeping a snake healthy in the first place. At two she should easily be taking small rats weekly. Don't go too big too fast, because that isn't good for her either, start by going up one size from her current food. After a month or so, step up again. This gives her time to adjust to the new food size and start catching up her growth. And don't worry about her going to the bathroom, mine go anywhere from once a week to once every few months.

Best wishes for you both.

Gale