my bp is really starting to terrify me

[MitsuMike]

She is about 1 year old and about 2ft.
I usually feed her every 10 days a small rat in a separate feeding tub. This last time, I prolonged that to about 20 days.

1) She is under fed like CRAZY 1 yr old and only 2ft?? I have three 1 yr olds pushing 3 ft easy and they are thick.
Feed 1 small rat every 5 days until it comes back around to normal size then move up to 7 days.
2) The more you show fear the more they show aggression. My fire was the same way. And don't keep grabbing it's head, b/c I would bite you too if you did it all the time.
3) Keep taking it out.

[Tirevy]

I'm not entirely sure, but what about putting something in the tank that smells like you? Like a shirt or sock or a cloth or something. Just so that she gets used to your smell. Has anyone tried this before?

[Jeo123]

I'm not entirely sure, but what about putting something in the tank that smells like you? Like a shirt or sock or a cloth or something. Just so that she gets used to your smell. Has anyone tried this before?

I've heard of people doing that before, but I don't think that's really going to help in this case. It sounds like the snake is afraid of the movement(reaching in towards the snake). The snake sees that long before it smells your hand.

What people do if they're going to try this though is cut up part of an old shirt and place that in the snakes hide. The drawback is that it could have the opposite effect and scare the snake out of the hide if there's suddenly a "scary" scent in the only place it felt safe. You could wind up just increasing the snake's stress level.

[ballpythonluvr]

I am rescuing an aggressive three year old normal this weekend. The folks I am getting the BP from want it gone as soon as possible. They are at a point where the snake strikes constantly and they are afraid of it. My plan is to get it back on a consistent feeding schedule after it has at least a week to settle into new surroundings. I know I will get bitten but I don't let it bother me. I already have a 4 month old male BP that hisses at me every chance that he gets. I continue to handle him for short sessions and he is getting a little better, he is not nearly as flighty as he used to be. If you own a snake, you are bound to get bitten at some time or another.

[mainbutter]

SHE WAS JUST HUNGRY.

Bite + constriction = feeding response strike

Quick nip and release = defensive strike

You didn't feed her for 20 days, she was certainly just feeling that she needed to be more opportunistic when it came to food, and thought your wrist looked like a nice warm mammal. You just ended up being more than she bargained on

If you want "SCARY", try handling a 12 foot southern scrub python that is intent on tearing your face off.. lol.

If you're really scared of her, wear gloves and long sleeves. I do this with young carpet pythons who are pretty darn nippy in general. The primary reason isn't protection (though gloves can provide some), but to limit the heat radiating out of my hands and arms. Pythons have heat pits and use them to hunt, you just showed up on her infrared and looked tasty

[Knytemare]

My boyfriend got his first ball python about a year and a half ago now. I was TERRIFIED of the thing, I would not touch it! I wouldn't even want to be close to him when he held it. I was convinced that it looked scary and was going to bite me. So I ended up getting a wee little corn snake that wasn't scary to me.

Long story short it was my fear of snakes that made me terrified of the ball python (something about the head shape freaked me out) I now have many snakes, mainly ball pythons. I even have a 3 1/2 foot boa constrictor and she is my little angel. My first snake, the "wee little corn snake" turned out to be the devil. I use a snake stick to take him out.

If it's a hatchling they can tend to be a little more aggressive, "strikey" but if you handle her she will get used to being handled. If she is "constricting" your wrist then she is just hanging on for dear life, it doesn't mean she is going to eat you

Goodluck Any questions just ask.

hahaha i was the saaaaaame way. i had a friend that was like omg i was a ball python or a red tail boa, im like ahh those are big snakes and i hate their head shape! lol soo i was all about the corn snake for awhile and im like thats all ill ever own, well i end up buying a hatchling mexican black kingsnake aaand he/she is adorable but after watching snakebytes for awhile, and being on these forums and seeing the different morphs and how big they actually got, i was like alright i can do this, so i got a female ball now about to get another ball python haha =p

[AkHerps]

One word I think we are using wrong is aggression. Most hatchlings are scared and defensive, therefore they strike to get scary things to go away and most adults if they haven't been socialized or held are going to be fearful of giant things(us) coming towards them.

They don't have aggression like dogs, or wild animals. They aren't usually actively searching people out to eat/attack them.

I agree with the above posters, this sounds like your snake is hungry. Feed every 5 days if your snake is underweight, every 7 if they are healthy. Two weeks is too long for a snake that is used to a routine.

[Charlie And Lucy]

She's on edge because she thinks food is coming and she needs to get ready to attack/eat it. Somehow she's made the association between your hand and dinner time. I think persistantly handling her without feeding her and feeding her in a separate location from handling is the only way to break that association?

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure BP's don't have cage aggression and don't do the hand/food association thing. It's better to feed them in their enclosures, not outside because of their stress issues.

I'm surprised no one mentioned that yet. Or maybe they did and I missed it.

[Jeo123]

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure BP's don't have cage aggression and don't do the hand/food association thing. It's better to feed them in their enclosures, not outside because of their stress issues.

I'm surprised no one mentioned that yet. Or maybe they did and I missed it.

Really it depends on the snake and what type of food you're using. Live in the housing could be worse if it gives the rat places to hide. Seperate could be better with a problem eater because repeatedly putting the rat in the same tub will eventually cause the tub to smell like rat, promoting a better feeding response.

I can't speak to whether there's hand/food association, but I know at least with me, my snake goes into "hunt" mode the second I put her in the tub. It makes it a lot easier to feed that way. But she's not really had any kind of stress problems either, so it's tough to say.

Also, I'm using repti-bark currently, and I know the one time I did feed her in the tank she almost swallowed a piece of it that gut stuck to the mouse.

Ultimately, I don't think there's really a "right" answer. It comes down to individual snakes and owner preferences.

[word]

For those of you that have been curious, she didnt bite the second time. From reading these posts, it just seems like I haven't been feeding her enough and I need to get her used to being handled by me.

Thank you for all of your insightful responses!