help! extremely aggresive month old ball

[Skiploder]

I got two baby ball pythons a week and a half ago. A month old female spider ball, and a two month old pastel ball. They both ate fine and weren't seeming too timid right away. Today, I went to handle both snakes, the pastel handled fine, but the spider completely freaked out. I have had balls before and I have never seen a snake act this way. She struck at me at least 6 times in maybe a minute. As soon as I saw she was freaked out, I withdrew my hand from the tank, but she continued to strike at me, and hit the glass of the aquarium. It was incredibly strange, and I am very worried. Any tips? I'm not comfortable handling her at this point.

Go ahead and take the bite - it's not like she's going to cause any damage. That and if they learn that this behavior will result in you leaving them alone, you can look forward to a hissy fit every time you go to pick her up. The thing about most snakes is that the biting and fighting stops once you get them in hand.

You mentioned keeping them (both?) in an aquarium. That's a very intimidating set up for a young snake. Young snakes, especially ball pythons, are instinctually wired to be defensive due to their place near the bottom of the food chain.

Cover as much of that glass cage as you can, and provide her with ample places to hide. Double check all your husbandry parameters and if you have her shacked up with the pastel, separate them.