Aggression Concerns

[Willie76]

No one is trying to be a blow hard, just sharing our experience...

Snakes bite for one of two reasons:

1. Fear: Not feeling secure or stressed out. Quick release strike.
2. Food: They are hungry. They latch on and coil or just don't let go.

Fear
If you want a pet-quality snake (one that tolerates handling) you'll need to work with it on a regular basis. When bringing a new snake home, whether rescue or youngin', normally we would get their enclosure set up before hand, introduce them to their new enclosure and leave them alone for a while and they have eaten a few times. During this time, make any adjustments needed and move onto handling sessions of 5-10 minutes daily except for feeding day/day after and shed cycle. My spider female was a prime example of a scared snake that overcame from this schedule. She would strike at the enclosure even if you looked at her! But after just a couple weeks she calmed down and is by far the BEST BP I have EVER owned (I have had more than a dozen over the years-fostered or owned) and trust her with my 8-year old son (supervised of course). We have to remember we ARE dealing with a wild animal. They do not train like a dog or cat. We need to work with them in a different way and once they feel secure in their habitat and realize we are no longer a threat, a mutual trust is formed and they "tolerate" us. Unfortunately they are snakes and once in a while...a bite will happen. No different than with a dog, cat, or parrot.

Feeding
Every one of my BPs have always been fed in their enclosures. I too was instructed back in the late '90s to feed in a separate container but soon realized that this was more stress on the snake which lead to many a hunger strike, a few more bites taking them out and putting them back in their enclosure, and wasted time having to sit there and watch every minute of their feeding. Since then, more than a decade now, every BP I have owned or fostered has been fed in their enclosure. I have NEVER had any type of cage aggression simply from feeding in their enclosure. Matter of fact, I have noticed far fewer feed strikes (not eating), and have not been bit feeding since.

Shedding
Even with the BEST husbandry practices, a bad shed will happen. Bumping up the humidity will usually allow them to get the bad shed off. We just need to be patient and TRY to let mother nature run its course. But, we may need to help. If the increase of humidity does not help after a few days, I will soak the BP in a low, long Tupperware container for 30 minutes with 1/2"-1" of warm water (85-90) and a wash cloth. If after 30 minutes the snake hasn't rubbed the remaining shed off, I replace the water with new warm water and soak another 30 minutes (max). If the shed still isn't off, I'll use the washcloth from inside the soak chamber and gently run it from top to bottom (being very careful around the eyes). This usually does the trick. Only once or twice have I had to soak a second or third time (1-day apart). If after a subsequent second or third soak doesn't help, wait until the next shed cycle...

Husbandry
I too am a little concerned with temps and the enclosure. BPs naturally bed-down in tightly-wedged termite mounds or confiscated burrows. Glass aquarium showcases are horrible and go against their natural habitat. Try covering the glass enclosure on three sides with black construction paper and make sure the tank isn't too large (or too tall) for the snake. BPs are native to Ghana, Africa. If you Google, "Ghana Temps" you'll get the following info: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePag...hy/climate.php. Low: 74 degrees. High: around 90 degrees. We need to try and mimic these temps the best we can. Humidity: 50%-60% average non-shed, 70%+ shed cycle.

Hope this helps. Patience and a willingness to work with them are key. NO one can simply give you a snake that can just be "expected" to be pet-quality. Rescue or new. The effort you put in is key to what your BP will give back.