Is BP Head-Shyness curable?

[JoeFro]

Hey all, I am still pretty new to this site but it has been awesome so far.
I consider myself pretty knowledgeable on BPs mainly from reading a ton.
But, since I have only been collecting for a short time I lack some experience.

What I have noticed is that all my BPs are way more head shy than any other snakes I have owned.

I'm wondering if some more experienced owners have been able to make their BP's less headshy.
So far, all my BPs have been very head shy, and I have been trying to get them used to it by constantly petting them softly on the head.

It has been about a month of doing this for 10 min or so every other day, but so far they are all just as head shy.
Is this a lost cause? Will it ever change or should I just stop wasting my time? Idk why it bugs me but I just want to get them less head shy.

Thanks!

[Crazymonkee]

I definitely would stop doing it everyday... if they are already head shy your stressing them out needlessly by constantly goin towards the head. Which could lead to feeding issues. Just let them be ball pythons

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[Pythonfriend]

they are head shy because their eyes, heat pits, sense of smell, and sense of vibration are all located there. also they need their head for such basic things as eating, breathing, and thinking. also its the most vulnerable part of their body.


you might as well ask whats wrong with male soccer players when they put their hands in front of their private parts when expecting a potential 50+ mp/h ball.

i would say if you stop buggering their heads and just handle them normally and dont stress them, chances are good that it might to a degree go away as they build more trust

[southbay54]

Mine not head shy at all but I would not recommend doing it all the time

[Kaorte]

Well, since head shyness is not an illness, it really cannot be "cured".

That being said, most of my adult ball pythons that are handled regularly are not head shy very much. They will always pull their heads away when touched because they don't have any arms to protect themselves. No I do not touch their heads on purpose to make them less head shy.

Its a survival mechanism. Just don't let it bother you.

[Raven01]

Being head shy is not a defect in BP's that we should attempt to "cure".
That said I have noticed some BP`s are more head shy than others and the seem to be less so as they attain a size where they don`t feel as threatened by every passing shadow.
One BP I have seems to refuse the `Ball`Python moniker in favour of the Royal Python name. He will not ball up for anything except comfort in his hides. When he is out he is out and if you come at his head too quick you will get bit, with never a thought of hiding his head. Another balls up as soon as I take her out and after a few seconds to a minute pokes her head out and explores once she realises there is no threat.

Let your snake be the animal it is and, develop a sybiotic relationship with it. It may become tame but, it will never become domesticated.

[rickm]

they will probably become less head shy over time...but I agree that you should not try to 'cure' it. they will chill out. I have a few that I can grab their heads gently and they just chill. I don't recommend this, but they are not all that bad, but balls in general are pretty head shy snakes. others made great points, and just handle them gently and they may or may not become less head shy. I also don't normally grab mine by their heads, I have done it to look at debris in the heat pits and looking at the eyes closely(my blue eyed lucy has blue eyes with the tops being pink, and red pupils....so I wanted a better look at her eyes once, and she is really active, so it is hard to get a good look at them. lol.)

[B.O.S Reptiles]

My Ball Python would pull his head back and hiss if I touched his head, when I got him June 2, 2013. I petted his head once every time I held him up until now. I can tap on his nose/head and he won't give a reaction. Petting their heads DO help.

[Artemisace]

I wouldn't do it just on the off chance of taking a hit because you scared the snake. I've been bitten by several different species of snake, all non venomous mind you, and pythons hurt the worst out of all of them. That being said my ball has never bitten me and there are times he will rest his head on my fingers or let me lift his head to look at his heat pits, eyes, nostrils, etc. and he doesn't care. Then there are times when he will snap back and get defensive. I just wouldn't do it personally because I would be worried about stressing my snake or getting bit.

[dxpx]

As stated, its all about building trust in normal activities, not trying to touch its head because it is not normal to them to have there heads touched. once they realize you are the smell that gives them water, brings them food, handles them gently, seems to hang around often, they MAY... MAY lighten up with being so head shy.Every BP is different, as is any creature. There are things some can tolerate more so then others. That's like someone trying to force feed Brussel Sprouts down my throat. Is that gonna make me like them, heck no. It's just gonna make me hate you for shoving Brussel Sprouts down my throat.