2 month old BP still very nippy... is this normal?

[Mognar]

One thing that I thought was odd... yesterday, when I had her out of her tank and was holding her, she started rubbing her head on my fingers. Not the typical slithering, but actually rubbing. It was almost like a dog rubbing his nose up against you. I thought maybe we missed her going blue and she was trying to start a shed. But then she started rubbing her body on my hand as well. Was she trying to have a bowel movement? She didn't shed, so no idea what she was doing. But I could feed the force she was applying specifically rubbing against my hand.

[BHReptiles]

The setup looks pretty good. I would suggest a slightly cooler hot spot (I usually like mine around 90*) and add some leaves on the other side of the tank. I can't tell from the picture, but are the sides and back blacked out? If not, that may help you a lot. I had a very defensive male that I bought and after blacking out 3 sides of his enclosure while in quarantine, he turned out fine and was no longer nippy. I would give your snake a little more time before deciding to trade it for another animal. Most breeders don't guarantee a trade for a personality issue, so you may have to sell the snake you have and buy another. Some are more customer friendly than others. For your sake, I hope it's just a matter of growing out of the behavior.

[Mognar]

Thanks BH. And yes, I have the sides and back blacked out with black construction paper... I did my homework and tried to set up his tank as best I could.

I'll drop the temp on his hot spot down to 90. I'll give her a little more time I guess and try the tips shown in the video to see if that makes a difference. She did have a period of 2 weeks or so where she didn't strike at all, but then it started up again with no change whatsoever to her or the husbandry. I do have some leaves, just haven't put them in yet, will do that tomorrow as she seems to like them.

[BHReptiles]

You're very educated for a new owner and we LOVE seeing people who do their research. It's paying off and you have it set up for your girl perfectly. Hopefully she'll settle down for you.

[BiggBaddWolf]

I know I have a differing opinion than some here about aggressive snakes. Mine are pets, and I would never put up with an aggressive snake, but I can see where some of you who have a mega gene stacked snake really don't care about temperament as long as the snake is adding to the bank account....

[JPR]

I know I have a differing opinion than some here about aggressive snakes. Mine are pets, and I would never put up with an aggressive snake, but I can see where some of you who have a mega gene stacked snake really don't care about temperament as long as the snake is adding to the bank account....

That's funny. I had an "aggressive" baby normal ball python. He certainly didn't add anything to my bank account. I eventually took the time to tame him out. Still have him. I knew what I was getting into when I got a snake (a non-domesticated animal) as a pet. If I had wanted mr cuddles, I would have stuck with just my cat.

I may be totally off here, but you sound to me like the type of person who buys a high energy dog, like a husky or border collie (because they look good), then neglects to give it enough exercise, then surrender the animal to a shelter because it tore up your baseboards out of frustration/boredom.

-still the proud owner of a now tame normal ball python. And a few other balls, who have never contributed anything to my bank account.

[JPR]

Just to clarify, my post was in no way directed at the op. I wish them the best of luck taming out their feisty baby. And many years of rewarding ball python caretaking.

[BiggBaddWolf]

That's funny. I had an "aggressive" baby normal ball python. He certainly didn't add anything to my bank account. I eventually took the time to tame him out. Still have him. I knew what I was getting into when I got a snake (a non-domesticated animal) as a pet. If I had wanted mr cuddles, I would have stuck with just my cat.

I may be totally off here, but you sound to me like the type of person who buys a high energy dog, like a husky or border collie (because they look good), then neglects to give it enough exercise, then surrender the animal to a shelter because it tore up your baseboards out of frustration/boredom.

-still the proud owner of a now tame normal ball python. And a few other balls, who have never contributed anything to my bank account.

Congratulations Mr/Mrs snake whisperer!! Glad you know what kind of person I am

[CORBIN911]

I know I have a differing opinion than some here about aggressive snakes. Mine are pets, and I would never put up with an aggressive snake, but I can see where some of you who have a mega gene stacked snake really don't care about temperament as long as the snake is adding to the bank account....

Lazyness is all I see. Just like telling person to give up the BEL because its nippy.

IF it's a PET you should be willing to put in the time... When its just a breeder you can easily pawn it off and get one like it with better attitude (Like you accuse of)

Please feel free to give breeders your "pissy" snakes as they always eat better, and really will calm down with some handling.

[mvptext1]

I had a very nippy female that would hiss and strike when I first had her. Give it time and keep working with her. Try not to approach her from above while you are working with her. Approaching a snake from above while you have them out crawling around seems to set off their defensive mechanisms. Once they get over it, then you don't have to worry about that. But getting your snake used to your smell and the "process" of you taking it out of its enclosure is all part of it. I have a cage similar to yours. When I would see my BP out and exploring, I'd take the lid off and let her crawl out on her own. That worked pretty good.

Not sure if this will help but Justin at JKR has this video about working with aggressive snakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQ...8FALzuJYyuJKgA

I personally didn't end up using his technique, but if your snake is a little extra aggressive this might be something you can try.

Good luck, keep trying.