Hi I'm a new ball python owner and new to forms so forgive me if I screw this up.
I have had this beautiful female ball for the last week. She's maby 9 months ish and about a foot long. I got her on a Friday and she's in a 20 gallon tank with heat lamps keeping the basking side between 80-90 (house temp fluxes quite a bit which effects the tank) and good size hide. Two days later I attempted to feed her and she ate really well. (She's 332 g fed her a 24g size mouse live feed) I left her alone for 48 hours and started handling her for about 10 minutes a day since then. She hasn't balled up, spend most of the time in her hide and really chill.
the problem I have is today about half hour after I did my handling of her my family came home and she was on her hide and she suddenly lunged at my son on the other side of the glass. I thought it was weird and so I picked her up again no problems super chill until my daughter moved slightly (mady 2 feet away from me) and she lunged at her not once but twice! But with me she's an angel and does nothing to me I'm totally stumped. Any thoughts or ideas?
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Originally Posted by Drakeheart
That is a mystery I haven't an answer for. I can reach in and pick up any ball python and have never been bitten except once when I was reaching in to pick up a feeder I had dropped in accidentally, and that was more of a challenge and brush saying leave my food alone. But I have been around people who were afraid to reach in and they would strike. I was just never afraid to pick them up and they never bite. I think it is a gene some people have who like snakes 
. Not really, I think they can sense fear or it is afraid because they are more predator sized and moving too fast around them. Maybe someone else can have some good input. Because I am mostly rambling because I have found the same weird thing to be true about snakes and people.
