Taming an Aggressive BP? (TL;DR)

[Craiga 01453]

At that age I'm hoping you're feeding her multiple mice per feeding. If not, then I think you have your answer. A single mouse for her will leave her hungry, and likely lead to her aggression.

[rrory]

, & if you need help switching her from live (it takes patience but there's tricks to it) we're
glad to help you.

hi guys/girls. im really sorry if im hijacking the thread, but could you please share the tips on how to do this..

i have a (wild born) baby house snake (south african BROWN HOUSE) that has taken two live geckos, but i want to get it onto pinkies.. its going to be hard for me to get hold of gecko's, and pinks will be ideal.. but i can only frozen pinks.

i tried a frozen thawed pink, the snake struck, i dropped the pink and moved off.. snake just lay next to pink, but did not take...

i will admit, the snake had just been moved from wild to a tank with some decor. but i feel it was still getting used to its new home.. it took the first gecko about a week later and the second two weeks after that. its cage is really clean and i have a heating pad and water and the snake has really calmed down i;ve handled it several times where it seems to be calm. the snake is often out from the two hides and likes to mission around and climb things and sit on top of stuff so i think its comfortable.

any tips please.

ps its still kinda coldish here, but this is a juvenile and i want it to start feeding plus now im keeping him warm now...

rory

[Bogertophis]

, & if you need help switching her from live (it takes patience but there's tricks to it) we're
glad to help you.

hi guys/girls. im really sorry if im hijacking the thread, but could you please share the tips on how to do this..

i have a (wild born) baby house snake (south african BROWN HOUSE) that has taken two live geckos, but i want to get it onto pinkies.. its going to be hard for me to get hold of gecko's, and pinks will be ideal.. but i can only frozen pinks.

i tried a frozen thawed pink, the snake struck, i dropped the pink and moved off.. snake just lay next to pink, but did not take...

i will admit, the snake had just been moved from wild to a tank with some decor. but i feel it was still getting used to its new home.. it took the first gecko about a week later and the second two weeks after that. its cage is really clean and i have a heating pad and water and the snake has really calmed down i;ve handled it several times where it seems to be calm. the snake is often out from the two hides and likes to mission around and climb things and sit on top of stuff so i think its comfortable.

any tips please.

ps its still kinda coldish here, but this is a juvenile and i want it to start feeding plus now im keeping him warm now...

rory

This would truly be better in it's own thread...you've put this under Ball Pythons, where others who keep House Snakes likely will NOT see it to respond.

First off, you mentioned that you handled the snake: please never do that with ANY snake until it's feeding EASILY for you at least 3 times at normal intervals.
That could be your problem right there. Snakes rely on instincts...and anything that picks them up is normally a predator about to eat them! Snakes under stress
tend not to eat, so the new caging + handling probably guaranteed your failure to get him to eat...ok?

In general, feed snakes when they'd normally hunt...are these nocturnal? If so, feed only at night. If they like to see motion to pounce on (& most do), you'll need
to be a "ninja"*....sit there holding prey with tongs, & try to imitate the motions of natural prey with the pinkie. DO not shove the pinkie towards the snake, as that's
a turn-off...it's NOT what prey does; in nature, they are typically "walking by" when ambushed by a snake. *Keep yourself as still as possible while feeding so as not
to be a distraction...and dim the lights for a night hunter also. If he doesn't take it from tongs, try leaving it in his cage over-night & check next day...it may be gone.

Even the tips to switch BPs may differ somewhat when working with House Snakes (-which, btw, I never have). For example, the warming the prey generally
is needed for BPs but probably not for house snakes. I would think that your best bet is to scent the f/t pinkies with what your house snake generally eats.

Also, since it appears to NOT like pinkies at the moment (or is too stressed to take them?) your best bet is to thaw the pinkies in cold water (& it won't take long!),
since more of the mouse smell gets washed off the pinkie when thawed in water. Then blot it gently on a paper towel, & add some "scent" from a gecko if you can.

[Bogertophis]

...ps its still kinda coldish here, but this is a juvenile and i want it to start feeding plus now im keeping him warm now...rory

Also, the proper temperatures in the cage should help also...you mentioned "keeping him warm now", I hope he eats for you...they typically do take pinkies OK.

If he was cold before when you offered, that alone could have caused his refusal. When you keep snakes in captivity & allow them to get cold, they instinctively
may assume it's time to hibernate & stop eating for the season; for this reason, it's always best to set up the cage ahead of time, before putting a snake in it.