Puffing from BP? [Not hiss]

[CCBaer]

i have had ball pythons for a long time. None of my snakes have ever made noise outside of hissing at me. They are not “affectionate” beings despite what some might say. They are NOT like dogs whining/begging for attention or food. I would check his conditions and be on the lookout for RI. I get a little frustrated hearing these animals compared to domesticated animals like dogs or cats. They will only suffer the consequences of people treating them as such.

To answer your question I don’t think anyone should tell you a ball python making consistent noises you can hear is a normal thing. I’m not saying he is sick but he’s clearly making a noise for a reason. They don’t make noises like that under ideal conditions. I have a female that hisses and postures like a champ until she is up and handled. After that there is no huffing and puffing. If she continued I would put her down.

Good Luck!

It's not a consistent thing, he just does it every once in a while when he's climbing on me, and not every handling session. There's nothing wrong with his setup, sometimes the humidity drops a little, but always adjusted back within a day or two. I think the conclusion here is that he's just exerting himself because IF he makes the noise, it's strictly when he's climbing.

I know he's not begging, that's why I said it was cute but not his intention. I was wondering if it was a noise some BP makes if they're hungry or maybe I handled him wrong.

As a separate matter, I wouldn't say a snake is affectionate, but I wouldn't say they're completely non-sentient like an insect either. They all have their personalities (or degrees of tolerance of being owned by a human). Personally, I get frustrated when people treat all kinds of reptiles as play objects or as commodities that can be collected and traded. Granted, they may not be able to love like a dog, but they shouldn't be treated as lesser. I find that kind of mindset incredible disrespectful to another living creature, especially one that has allowed us to enjoy them as pets.