Two-year old skittish ball python

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Hi All,

Have had my ball python for two years (bought as a juvenile August 2022). Bought it for my kid (now 9) and the python has never 'warmed up' to us. And by that I mean still is in a tight ball whenever held. And also will get into striking position whenever I come near the cage.

Eats fairly well. Was a little of a journey getting him on f/t but ate two f/t medium rats (~100g) two times in a row. 34-gallon, front-opening terrarium. Been shedding well. Just weighed today: 900g

While I encourage you to do all you can to help your bp feel relaxed during handling, how successful you are may be limited by your snake's personality. While your snake can learn to better tolerate handing, you can also adjust your expectations. Not all bps are the same. Just because your snake is more skittish than other bps doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing something wrong. That may just be the way he is and, to some extent, how he will always be. Gotta love the snake you've got. Not the one you wish you had.

On an unrelated note, you should reconsider feeding your bp medium rats. Male bps do just fine on small rats (45 - 85 g) for their entire lives.