Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, we just found our BP after she had been out in the back porch for 3 mos. She ate 2 mice the week after I got her back in, and drank 2, half cups of water....My problem is that now she is acting aggressive, and I am not sure why. I was a little leary of her to begin with, though she has always been a sweetie, but now she strikes at anything close enough, and I really cant keep her as a pet anymore BC I am now afraid of her and she knows it.....Is it normal for them to be agressive during breeding season?? I guess I will put her in the classifiesd.......What is a fair price for a 3 foot long, healthy BP??, No tank, only snake. How do I find out if it is a good new home since I know so little ??..thanks

It's extremely likely that the aggression is due to the stress of being lost, cold, hungry. Give her some time to settle back into her cage and she should calm back down.
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Tosha

I agree even though she was the one that escaped, she is probaly still stressed. If you give her to someone else ii is going to take them that much longer to calm her down , New surrounds for a ball can be very stressfull. At least she ate Im sure in time she be back to normal.I had one that I was iffy about she always looked like she wanted to strike, so for myself and her i would put thin gloves on and hold her she never did strike and I learned to trust her and she learned to trust me.She still has that look about her but i know that she wont strike.. Give her more time ..
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1.0 Het for pied
0.1 Het for Pied
1.5 normal balls
1.1 bearded dragons
1.3 kids
1.0 husband
To many little critters list

it dosn't hurt and you won't be afraid of it anymore. That is important if you intend to keep snakes. Aside from that the above advice is excelent. Tosha knows her shiz.
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"yeah, eagles have feathers hanging off of them too and I don't smoke --- out of them!" PS it was a dream catcher!

If you are afraid of being bit, maybe you should keep a goldfish...I am not saying this to be mean but these are wild animals, they work off of instinct. I call ball python bites love taps as they are generally not fatal.....To me a day without being bit by something is like a day without sunshine. I just hope it is one of my snakes and not from the rats, those things can really tear you up but I always get the last laugh....

You know, that advise is TRULY food for thought!!!!........... And somthing every new rep owner should consider actually !!.... I work with horses, dogs, birds, and I know being bitten, kicked, dumped, whatever, is part of it, but it dosn't scare me. Snakes just kind of still freak me out a little.. I can honestly say I am NOT willing to be bitten by a snake!! I guess I thought that if I got a good tempered one, it would just always be that way !!......... So, do you think if she had not gotten lost, she may have still been mellow, through breeding season?? Or is a change of attitude usual ??

Even the most docile snake can bite. I have a boa that is a sweetheart...tossed a rat in and it jumped out...as I went to push the rat back in the boa tagged me hard and started constricting. It was my fault...the snake was only doing what came naturally. If you ever breed pythons you will realize that a calm, easily handled snake will do her very best to keep you from her eggs, they are protective momma's. With time you will learn how to read them and to tell you the truth, getting bit a few times puts you at ease because it is really not that bad...This does not apply when working with hots though. I have had puppies and ferrets chew me up more while playing with them than any ball python can do. Yours, being gone for 3 months had probably had no contact with humans and reverted back to its instinct on trying to stay alive..cats, dogs, racoons probably made its life miserable and in time it will probably get back to the way it was. These are not intelligent animals and some always have a little bit of an attitude, don't expect to break generations of survival in a few weeks...

OK thanks for the advice. I had to put her into a small tank, bc she could get out of the nice big one she had when she got out. The smaller one is plastic, and used to hold a mouse once in a while. I was just thinking, even clean, would she be able to pick up on the smell?? And possibly be striking thinking whatever moves is the mouse she may be smelling ??........ Oh, and the 2nd day she was back and warmed, I gave her water and she drank an entire 1/2 cup !! I didn'y realize she would do that, and thought she would explode, or waterlog herself and die. so I waited a couple of days, and she again drank an entire 1/2 cup. I wasnt so worried, but should I just keep puting smaller amounts of water in?? or let her have all she wants at a time till she is back to regular sips??...........THANKS !!

she is probably dehydrated from her long escape. you should let her drink her fill, then she will not be so thirsty. also, she should have enough water to be able to soak herself in, not too deep, but she should have a water dish that she can coil up in if she wants to.
She will probably mellow out sooner or later, but for now, let her adjust for a month or so. She needs to get used to your scent and realize you are not going to eat her. Since she has been outside, go talk to your vet and bring them a nice fresh stool sample. you have to get them when it's still gross and damp. She may have picked up some parasites which may also make her stressed and cranky. You will want to treat her if she is sick as soon as possible.
Also, i do agree that the best way to deal with a crabby snake is to leave it be, and if it's still nasty, make sure YOU are very calm and not nervous, this will make her freak out more. A nervous hesitant hand will remond her of all those cats and raccoons that tried to chomp her. If you work with other animals, you will know what I mean. chill out and they will too (mostly). At the very least being calm will be less likely to make her freak out. i like to meditate a minute or two before taking out my snakes after a stressful day so they don't pick up on my stress.

good luck!

now I wish to sell my silverware, in fact I am willing to sell all of the dishes too! I feel as if the things in my kitchen are plotting against me....Help me..

Come on!!! Your snake is freaked out!!! Give it a chance, maybe something bad happened to it...give it plenty of hides and let it settle in.....cover its cage....

Now back to non sense....

Once when I was shaving my razor attacked me and I think it would be wise to get rid of it and before it attacks again...then this mosquito bit me so I think I will buy some raid to spray in the yard....but what if the raid poisons me....

I am afraid...my shadow seems to be stalking me....it just creeps around all of the time and it seems to be waiting for just the right moment....

SATAN
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"Satan™" is a registered trademark of NERD, Inc. Any copyright infringment is punishable by ETERNAL DAMNATION and some other terrible stuff.

Interesting ..... never knew you shaved!
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RicK @ BbI

Ball Boutique,Inc.
Proud sponsor of this forum

OK... you’ve gotten some really good advice. Here's a thought... you said she was gone for 3 MONTHS? Think she might be hungry?! I've found that often, when bps are in a growth and feeding mode and don't get food on a regular basis, they tend to have a strong feeding response as they try to make-up the lack of food. Please don't think that 2 mice will make-up for three months of no food. And be careful not to over feed her. It will take time for her to settle down and trust the food supply.

I've had several rescue animals behave this way for varying periods of time. Then once they (with regular feeding) settle down are great pets.

Just my two cents
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Larry Walker

WebSite

Ball pythons often strike with their mouth closed. It happens so fast that one often thinks that they've been bit when in fact they've been head butted. I have never been bit by a ball (other snakes yes, balls no) but I have thought that I was a few times intill I realized there were no holes! That isn't to say the don't bite (they most assuredly do) but that often when striking defensively they are just trying to scare you away.
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"yeah, eagles have feathers hanging off of them too and I don't smoke --- out of them!" PS it was a dream catcher!