Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have got a question, hopefully someone will have some answers!!

We have got a ball python...little guy that seems to REALLY NOT LIKE ME!! He strikes out at the glass at me, strikes out from my boyfriend's hand at me....pretty much just coils up and goes to town whenever I go by him. I have got 3 ball pythons of my own and they are just angels!!! Never had a lick of problems out of them at all. My first thought was his housing wasn't right. I made sure that the environment was perfect. Next is his health, which we are taking him into the vet in a couple of days for an overall checkup. But he is just really really not liking me. I put a shirt with my scent into the tank thinking that he might get a little more used to that, but no....he struck me. He is not eating yet and I am sure it has a lot to do with being stressed, but I am desperately trying to do anything to keep him from being stressed. I have left him alone and not handled him for two days now, but I don't want to NOT handle him. Taming him requires me to be able to work with him.

I guess my only other thought if he turns out to be healthy is that he might be cb, but with wild caught parents, and maybe he has still got the wild tendencies in him. I hold my others all the time and play with them. He gets "pissy" enough with me (for lack of a better term) that even when I hold him he is striking at my body. I have never had to "tame" a ball and I am wondering if anyone has any tricks of the trade for me in taming a possible wild caught or cb first generation. Any suggestions would be SOOOOOOO appreciated.

Forgive me for laughing, but it seems that your snake is from the same clutch as mine.

I went through the list too, & it continues for months over here. I just changed my snake's name from Franklin to Cranklin. Now that I assume he is badass, I don't mind his behavior as much.

Also I appreciate my girls more when they let me hold them for very long periods of time.

I was sad when I realized they won't all be lapsnakes when you want them to. Can't blame them really.

that I switched mister pissy wissy cranklin from a 10 gal tank to a 32 qt colored tub for privacy.

To further satisfy his anti-social needs, I gave him a big black plastic bowl with no opening so he has to crawl under...as a hide.

I think he could now die a happy snake if his food & water were delivered to him under said fortress of darkness so that he never had to see the light of day or another hot spot (or my face) on his radar again. Really.

That's funny!

We all have our share of pissy or flat out rude BP's. My female "Houdini" is like this. Regardless of handling amount of hides and blah blah blah she still will light me up in a second. She is just not a nice little lady!

Frankly .................... I don't mind having a fiesty BP in my collection. Remember; They bite you because they love you. lol

Junglejane - Your boyfriend's BP may never calm down. Just do your best to meet his needs. But I'm sure you know that. lol Maybe name the little one Oscar? lol
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Christine
Tails With Scales Reptiles
Looks, brains, and venom . . . . how do I stay single?

I agree with you whole heartly , thats why they make tongs to feed them rember after all they are snakes not dogs thats why we have them.

It is completely normal (even balls) for baby pythons to strike repeatedly! That is their only mode of defense right now! With a combination of them getting bigger, getting used to you and getting comfortable with their surroundings, he'll settle down! You'll just have to wait it out! You also have to remember, that as a rule, Ball pythons are mild mannered but, their is some degree of individualism in these animals! Hell, some dogs bite and they've been domesticated for thousands of years!

What do you call a "perfect environment"? A ball python could be perfectly content with two empty cereal boxes on each side, a regularly filled waterbowl, and papertowel for substrate. The warm side should be between 85 and 90, with the cool side between 75 and 80. I personally like to keep my warm side closer to the 90 degree mark. UTH (under tank heater) works wonders when it comes to heating ball pythons. I would only recommend a heat light if the ambient temperature in your room is dropping below 65 on a regular basis (like in the middle of winter or something). Other than that it dries out the air unnecessarily, and the light can stress out the snake.

Two days is not enough time for a ball to settle in. Try leaving him alone for an entire week, then offering him a meal. If he takes it, great, leave him alone for another week and see if he takes a second meal. After that, try handling him, but only for a little bit at first. Move slowly, and try to avoid jumping if he strikes. It'll take you a while, but eventually he will calm down. It is VERY important that you resist the urge to handle him - snakes don't get "tamed", they get conditioned that people are not predators. Listen to the snake and leave him alone.

Good luck!

~jenny
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"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

I agree leave him be for aleast a week you are stressing him out and this could be dangerous due to the fact that he has not had his first meal yet in your care, leave him alone for a few days and just introduce a live pinky rat and see if he will feed they normally do if left alone, as he grows he will get more accustomed to human contact.

I had a ball thAt was like this years ago. Mine didn't start this way though. One day it was very hot outside and I think his tank was too hot and he chose to spit his mouse back up a day after eatting it (right on the under tank heater).....well I was gone most the day and when I came home that smell was like a kick in the face!!! I went to clean his tank out and he let me know how he felt. For about 2 months after that every time I walked by the tank he would strike if he wasn't in hiding. I actualy had to cover the tank one day to calm him down because his tank was in a high traffic area and he was going crazy....lol