Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,

I am a little bit nervous about some recent behavior coming from my newly acquired Ball Python. I recently fed my ball python a pre killed mouse. They come frozen, i thaw them in warm tap water, dry them off a little and drop them into the tank.

The snake never sees the rat at first and takes a while to find it, but when it does, it strikes as you all know.

What i am worried about is the fact that it began to strike at my cousin who was sitting right next to the tank when i dropped the rat in recently. He has never done this the past 2 times i have fed it. But my snake was aggressively trying to strike at my cousin from inside the clear tank, and only two minutes later did it finally slip its tongue on the mouse and pounce on it.

My theory is that snakes are very heat sensitive and being that the mouse is thawed in warm water, the heat increase puts my snake in attack mode. But i was very creeped out by the aggressive behavior that the Ball python showed when it is suppose to be a more docile snake. I understand that snakes are snakes and will be agressive when need be, but when i asked other snake owners, they claimed that they have never had that happen to them.

It has been two days since that happend, i tested my theory by washing my hands under hot water for at least a minute. I then went staight for the tank to change the water, the second i put my hand in, the snake seemed to perk up a little... it moved its head forward from its coiled position. It did not strike me, but its attention was definitely more perked that it usually is when i take it out.

Can anyone explain why my snake began to strike at my cousin through a clear tank and how i can stop it from happening? And should i be wary of being struck when my hands are warmer and im going to take it out?

***Another variable you might wanna take into consideration is that i bought the snake considerably underweight. I feed it ever 5 days to bulk it back up, but the previous owner (of about 2.5 years) only fed it about once a month the last few months he had it. So he had to give it up. And now i have the snake.

Thanks a lot

Daniel

Daniel,

I don't think it was aggression or anything to do with the heat. Here's a couple of things to think about...

1. Snakes are primarily scent driven predators. When I bring f/t mice into my snake room, all my snakes perk up. A few of the more aggressive feeders will lunge at my hand or any other moving object once they get the rodent scent in the air. This is probably why your snake was striking towards the other person.

2. Running warm water over your hand isn't going to heat in up significantly for more than a few seconds. By the time you got it over to the snake cage, it was probably down to its normal temperature. Of course, that temperature is significantly higher than the temperature of the cage around it and that temperature was probably warmer than the temperature of the warmed rodent.

You might consider thawing your rodents at room temp or in plastic bags in lukewarm water. That way they aren't wet and they retain their original mouse smell more effectively.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Don't get creeped out. The snake didn't turn aggressive. He's just banging his fork and knife on the table and stomping his feet - so to speak. He's expecting food and wants it, but doesn't know what to do.

I'm a big proponent for feeding in a separate container, and I think it may help in your situation. I think the snake knows it's feeding time because that mouse scent is in the air, the cage lid was popped open, and there's people around.

If you put him in a separate container at every feeding - like a tupperware with air holes, he'll associate that with feeding instead. My spotted python was fed in the cage for the first 5 years of its life and when I opened its cage for the first time after I bought it, it tried to eat me. After a few feeds in a separate container it learned what was going on. Now I can open his cage at any time and pick him up with no worries. But if I put him in his feeding container and then lift the lid, he'll lunge at my face. It scared me at first, but it's not his fault. He's just trying to cooperate.

thats normal, balls can see heat, the rat cools down your still warm.

its a good thing, shows your snake has a good feeding response.

its not aggression its hunger
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jake

my addiction:
0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
0.1 amelenistic corn snake (maizy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)
1.0 albino cal king (zeus)
0.0.1 wc garter (zim)
hybrid breeders association
hybrid haven

thanks a lot guys, you guys have been really helpful. So basically i should just feed it in another box and let the rat cool down before i drop it in?

also, why does it take for ever for the snake to finally see the rat sitting there right in front of it?

It probably takes awhile for him to notice because they don't get a soggy dead mouse dropped in front of them in the wild. It's not really natural for him. His insticts are to catch live prey. Other than instinct, snakes are pretty stupid and clumsy.

dont let the rat cool to much, if you are warmer then the rat, than you will be more interesting than the rat. and youll get struck at.
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jake

my addiction:
0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
0.1 amelenistic corn snake (maizy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)
1.0 albino cal king (zeus)
0.0.1 wc garter (zim)
hybrid breeders association
hybrid haven

Jake's got it. Ball pythons see heat with the pits in the lips. That is how he can strike a warm-blooded rodent accurately in darkness. Smell is much less directional than sight. When your snake smells food, like a rat, he assumes that the heat source (your cousin) is the food. He's just making a false connection between food smell and heat source. It is a good idea to use tongs or something similar when feeding snakes with heat sensors to keep the warm hand at a distance from the cooler food-smelling prey item.

Paul Hollander

well today i was just staring at my ball python, and my face was relatively close to the class and he struck the glass. i know its because my face and breath emit heat, but will be bite me when i put my hand in there to hold him? because i have sweaty warm hands....

this is probably overkill with a ball python but here's what i do with my taiwan beauty.

i always hook him out when i'm going to handle him. so when i open the tank if he gets the hook he knows from association that no food is coming. haven't had a bite since.

with my milk snake and hognose i don't bother since they're sweet, but the beauty would nail me every time if i didn't use the hook.