Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male 20" ball python that recently has been striking and biting me when I feed him. I feed him in a seperate shoebox, and have tried using different gloves, but it doesn't seem to work. A few days ago, I tried picking him up in the cage, and he tried to bite me. This hasn't ever happened before.

anything with a mouth will bite!!!

maybe.....

maybe....

maybe ...a snake is not a good pet for you?

.....personally...I am more afraid of getting bit by a hermit crab than a snake....

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.
.just a thought
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Hopefully I can give you an asnwer that might actually be helpfull . . . . . . Holding your snake usually helps a lot to curb agression, has he ever been dropped? If not then try handeling him at least once a day every day for a week or two yes biting or not and 90% of the time they will quit biteing/striking you. Hope this helps . . .
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1.0 sunrise (unproven ball python morph)
2.0 pastel
1.0 spider Het ghost (fingers crossed for humblebees)
1.0 normal (rescue as he was VERY HUNGRY)
0.1 poss Het albino
0.5 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 reduced pattern (unproven but looks like a Tiger morph)
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 pastel Het ghost (Humblebee please!)(fingers crossed)
1.2 red tail boa
1.0 albino Het snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn
0.1 snow corn
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o

Brian H
Brianhettinger@hotmail.com

"Hopefully I can give you an asnwer that might actually be helpfull . . . . . . Holding your snake usually helps a lot to curb agression, has he ever been dropped? If not then try handeling him at least once a day every day for a week or two yes biting or not and 90% of the time they will quit biteing/striking you. Hope this helps . . ."
Yeah, this IS actually great advice, because after handling your ball python every day for two weeks, he won't never bite again when you feed him because he'll be too stressed to ever eat. Problem solved..........
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www.strictlyballs.ca

I liked my answer, more real
I was not being mean or stupid, I was being real...
gloves aren't even normal wear for "pet" snake handling..

.IF you like and want snakes...fine...get bit...handle...one of you will get used to the other..

really...you'll be fine...

handling does help, but not like people think...

snakes are wild....they are not tame....they do get used to human activity...

....some bite ,some don't, most will bite only on certain accasions and for certain reasons...a few are just crazy and never stop....

......they are little and hungry all the time...feed it...heat it...it will get used to you

....good luck....
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I agree...hermit crabs hurt like hell!!!! Balls aren't so bad! I have one female, who hates everyone. She will strike in her cage, out of her cage, for no reason at all but she eats like a horse! I even have a warning label on her tub incase my hubbie ever has to fill in for me. If she were a pet I would tame her down with MODERATE gentle handling without the gloves.Like the one post mentioned too much hanling can be stressful. Once you get bit a time or two you won't be so worried...I get worse wounds from kittens (and big hermit crabs!)

Feed it more; it is hungry.

Hunger, stress, you bothering him, him picking up on you being afraid of him -- it'll all lead to him biting. If he bites it won't hurt so just get in there and handle him.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

I got my female corn snake to settle down by handling her and shes fine once she gets out of her tank. i think she associates my hands with food. even though they get fed in their own seperate tank. no i also have just got a female ball, delgado, that will strike me too for no reason in the cage out of the cage. i haven't gotten bit yet but she packs a punch with her strikes at me and puts her whole body in to it. she is about 3 feet and i think she might be a tad obese.lol. but the other day she went to bite me while i had her on my lap cleaning her enclosure and she barely missed my arm but i had to grab her from launching out of my lap. she thinks she is a attacking rottweiler i swear. lol. she dont even ball up. and boy can she let out one mean evil hiss let me tell you what. she seems like she would rather be left alone. ill get hated on for this im shure but...that is fine with me...ill just clean her cage and just let her do her own thing, mean while admire from a distance . now my male, monty, hes still a baby but tame as a kitty. he still balls up and i can roll him about in my hands, but after a few mins hes out and wondering around. they have such different personalities.