Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last night my rescued snake lunged at my pajamas with full force and then rolled like attacking food. I couldn't think of a reason until my wife asked if I had wiped my hand on them after eating KFC. Could this be the cause of the strike? He has never been aggressive ever before.

Also, he "whistles" sometimes. Is this normal? It is not a wheezing, per se, more like a whistle.

I wouldn't think that chicken grease would do that. It could be you startled him. Sometimes when I wake up my Cinnamon too fast she just automatically strikes. I think this is why Dave and Tracy of VPI always remove ball pythons from their tanks with a snake hook. So they know when they finally get their hands on them they will be fully awake.

My male normal ball python used to whistle too. He had an obstruction from a previous shed in his nose and it took him a few more sheds to clear it. I would have to hear your snake to be sure it isn't an upper resp. infection, but it could be he just has something in his nose.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel
1.0 Pastel het Pied
0.1 Pied
0.1 Cinn
1.0 Black Pewter
1.1 Normals
1.0 Thayeri
0.1 Thayeri X Alterna
0.1 crazy cat
1.0 husband

Definitely-I can tell you that some pythons find the slightest smell of chicken very nearly irresistible. And the fact that he coiled as if attacking food shows that it was not a "defensive" strike caused by being frightened....
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Thanks very much for the answer. It made sense. I just wanted to see if it made sense to others!

I will make sure to be clean of chicken smells when holding him in future.

You wipe KFC grease on your pajamas????????

well...you have to understand that it was late and I had just finished a 6 strip dinner...didn't have a napkin handy...hey! I'm a guy after all.

I will make sure not to do that before getting him out. No guarantees on not using my pjs as a napking though.

The whistle is usually a "back up" sign. My babies do it to let me know they're not happy with me.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

Good to know. He doesn't do it all the time. I will see if I can detect a pattern.