Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got my first ball Python 3 days ago, he is rite at 2 months old and he is SUPER AGGRESSIVE!!!! I have him in a 30 gallon tank set up in my bedroom and he seems to be doing well as far as that goes. I own 3 beared dragons but this is totally different. I gave him 2 fuzzies today thinking that he could be striking at me due to him being hungry. He ate both within a 5 min. period. But even after eating when I went to put him back in his tank he hit me 4 times. Do yall think he will ever settle down? Anther thing is that I got him from a breeder that keeps all his collection in a room that is only occupied by him once or twice a day when he would go and tend to them. Another thing is my Wife has a little Yorkshire Terrier in the house aswell. Im not stupid, I know the snake can smell her but do you think that over time he will get used of her smell and know that that smell doesn't represent food? Please help me out if you can. thank you for your time

I bought a few nippy ones this year. They turned out to be my best eaters and with some gentle handling they all stopped biting eventually. Even babies can take bigger than fuzzies (if you meant mouse fuzzies) so I'd try something larger like a hopper. If he ate those two fuzzies that fast and was still sriking he likely was still hungry. Don't try to handle him for a couple days after eating. They don't like big open spaces, that's a rather large tank for a 2 month old baby. Might help to cover the back and two sides of the tank with some dark paper and make sure you have a nice cave on both the warm and cool side of his enclosure so he can have a place to relax in. The dog should not be an issue as far a him smelling the dog. The more hesitant you are about picking him up, the more likely you are to get bit. When it's not right after a feeding, and you want to work with him, just reach in with steady hands and scoop him up from underneath. If you go in with slow hesitant movements that could trigger a defensive bite. Once he's getting enough food and has enough down time to relax and gets some gentle handling he should turn out to be a friendly calm snake who you can enjoy for years to come. Post pics when you get a chance and congrats on your new baby!
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Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 het Caramel Albino (Edward & Bella)
0.1 poss het Caramel Albino (Rosalie)
0.1 Caramel Albino (Bellatrix)
0.1 Pastel Orange Ghost (Nagini)
1.0 Butterscotch Ghost (Nick)
0.1 Spider poss het Butterscotch Ghost(Nymphadora)
1.1 Mojave (Lucius & Renesme)
0.1 Pastel Lesser (Narcissa)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
0.1 Lemonblast (Luna)
1.0 Pinstripe (Jacob)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)

Corns
1.1 het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Bloodred (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Bloodred poss het Anery Lav (Tumnus)
0.1 Granite (Ravenclaw)
0.1 Fire (Jewel)
0.1 Fire het Anery (Ginny)
0.1 Anery Lav (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma
0.1 Ultramel Charcoal (Victoria)

Western Hogs
1.0 Albino (Hogwarts)
0.1 het Albino (Hufflepuff)

Thanks man that helps alot, also eases my mind a bit. I will get some pics as soon as I get my wife a new camera. (Hers broke 4 days before I got him of corse).

Just to expand on the other poster:

The ideal food size for any snake is to choose food items that are as big around as the widest part of the snake's body. Baby balls can even take larger than that, but I wouldn't recommend going bigger until you are very familiar with your snake's limits.

Adding clutter to the tank may help calm the baby. 30 gallons is far too big for a baby ball. If you have it on hand, I would actually recommend moving him back into a 10 gallon for best results. A common mistake people make regarding Ball Pythons is they think they need "space". These snakes are subterranean. They prefer to live in warm, dank, cramped rodent burrows. If they have a place to cram themselves tightly into, that is best. Make sure the hides you provide are big enough for him to get into, but the smaller the better.
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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

I have his tank very cluttered with 2 hides,an oversized water bowl a few big decorations covered with vines and moss. It is a big tank but very cluttered. Do you think I should feed him again or just wait and feed him bigger on his next feeding?

I'd say give him a week by himself with no handling and no feeding attempts before trying either again. Then feed the appropriate sized rat/mouse.

If he is still nippy in a few weeks, I still recommend a smaller tank temporarily. I made this same mistake over and over again with everything from Hoggies to Corns and BPs. Sometimes there is no substitute for a smaller tank. But like I said, give him some time and see if he comes around.

Best of luck with your new addition
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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

In my experience, most hatchlings are nippy for a while. In a 30 gal tank a hatchling should have a couple of hides that are snug enough to make it feel secure. As the snake becomes more comfortable and secure the nippiness will fade away and handling will be a joy. Also if your tank has a screen top you should cover about 90% of it with plastic or something to help retain humidity.
Claude

Yes for the time being he does have a screen top. I have three 4' X 2' X18"bao phile tanks that I have my bearded dragons in. I have asked for another one from my wife for christmas but will wait until he is the correct size to feel secure in a tank of that size. Thank yall very much for your time and information. I am using every bit of this information.

I'll add something more. Handle as little as possible. When you do handle, however, don't reach straight for the snake. Place your hand in the tank and let it know you're there so it isn't surprised to see you. Frightened snakes = nippy snakes. I know from experience as I use snake-proof glass enclosures as well. And this was already mentioned but cover up three sides of the tank with dark paper. Your snake will feel much more secure.
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Reptiles:
2.2 Leopard Geckos
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Box Turtle
0.1 Corn Snake

Bird:
0.1 Jenday Conure

Pups:
2.0 K-9

and lots of tropical fish!

-Patrick