Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got my ball today through LLL Reptiles. He arrived healthy and everything but when I tried to handle him he struck my finger. I figured he might be hungry and gave him a mouse and he ate it right away. I fed him in a bucket so he wont think my hand is food next time. Any tips besides wearing gloves and to keep trying to handle him. Hopefully his meal fills him up and he wont try to bite me again. Thanks

Was it a baby you bought? They are fiesty when they are young and he could have just been agitated from the trip.

yeah, he is a baby. I was hoping he is just kinda nippy from the overniter from california to indiana. He ate right away which is fantastic. Maybe he was hungry. Thanks

Just remember he's a stressed baby. Leave him alone to settle into his new home before handling him. Everything will feel and smell strange. If I had just finished an overnight trip in a odd-smelling box on a rumbling aircraft I would probably bite too! Depending on when he was fed before the trip he may or may not have been hungry.

i second that. leave him be for a week or so. it will be the longest week, but well worth it. nothin' like a happy, healthy, nonstressed snake!

maxwells

Great advice and I will go one step further. I would strongly recommend that you feed your bp inside its own cage....this is a hotly contested topic for debate but I will give you MANY more reasons why it is FAR better to feed a snake in its own cage. Namely, and perhaps most importantly, feeding a snake outside of its cage only puts undue stress on that snake. This only delays the trust building between you and your bp. Rob Carmichael

I guess I would suggest refining your advice a bit. If you have a snake that is kept on paper substrate (and getting substrate in its mouth during feeding is not an issue) you could feed in the enclosure. And, as it is better to keep a new snake on paper to check for mites and health problems you might be doing this anyway. You'd also have to avoid teaching the snake that the only time the cage gets opened is for feeding. That would take care of the "strike whenever the cage is opened" problem. I've done it both ways and a lot depends on the personality of the individual snake. If it is not stressy I feed in a separate container. If nervous and stressy I feed in the enclosure.

It is very likely he has spent his entire life so far being raised in a plastic shoe box. The only interaction he's had has been when someone slid open that drawer to feed him. He still percieves humans as"predators"and so of course he will act defensively.Be patient, he'll come around. Short, quiet handling sessions may be in order.You might even get nipped a few times,but eventually you'll have one heck of a nice pet.Enjoy!
All the best,
Perry