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I let my son hold the new bp that I rescued so I could make sure his hide was still humid enough and he seemed okay but my son moved his hand and the bp promptly bit him.He also took a swipe at me when I was putting him back in his tank.The bp is much better since he ate and doesnt have that pinched look anymore but he very nervous now..So should I work on holding him more to get him used to us or should I leave him alone for a week or two to let him become more secure with his new home. This biting thing really took me by surprise as my other bp is is so mellow and tame right from the day I got her. Has anyone ever heard of an aggressive ball?

Wild caught?
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I know the pet store that the bp came from. They say they get thier snakes from some breeder but they are not really reliable either..The people we got it from had the snake for a few months and it was handled alot by the kid in thier family until he got bored with it, or maybe he got bit too and wouldnt pick it up anymore and didnt tell his parents, I dont really know for sure. How could you tell if it was wild caught..Wouldnt they have to catch it in Africa and transport it all the way here to the belly button of the US., and then sell it to a pet store. Sounds like alot of trouble but I suppose its possible..the snake has no mites or ticks and I really doubt the kid I got it from debugged the snake himself.

a lot if not most of the petstore ball pythons are wild caught. If they can't give you a breeder name, I'd question whether they are telling the truth. A lot of petstores will tell you what you want to hear to make a buck. No real way to tell otherwise - at least not one I can think of.
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You'd be suprised how much cheaper it is for the petstore to get a wild caught animal. Of course they don't import it themselves, but they probably only pay $10 for it, as opposed to 20 or 25 for a wholesale 'USCB'. There's a whole chain of people making sure that petstores have access to cheap crappy animals.
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And after only having to pay about $10 for a ball python they turn around and charge you $80 for that same animal that usually isn't in very good condition and you'll have a nice amount of Vet bills from all the visits you'll make trying to fix what is wrong with it. I paid $30 for my juvenile BP off of a breeder and I'm much happier I did that then going to a local Petco shelling out $80 for an animal that most likely will have health problems from the get go!

Can you post any photo's of the snake?

Look for marks on the snake, scars, etc. as many wildcaughts bear these markings.

How old is the animal?

I have no idea how old he is.He is 2ft and around 11ounces...I only have a postal scale to weigh him on.I checked him over and he doesnt have any scarring or anything. I guess if he is a wc I will just have to be patient and keep him myself. I was really looking forward to sharing this with my son.
.I bought my other bp at a petstore and have never had any prob with her behaviour other then being shy.

doesn't sound like he was being aggressive to me. just sounds like he felt frightened by the sudden movement and is just perhaps a bit nervous.

Get him used to you holding and handling and your smell before letting others handle. Start with short daily sessions and progress up from there based on your snakes behavior. Watch sudden movements and stay away from the head. Make sure your hands are warm too.

Some have even suggested placing a piece of used clothing with your smell on it so they can learn to recognize it.

Just some ideas.

Best of luck!
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And if your son is old enough to be holding the snake, he is old enough to understand that any animal can bite, and sometimes they will.

Mostly balls bite for a feeding strike or a defensive strike. Your description sounds like a defensive strike. I have a couple nasty adults that would love to tear my face off (yep, mostly the WCs) and most younger animals are just naturally defensive. Either way~ give the snake some time, handle gently, never right after a feed or with rodent smell on you or your hands. Eventually the snake will calm down, it is in their nature.

But never forget, any animal can bite~ and sometimes they will. (I hate it when kids ask me if one of my animals can bite~ "Well, yes he CAN, but I doubt he will" You may take a couple more bites before he calms down. If he is very aggressive toss a paper towel over him as you remove him from his enclosure (will throw off his aim when he tries to nail you) Good luck.
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Cheryl Marchek
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The Red Dragons Den

My wild caugts are quite..lets say grumpy. Its long and slow.
But in time and with some work it will calm down.
I you need to wear long sleeves and put on a pair of gloves.

"" Quote

A lot of people have written to me about advice on how to tame a jumpy or nervous snake.
With this in mind, I decided to add this section that contains my secrets to taming that I have used on all my snakes. Some of my snakes were tame right off the bat, but with a few of them I was not so fortunate and had to spend a lot of time with them. I hope this helps anyone having problems taming down their snakes.

The first thing you need to realize when taming a snake is that it is not going to happen overnight. It takes a lot of persistent work to get a wild animal to trust a human. Even if your snake is captive bred…it is still a wild animal, born with all the instincts of its wild born counterparts, like any animals dogs cats ect. One of those instincts is protection or self-preservation. If threatened, it will act accordingly to protect itself, which may include hiding, balling up, and yes, even biting. Most balls would rather hide than bite you but if it feels threatened enough, it will bite.

The taming of a snake centers around one aspect...TRUST. If the snake doesn’t trust you, it will not feel comfortable around you. You must gain the snake’s trust and let it know that you are not going to harm it.

Well, with that is said, let’s get into the taming process.

The biggest mistake most people make when they get a new snake is that they want to handle it right away. Transporting the snake and transition into a new home is a very stressful experience for a snake.
Handling the snake on top of that is going to add more stress, which is not good for the snake.
A stressed snake is less likely to eat, more susceptible to illness, and definitely more likely to bite.
The best thing you can do when you bring a new snake home is get him/her set up in his new home, preferably away from the main traffic in the house, and then LEAVE IT ALONE...Don’t feed him/her, don’t handle it, don’t bother it in any way. Let him/her get used to it’s new surroundings and get comfortable in his/her new home. I always like to let my snakes acclimate to their new surroundings for at least a week. Do not attempt to handle it during this time. Once he/she is comfortable with his new home he will be better able to deal with the stress of human interaction. Let’s face it... if you were confronted by a creature ten times bigger than you, it would be a bit stressful on you.

Well, now your snake is comfortable in his new home...the next thing to do is feed him.
After all he has gone at least a week without food. So when all is said and done, you should not try to handle you new snake for about 10 days...A week to get used to his surroundings, and a couple of days after he feeds.

O.K., now your snake is comfortable in his/her home, and has had a good meal.

NOW it is time to start interacting with the snake.

RULE #1 in snake handling: Always wash your hands before and after handling any snake!

The first thing to remember is not to jump right in and swipe him/her up. Take your time with him/her.
Most snakes are fine once they are out of the tank in your hands, it is the initial encounter and being picked up that they are uncomfortable with. If he/she is particularly jumpy, you may want to try just putting your hand in the tank near the snake. Also, remember to move slowly, and always let the snake see you coming. A startled snake is more apt to bite you. Try gently stroking the snake’s body with your fingers, but stay clear of the head and neck. Generally snakes are very head shy and will become very jumpy if you get near it. After petting the snake for a bit, leave him/her alone for a while. Try and keep the initial sessions short until he/she becomes comfortable having you near him/her. After the first day, try to spend more time with him.

Notice that we haven’t picked up the snake yet. Depending on the snake, it might take a few days for him to even get used to being touched, or he/she may not mind from the start. Once he seems O.K. with being touched, then and only then should you attempt to pick him up. Gently slide your fingers under the body by the tail.
Lift up on the tail with one hand and then put your other hand further up the body towards the neck to support the snake’s weight and gently lift him/her up. Once in your hands he/she should be fine.
Once you get to this point you should try and handle him as much as possible to get him used to the fact that you aren’t going to hurt him/her. He/she may remain a bit hesitant for a few days to a week but if you are persistent and handle him/her a lot and are very gentile with him/her, it will come around.

Keep in mind what I said about this not happening overnight. This whole process could take up to 2-3 weeks with some snakes…Others may take only a few days to a week. It all depends on your snake. It is important that you learn how to read your snake and figure out when he/she has had enough.
Your snake will give you subtle signs that can clue you in on the type of mood he is in.
Don’t push him/her too far...This will only prolong the process. If it looks like the snake REALLY wants to be left alone, it is best to let it be…it is better for both of you. He/she will feel better, and you probably won’t get bit.

Now, I don’t claim to be an expert, and this is definitely not the only way to go about taming a snake, but this has worked for all the snakes I own, and for many of the people I have helped out.
I hope this helps you out
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0.4 High Yellow Ball Pythons -
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0.1 Jungle Ball Python -
0.8 Normal Ball Pythons -

0.1 Rottweiler - Shadow
1.0 Rottweiler - Reese

Very true statements there!

Heck, even humans can bite!

Just my "dollar two eighty worth".
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0.1 Pastel Col Red Tail - Phoebe
0.1 Normal Ball Python - Barbie
1.0 Normal Ball Python - Ken
0.1 Brz Rainbow Boa - Bonnie
1.0 Brz Rainbow Boa - Clyde
0.1 Green Anaconda -
0.1 Yellow Anaconda -
0.1 Yellow Head Retic - Pandora
0.1 Granite Burm Python - Bella
1.0 Normal Ball Python - Jack
1.0 Normal Ball Python - Jake
0.1 Normal Ball Python - Chrissy
0.1 African Rock Python -Sissy
1.0 100% Het Black Black Red Axanthic Ball Python - Raven
0.1 Red Axanthic Ball Python - Bourbon
1.0 Yellow Ghost Hypo Ball Python - Sunny
0.1 Normal Ball Python HUGE over 8lbs - Scarlet
1.0 100% Het Albino Ball Python - Adam
0.1 100% Het Albino Ball Python - Eve
1.0 66% Het Albino Ball Python -
2.0 66 % Het Axanthic Ball Pythons - "Twins" Ding, Dong
1.0 Albino Ball Python -
0.1 100% Het Albino Ball Python -
0.4 High Yellow Ball Pythons -
0.4 Normal w.c. Ball Pythons - Mistakes
0.1 Jungle Ball Python -
0.8 Normal Ball Pythons -

0.1 Rottweiler - Shadow
1.0 Rottweiler - Reese

I think I've been bit more by humans then I'll ever be by my snake! SO much so that I have to keep putting my head back on all the time, if you know what I mean!

I currently have 15 BPs and never have bit. I have one het for albino CBB that will hiss and flatten out but he never strikes. I also have a male adult normal that I rescued that I'm am sure will bit me when I reach into his cage to take him out. s soon as I start to touch his cage he comes darting out of his hide looking to strike something. The person that had him before me fed him live mice and was afraid of him so he never got held. Every time you open his cage he thinks he is being fed. I currently reach into his cage with leather gloves on to get him out. Once he is out he is fine. I also got him feeding on frozen thawed rats. He is getting better. He is also a beautiful normal, somewhat of a burgandy so I am going to breed him.
Be patient, use slow steady movement when reaching for him and maybe start feeding him in a separate enclosure.It will calm down with time. My other 13 BPs are dog tame. Good Luck.

I think I will just leave him be for a bit. And start desensitizing him after that..Can you believe that someone else wants to give me thier bp too..I had to turn them down I just dont have anymore room..