Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I`m not to sure what to do here... Ive had my ball for about 3 weeks now.. and for 2 weeks of that 3.. all he does is stay in his hide box.. and NOT come out. So i figured he might be hungry still cuz he was getting fiesty with me so i went ahead and fed him 2 hoppers on monday.. So i waited about 48hrs after he ate to pick him up... and as soon as i take the lid off of his hide box.. he hisses non stop and when i get him out of the cage and try and put him on my hand or touch him.. he moves his head very fast .. something that i havent seen him do before.. So i dont know if i should pick him up and try and get bit.. or leave him alone because his eyes do look a litle blue like hes about to shed.. but i`m not sure... ANY help would be good.. Thanks guys

Mike.

well if his eyes are turning blue and he is going to shed then that is one reason he is like that. Also he is young and hasnt had much handling so that is another. just keep holding him and eventualy he will get use to you. also are you trying to pick him up from the top? Snakes dont like that to much. They think its a predator.

I dont reaching into his tank because he might think i`m food.. so i get him out with a snake hook.. which i heard isnt a bad thing to do. And when hes on the hook.. he doesnt hiss as much.. but he reacts fast to every little movement i make... I guess hes just REALLY scared... i`m not sure though.

Yeah, he just sounds really scared. Just give him some time and move slowly from behind his head when handling him. (don't reach towards his face) He'll get used to you, it just takes time. Give him some good humity so he sheds well... that will be the first step.

Staying inside of the hide all day is pretty normal Ball behavior. My three BPs stay in their hides all day, every day, but come out at night to explore their cages.
Sounds like your snake is just young and scared. And even the "tamest" BPs can get a bit agitated before a shed, when their eyes are clouded. I would recommend bumping the cage's humidity up to 80% so that your snake has a good shed, and avoid handling him until after the shed. A bad shed can lead to retained eyecaps, which will cause your snake to be even more fearful and tense.
Also, personally I do not feed any of my snakes when they are in shed. My theory is that the extra fatness could make it ahrder for them to shed off that tight old skin. Other keepers may feed during shed time with no bad results, but I personally see no reason to. After a great shed, my snakes are always eager to eat.
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2.1 Ball pythons
1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1 albino Cranwell's horned frog
1.0 bearded dragon
1.0 Tiger salamander
1.1 breeding Clawed frogs
1.0 black kittycat
3.1 Oscar cichlids

If your females will eat in shed the heavy they will get for breeding. I see nothing wrong with it.
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1.0 Pastel ball python
0.5 ball pythons
1.0 CA King
0.1 My girlfriend