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Aggressive snake

M

Mutumbo

New member
So ive had a ghost stripe, named Hermann(who is about 3 now, if i remember correctly) for the past 6-7 months id say, got him from a very close friend, who has been breeding snakes, and reptiles in general for longer than ive been alive. Well for him Hermann was perfect, never struck, always a good eater, just a general all around good snake.

For the first few weeks(after his initial week long adjustment period) he was ok, I was able to pick him up, handle him and such, with no issue. well for the past several months he has struck at me nearly every time i attempt to pick him up. some days he will be in a better mood than others, and wont strike at me until after ive picked him up, others, he will whip around and go after my hand as soon as I touch him. Either way im getting bit. My friend cant figure out why, as he was a perfect snake for him. Weve looked at every angle he and I can think of, hes in a 20 long tank, with a temp range of 74-85(controlled by a UTH under one end), hides on both warm and cool sides, a big water bowl to drink from/relax in, is fed every 7 days and isnt handled till at the very least 48 hrs after feeding, or until he poops, whichever comes later.

Is there ANYTHING anyone else can think of, that would cause him to be so aggressive? Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
Do you have a digital thermomer telling you the temperature? Is the probe right above the UTH under the substrate? I only ask because UTH don't regulate themselves, they need a thermometer or rheostat to do that.

I have heard that if the temperature is too hot then some snakes can become more reactive, kinda spazzy. Alternatively it could just be his personality coming in and you can't do anything about it.
 
I should have specified, it is controlled by a digital probe, set at 84, against the bottom glass of the tank.

It very may well be his personality, and he just may have decided he hates people, i dont know.

thanks for the reply :)
 
It may be that, if your friend was a breeder, he was used to infrequent handlings, and was perfectly okay with that. Suddenly there's a new environment and someone with a scent he's still unsure of is trying to take him out much more often. Even though it's been a few months, he might still be getting used to you if he was with your friend all his life. Or he just might not like you. I've had snakes that just plain don't like certain people, and a couple that seemed to be sexist. You have to keep in mind that, just like humans, every snake is different and has a different personality.
 
Robbie, im not exactly sure how often he was handeld, so you might be right.

Nanci, the furthest ill usually get is just after ive picked him up and am lifting him out of his cage, sometimes he will seem indifferent to being picked up, but will casually turn his head around then smell me for a second then bite me and immediately let go. Im pickig him up and supporting him with both hands if that helps.
 
Well thats what my friend said as well. So i bumped his feeding amount up last week. Honestly i could very well have been feeding him under sized mice, hes just gone from small to medium mice, every 6 days.
 
Yeah, you wouldn't really want to feed an adult more often than that. Does he rattle his tail when you go to take him out?

You might try washing your hands before handling him, and if you have been, do it with something different. Maybe a hand sanitizer gel? With cold water??

A defensive strike is usually preceded by a warning, such as tail rattling (which is very common and doesn't mean a bite is imminent) or an S-pose, or triangle-heading. A defensive strike may or may not include a bite, and if the snake actually bites, it's usually a very rapid bite and withdrawal.

A feeding bite can be a sudden strike and coil of a human body part (I just had one snake go after my foot a couple weeks ago!!) or a gentle, thoughtful nosing around and experimental bite.
 
"A defensive strike is usually preceded by a warning, such as tail rattling (which is very common and doesn't mean a bite is imminent) or an S-pose, or triangle-heading. A defensive strike may or may not include a bite, and if the snake actually bites, it's usually a very rapid bite and withdrawal."

Sometimes it will be after all the warning signs, tail rattle and the S pose, havent noticed the head one but thats probably because im just not paying attention, but last night i reached in, picked him up and as i was lifting him out of his cage he did none of those. His last meal was approx 4 days ago atthe time if that helps.
 
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