BP Question

[antiochian]

So I've had my bp for close to a month now. It's a hatchling, a little over a foot long, about 1.25 inches thick at the thickest part of its body. S/he was bought from a pet store, feeds well thus far. Has eaten two meals for me, its last a f/t hopper two days ago.

Usually my ball seems at ease when I'm holding it, and will either crawl through my hands and curiously sniff around, or stay quietly in a ball. Today, I took it out of its hide and held it in my right hand, stroking its body with a finger. It kept it's neck tightly coiled in that "strike" position, and sure enough, when I moved my free hand it struck. I stroked it some more, and reached up with my free hand to scratch my face. Strike. And the weird part. I was holding it out away from my body (due its behavior up to this point), so it wasn't near my face. But it looked right up at me, and when I moved the hand it was perched on side to side, it stayed focused on my face. I turned my head to the side. Strike. After about fifteen minutes, I put the snake in its terrarium and it made a beeline for a hide.

Basking area temp is 86 degrees F. Humidity at 70 (I have no ac currently, but that'll soon be remedied.) Been changing the water pretty faithfully and have changed the substrate three times since I purchased the snake.

So I'm wondering why it's so moody with me. Does it not recognize the other hand as part of me, and thinks the moving hand is food or a predator? Is it possible the snake's not used to me yet, and sees me as a potential predator (hence its very strange behavior of staring me down and striking at my face?). It behaved this way on one other occasion and I'm just assuming it's not used to me yet and will improve with time. Or else the summer heat and the high humidity are making it cranky. It was about 90 degrees in the house throughout the day. Appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

 

[AliCat37]

My guess is that it just needs some more handling time.. my BP has never struck at me, but with my little snappy corns I just hold them more often and eventually they got over it. I imagine that he was just stressed from being held and was defensive about your hand.

 

[Becca]

I think I agree with AliCat. Sounds like the little one was testing you to see if it could scare you off. You did the right thing by continuing to handle it, letting it know that it couldn't intimidate you. I'd expect a few more snaps out of that one, but if you continue on this path...it should settle down nicely and learn to adapt to being handled. Best of luck with your little one!

 

[antiochian]

Appreciate the input. Every time I approach or handle the snake it strikes. I'm just really hoping it'll come around and that this isn't due to the snake simply having a naturally grumpy disposition. I felt it's teeth for the first time today, although they just brushed against my skin and didn't penetrate.

I also still tend to be startled and jump when it strikes, but I'm trying to quit that and anticipate that this little pistol is just doing what comes natural. I will persevere!

Also, it's still eating well and the temps are all good, so that can be ruled out. I don't have a scale, but can see the py is growing nicely.

 

[Airidies]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQssbM0uk

JKR's video on Aggressive hatchlings

 

[chris68]

It sounds like he's stressing you. New ball pythons really need some time to adjust to new surroundings. They prefer tight hides they can squeeze into, and a substrate they can dig into helps them feel secure also. Just because he started seemingly comfortable and now has an attitude doesn't mean he was comfortable and now he isn't. That he is still eating is definitely a good thing. I would let him be, minimalize handling for a while as he acclimates, with substrate changes once a month vs weekly. And it is always hard not to flinch when they bite

 

[antiochian]

Thanks for that link! I'll definitely try that on my little pistol.

 

[antiochian]

It sounds like he's stressing you. New ball pythons really need some time to adjust to new surroundings. They prefer tight hides they can squeeze into, and a substrate they can dig into helps them feel secure also. Just because he started seemingly comfortable and now has an attitude doesn't mean he was comfortable and now he isn't. That he is still eating is definitely a good thing. I would let him be, minimalize handling for a while as he acclimates, with substrate changes once a month vs weekly. And it is always hard not to flinch when they bite

I've had him a month now and I really love him. I just don't want to end up with a snake that remains hopelessly aggressive, because obviously part of the enjoyment of snake ownership is being able to handle it.

I did leave him alone for nearly two weeks after purchase, with the exception of substrate changes and feeding (was using newspaper, now I use aspen so I can spot clean). I also threw a paper towel in the tub that I'd rubbed all over my face and arms to see if that would get it used to my scent.

His hides are somewhat bigger than he is. I have acquired a much smaller one that will fit him snugly and will replace one of the big ones with that and see what happens.

I'm not giving up. My corn was also very defensive when I first got it and with time and more handling greatly improved. So I have hope for this little pistol too! I'll try leaving it alone for a few days and then try handling again.

 

[beautifullywild77]

I would use coconut husk fiber dirt. It helps keep humidity well and easier on their scales and to burrow in. Aspen tends to mold with as much humidity as a ball python needs. I would really just change the substrate once a month like Chris said.

You can always black out the sides and back of his tank with like black butcher paper or black construction paper to make him feel more secure. You can even use a dark blanket or towels. You can leave the front open so you can see in or even just half the front.

I got these tips from an awesome lady who is a member here. She helped me with my rescued ball python who was totally stressed out to the point of not eating. She is eating like a champ now and not as grumpy anymore.

 

[BloodyBaroness]

It's going to bit a working process, but you should be able to help your baby feel more comfortable being handled. Now is the best time to start. Justin's video is exactly the steps I would recommend. The cupping technique works like a charm. I've tamed down dozens of babies with methods like that. -on a side note, I much prefer spunky babies, they are nearly always the very best eaters in the bunch.

Handling snakes is much like working with a hot headed horse. If you touch a horse's foot and it kicks, what do you naturally do? Stop and back away. When you stop, you let the animal win and it learns that if I kick, you stop touching my foot. What we need to do is teach them that touch is okay by continuing to do it. See critter I'm touching you and nothing bad is happening. When the snake strikes and we back away, they learn the same lesson. I strike, you get out of my space. If you touch them all over and cup them in a ball, you are showing them that touch is okay and nothing bad is going to happen. It builds their confidence and yours.

There is good chance it might be irritated and edgy because of the aspen. It stays too dry for them and can make them feel uncomfortable. Sort of like having really dry skin, but not being able to find any lotion to fix it. Switch over to coco husk, or cypress bedding. Those seem to hold moisture really well for ball pythons. It will save you a lot of potential shedding problems in the future.

Is there any way you can snap a picture of your cage set up? Big open aquariums are really scary to baby BPs. A less confident and fearful snake may need extra hides or ground cover. Toss in some paper towel rolls, or fake plants.

An additional way to help is covering a few sides of the tank. You can use aquarium backgrounds, towels, or simply dark colored paper. This does not have to stay up forever. Cover three sides and leave one open. Over time (months) take the paper down one side at a time.

-Steph is making me blush. I'm really glad your girl came around.

 

[beautifullywild77]

Autumn She still has her moments. We just learned we can not hold her on the day we are going to feed her. If we do she refuses to eat.

I would listen to BB. She is wonderful!

 

[antiochian]

Update. Since I was taking pics for y'all, I decided to go ahead and try a quick handling session. In the beginning he was snappy as usual, even striking at the snake hook. But after I cupped him and touched his head a few times, he became pretty submissive as you'll see in the pics. I added a smaller hide for him right over the uth. I use an infrared heat gun to take temps. The handling session was very brief, maybe 10 minutes or so, and he didn't even snap at the camera as I took the pics. Huge improvement from yesterday.

Appreciate all the feedback. I'll keep working with him and hope for the best. I knew when I got him (and my other snakes) I was making a big commitment and I'm in it for the long hall.

 

[antiochian]

OK, hopefully the pics will upload this time...

 

[antiochian]

His (or her) home is a 19 gal./72 L container. The last photo shows it by its new smaller hide, which it did not stay in (it went into one of the larger ones). While it is coiled in the picture, it did not strike at the snake hook as it did before handling.

 

[beautifullywild77]

I am not sure but it looks like he may be in blue and perhaps thats why he has been snappy. Or a stuck eye cap? Or it could just be the flash.

I am glad this handling session went well for you. We love our bp. We have Lola an adult female, Bugsy and Harley both subadults.


But I would totally switch to coco fiber dirt... They love digging down deep in it under their hides. Aspen really does irritate their poor bellies.

 

[antiochian]

I wondered about the eye cap too. I'll double check when I handle him again tomorrow. I do know he was definitely in shed on Monday, because his scale coloration was pretty dull. I left him alone till yesterday and his body appeared normal and bright again. I haven't found a shed in the substrate yet, but will dig around a little tomorrow.

Now I'm displaying my ignorance but what exactly is "in the blue?"

 

[beautifullywild77]

In blue means they are getting ready to shed. There is several phases they go through. They get dull and their eyes get cloudy, durning this time they can't see hardly at all. Then they will go through a clear phase which means the eyes clear up and they appear normal and they will usually shed withing a few days after clearing up.

During the whole process we usually just leave them alone and not handle them too much. I would figure they wouldn't be very comfy

 

[MegF.]

My first thought when I started reading this thread was the snake is getting ready to shed. I'd lay money that this one is going into blue or by the pictures, is in blue and therefore more defensive since the eyesight is compromised at that time. Once she sheds I'll bet you'll see a different snake.

 

[antiochian]

Ah, I see--just never heard that term used before. So he still could be in shed mode despite the brighter coloration. I'll give him a couple days and see what I find then.

 

[antiochian]

But I will say he's been nippy the last couple weeks at least. I just jumped the gun in assuming it was already through shedding (I didn't check under the other hide for a skin). But if it's still snappy after shedding I'll just continue handling and using the cupping method until I have a breakthrough.