Ball Python constantly striking

[Scottsborough]

I've had my ball python for about 2 years and she has always been very docile and loved being held. Unfortunately for the past month or so she's gotten extremely aggressive and whenever I try to feed her she will purposely ignore the rat and try to strike at me. She even slithered over the rat's body, tensed staring right at me and struck 3 times at my stomach/chest area. I don't know what's causing this. Her temps are good and I even heightened the humidity in the room to see if that would help. Nothing is helping and I've become incredibly afraid of her and I feel like a horrible owner cause I'm so afraid to even go near her now. She doesn't act this way with my father and it's gotten to the point where he has to feed her. I can't even walk near her tank without her poised to strike.

Please help. I am a firm believer that when you give an animal a home you're not allowed to take it away. They are your responsibility, but if I can't feed her or handle her without having a panic attack, rehoming her seems to be my only option. My main concern is her health and well-being.

[Minkness]

Ouch...that sounds rough for sure. =(

I am no pro at BPs, and I don't know that theu even have the mental capacity (let alone emotional capacity) to just 'not like' someone.

If it were me, and I became afraid of my own pet, I wouldn't hesitate to rehome it. This is purely my opinion on the matter. Hopefully someone with more experience can give you actual advice though.

Good luck and stay strong!

Also, welcome to Ssnakess!

[Piggybuns]

The best part of snakes as pets is that they do not have the mental capacity for emotions, like a cat or dog. If you're afraid, then rehoming is likely a very good option... It seems she's associating you with something that she doesn't associate your father with. Have you ever dropped anything inside or on the tank that made a loud noise, or something that possibly spooked her? Just a thought, I've never heard of this happening for anyone else before. D:

[Tsubaki]

It's most likely the fact that you're afraid that is creating the issue, hesitant / frightened behaviour can come across as threatening or even mimic prey behaviour. Your dad is probably more confident with his interactions. I recently obtained a reticulated python who " struck at everything " she has not struck at me once.

[sattva]

I don't know about snakes but some animals can sense fear... Ya I would re-home it... Better for you and the snake... One should not have to fear their own pet...

[Scottsborough]

It kills me to think about giving up on her though. If I did rehome her I would want to make sure it's going to be someone who knows how to care for her. I just want rehoming to be the last resort, if all other options fail

[Tsubaki]

Tried using a hook send gloved to reduce the possibility of getting bitten?

[Minkness]

You could just take some time off from her.

Let no one disturb her other than water. I'd even say skip a feeding or two.

Be the only one to give her water, and when it comes time to feed her again, just put on something that will dampen the bites so you aren't so scared (a pillow under your shirt, or maybe just wear a hoodie, use extra long tongs, ect), and be the ONLY one to enteract with her.

Now, if you find yourself too scared or nervous and are shaking, breathing hard, ect, then you should rehome her. All that does is stress her out which is what is leading to the strikes.

But, if you can keep yourself calm, and become the 'good guy' by being the one to offer her food, then she SHOULD settle down. Especially if she was previously super docile.

My female went through something similar. She's my best snake. The one that ANYONE can hold. But about a month or two ago she did the same thing. She's never struck before, so it was super out of character for her.

Now, this didn't unnerve me at all. I just left her alone and continued with things as usually. By the 3rd feeding though, she was back to being her 100% easy going self and hasn't offered any further attitude since.

While snakes are not 'emotional' in the way we think of it. I DO believe they experience moods. And like everything else a snake does, it takes time to get them out of certain moods.

Maybe your girl is just going through a cranky 'teenage' phase and you are her target. What it comes down to though. Is if you can handle it or not. If not, then do what is beat for both of you. Because her being exposed to your stress, is equally stressful for her, and thus, no longer a good home, bo matter HOW much you love her.

[macandchz]

my snake somehow "knows" when i am stressed out at his feeding time and will turn down the feed. your snake could be picking up on your fear. try letting it go without a feed for awhile. when she's good and hungry she may take food from you again. good luck. i would hate her to be re-homed.

[dannybgoode]

I agree confident handling can be key. When I bought my carpet I was warned by the store that young carpets can be nippy but if you go straight in with confidence they are less likely to give it a go.

Mine hasn't showed any defensive behaviour at all following this advice.

Also some snakes are viv defensive - its their territory after all - but once you get them out the calm right down.

One thing with the feeding - are you making sure that the rat is warmer than your hand? Snakes go for heat sources so if your rat is not sufficiently warm your hand may present the more tempting target. You could also try drop feeding - open the viv a little, chuck rat in, retreat!..

I would persevere for a little while yet and try and build your confidence in handling and feeding.

[Aaron_S]

I've had my ball python for about 2 years and she has always been very docile and loved being held. Unfortunately for the past month or so she's gotten extremely aggressive and whenever I try to feed her she will purposely ignore the rat and try to strike at me. She even slithered over the rat's body, tensed staring right at me and struck 3 times at my stomach/chest area. I don't know what's causing this. Her temps are good and I even heightened the humidity in the room to see if that would help. Nothing is helping and I've become incredibly afraid of her and I feel like a horrible owner cause I'm so afraid to even go near her now. She doesn't act this way with my father and it's gotten to the point where he has to feed her. I can't even walk near her tank without her poised to strike.

Please help. I am a firm believer that when you give an animal a home you're not allowed to take it away. They are your responsibility, but if I can't feed her or handle her without having a panic attack, rehoming her seems to be my only option. My main concern is her health and well-being.

Then have your dad take care of the animal for now. You can re-try shortly.

[Albert Clark]

It kills me to think about giving up on her though. If I did rehome her I would want to make sure it's going to be someone who knows how to care for her. I just want rehoming to be the last resort, if all other options fail

Hey listen, everyone has given you very good advice. One thing I will add is that this type of behavior is typical with some hatchlings and sub adult animals. However, being that yours is 2 years old this IMO is atypical. Therefore it's important for you to first rule out injury and illness and move on from there. Now, ball pythons are for the most part head shy so one thing you need to start doing is picking the animal up and out of the enclosure. If you feel you need gloves that's ok but you can also place a small towel over the animal and then lift it gently out of the enclosure. Once out, you need to place the animal on a comfortable surface and with cupped hands practice dominating the animal by putting your hands over the snake and lightly pressing down on top of its head and body at the same time. Start with 5 min sessions and increase minutes on a weekly basis. The thinking here is to dominate the animal without causing pain or unecessary stress. You only need to do this about twice a week but as the minutes increase you will start to see improvements. It's a method that is used and has proven successful.