View Full Version : Afraid of your ball?
I know that this may be a silly question, but I am just wondering if anyone if afraid of their ball biting. I have read somewhere that you should be able to read your snakes body language and tell if its going to bite.
Honestly I do not know if he is going to bite. My snake does not hiss at me or anything. ITs just that everytime I take him out I get a little bit nervous.
Oh BTW i have had this baby ball for about 10 days now.
Scotty Allen
12-18-02, 09:10 AM
Not a silly question at all, I'm betting this is your first snake? Regular handling of your ball python will get you over your nervousness and you'll learn to "read" him with experience.
Yeah this is my first snake. In fact I was scared of snakes before until my friend let me play with his Ball Python. From that point onwards I wanted one of my own.
Scotty Allen
12-18-02, 09:30 AM
Just a side note, do not handle your snake for a couple of days after feeding. He may give you a smelly surprise.
tightsqueeze
12-18-02, 09:39 AM
Well a Good friend of mine once said to me and made perfect sence
"The only stupid (silly ;) ) question is the one you DON'T ask" Jason H,
jay
hey I think thats natural with any snake no matter how long youve been dealing with snakes...each snake has its own personality and body language so learning what is unstressed natural movement and what is scarred im-gunna-bite-you movement just takes regular handling sessions. remeber not to handle him for at least a week after you first get him and not mess with him a few days after eating or a few days before/after/during shedding. he'll either puke crap or bite you hehe.
Big Mike
12-18-02, 12:37 PM
He will know if you are nervous...so try to stay loose and calm and that will help your snake to accept you as a non-threatening thing.
All I can recommend is that you keep handling your new little snakie, like Scotty said leaving him to digest for at least 48 hours after every feeding. Eventually you will become more comfortable with your ball and become more familiar with his body language. Balls are great snakes to gain confidence with as they are typically reluctant to bite, since their natural defense is to tuck their head and curl into a ball. Just make sure that your hands don't smell like rodents - any snake has the potential to take a feeding reflex bite.... and those don't tickle! ;)
thanks guys. Once i get him out of the tank and play with him I get used to him. The only intital scare is putting my hand in cause thats when i heard most of the bites takes place.
I make sure I wash my hand before and after handling him. Also i do wait 48hours after he ate before handling him.
Tim_Cranwill
12-18-02, 02:12 PM
It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Now you just have to gain some experience and your confidence will come with it. Keep at it and you'll be fine;)
Big Mike
12-18-02, 03:09 PM
One thing to try is not looming over him when you pick him up. It may seem that you are a big predator comming to eat him. If you try to slide you hand under him from the side he may not think it's an attack. My BP will acctually come out onto my hand when I open the enclosure. My king on the other hand...he hates to be picked up and it took me a while to get up the courage to just pick him up really quick. Maybe try using a snake hook (coat hanger) to pick him up until you and he both adjust to each other.
well a lot of people have said its better to be bitten now by a baby ball then by an adult. OUCH!! that must hurt.
Them and Us
12-18-02, 03:12 PM
I was afraid of my first snake ,Fox, a Grey Rat . He ws already about 3 feet and wirey (spelling?) like you wouldn't believe. He never has taken even a snap at me though. i do use purell on my hands after i handle any mice/rats to get rid of the smell.
i rather be bit by a baby corn then a ball lol *so many times my corn bit me in the beginning lol*
PoiSoNouS
12-18-02, 03:59 PM
My ball pythons are one of the snakes that I trust the most..
It just takes some times to understand your little snake and lots of observation.
I was standing for hours in front of the first snake My Boyfriend got..
When you feed it, look at him strike to the prey... Look at his reaction when he sees it, Just before the strike..
Like I said, Lots of observation will let you know alot about him ;)
When I first got my ball, she bit me because I was trying to feed her a mouse by hand (newbie mistake!) but since then she has never striked, and I don't try to feed her by hand anymore lol. A little bite from a baby ball wont do much damage, and it will teach you to be more careful and realize the snake isnt dangerous, its the situation
with all these "new snake" type questions, I figured I'd ask what a CBB python is... I have heard it a couple times in the forums, but dont know what it means.
Tim_Cranwill
12-19-02, 12:00 AM
Captive bred and born. You're not the first to ask;)
Tim_Cranwill
12-19-02, 12:03 AM
Oh, and when the snake is just CB, it could be captive bred and born or just captive born. If it is just captive born chances are a pregnant snake (if they are even called pregnant) was taken from the wild and it's eggs were incubated and hatched.
Welcome to the community Royal.:)
Pythonian
12-19-02, 01:03 AM
yea the only time i ever saw a ball actually snap (besides when holding food) is when the person *cough cough* moron *cough cough* reject *cough* tried to uncoil her from her ball. poor little baby was scared out of her witts and the salesman said "ball pythons do that to sleep thats why they're call balls" then he did that and got bit and i said "they do that when they're scared.. like when idiots reach into their cage and tried to unravel them pulling hard and ultimately probably hurting them.. and i had my Kali around my neck at the time and i let the lady hold her and told her about the mom and pop pet shop that specializes in snakes, and could really use the busy on their well taken care of snakes" . the dude was so pissed!!!!!!! i swear he turned red.
Mike
Thanks Cranwill, I remember now that that is what I read about CBB.
I'm not afraid of our ball pythons, how ever i'm cautious of our burmese pythons.
Pythonian
12-20-02, 05:45 AM
burmese pythons? u mean the 20 foot snakes that eat the neighborhood's young? oh please! they're like kittens! ;)
When I'm feeding my snakes, my Ball comes out of his hide and patiently waits for his dinner. He can smell the mice in the room and has never refused a meal or needed coaxing. I never handle him when the scent of dinner is around. I just don't want to confuse him. You may also want to be careful when he is in pre-shed mode and his eyes are cloudy. He is more vulnerable at this time because his site is challenged. Other then that, they are normally one of the more docile snakes
my female ball, Molly, constantly strikes at me instead of her dinner but when i take her out just to cruise she is fine
I'm not particularly nervous and i make sure my hands are always clean and don't smell like snake food :)
PO_0784
12-20-02, 11:16 PM
With some handling, you will get so used to him that you will "need" to take care after. This question made me think about that point: my snake COULD bite me... Everytime I take him now, its easier than my dog lol...he just never bite me (I bought him last year)
Happy herping and christmas!
Originally posted by Pythonian
burmese pythons? u mean the 20 foot snakes that eat the neighborhood's young? oh please! they're like kittens! ;)
you mean they like kittens.
TurboSE
12-22-02, 02:55 AM
Originally posted by FlatwoundScotty
Just a side note, do not handle your snake for a couple of days after feeding. He may give you a smelly surprise.
Been there, done that...I was laying on my bed watching TV and he was crawling on my chest when I got a cold, wet rush down my side...
thanks for your help guys/gals. Well its come to my ball being scared of me now. Hes been in his hideout for 2 days now and has not come out, atleast when i'm there.
Mine is always in his hides during the day. Sometimes he comes out and changes hides, but for the most part, he is very cozy under his pot. He usually is only active at night when all the lights are off. I think that is their norm. So he's not scared of you, he just has his routine.
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