GTP vs. My ball python

[Chondroskittles]

Ok so my GTP has never nipped at me not even once but yet everytime I take out my ball he bites at every movement. GTP have a bad rep. Some guy at my gf work said I should have gotten a ETB for they are less aggresive. LOL people are stupid. O and my gtp is only 9 months and handled only 5-6 times. Figured I would share people are dumb

[sickvenom]

Ok so my GTP has never nipped at me not even once but yet everytime I take out my ball he bites at every movement. GTP have a bad rep. Some guy at my gf work said I should have gotten a ETB for they are less aggresive. LOL people are stupid. O and my gtp is only 9 months and handled only 5-6 times. Figured I would share people are dumb

no, these people are not 'stupid' nor 'dumb.' they have just had different experiences than others.

[TeaNinja]

that and every snake is different. i'm sure tons of people have truly evil GTP's, and my BP is as sweet as can be.

[infernalis]

Even the lowly little garter snake, I have evil ones, I have teddy bears..

No two snakes are exactly the same.

[stephanbakir]

Was your BP bitey from the start or did you get him as an adult and as a biter?

[whoaxmary]

As people already said, every snake is different... I got a young ball python and she was never nippy. Only time I was ever close to being bit by her was a feeding response, and was my own dumb mistake. Not saying she never would decide to take a taste of me another time, you never know with any snake. Maybe your BP just has a lot of spunk. ^. -

[sassy_snake_lady]

I was told baby brbs are nippy, mine has never once tried to nip me.

I was told kings bite, my king has never once bitten me.

People say things usually going from their own experiences.

All snakes are different :)

[dshin963]

Even my new blood python is harmless, hissy but harmless :-)

[sickvenom]

I was told kings bite, my king has never once bitten me.

kings can be sneaky sometimes. they don't always strike. on more than one occasion i've head them sneakily open their mouths ad slowly clamp down on my finger, before i knew what happened. then they squeeze tighter and tighter.

[sassy_snake_lady]

kings can be sneaky sometimes. they don't always strike. on more than one occasion i've head them sneakily open their mouths ad slowly clamp down on my finger, before i knew what happened. then they squeeze tighter and tighter.

lol gotta love kings :)

I am still yet to be bitten by any of my snakes but I have a feeling when it does happen it will be him!

[sickvenom]

lol gotta love kings :)

I am still yet to be bitten by any of my snakes but I have a feeling when it does happen it will be him!

just be careful of their small teeth, when trying to pry him off. most of the time you can blow in their nose and they will release. i've had some larger species that would only release if cigarette smoke were blown in their noses. i don't smoke so it did create quite the conundrum.

[Chondroskittles]

Was your BP bitey from the start or did you get him as an adult and as a biter?
He was a babybut almost a year old

[Chondroskittles]

Ok so today I have handled my gtp more than I have ever handled my bp so today I took my bp back for he was too nippy my gtp has yet to bite and is nine months old and new to the home. I believe a bad rep is going on here or a conspiracy is going around the gtp. I can't wait to breed her/him and start my new store in Colorado

[infernalis]

No need for parallel threads of the same topic.

[mistersprinkles]

Ok so my GTP has never nipped at me not even once but yet everytime I take out my ball he bites at every movement. GTP have a bad rep. Some guy at my gf work said I should have gotten a ETB for they are less aggresive. LOL people are stupid. O and my gtp is only 9 months and handled only 5-6 times. Figured I would share people are dumb

So, based on your experience with 1 individual of each species, people are dumb? :yes:

Meanwhile, the folks on here who have 30+ ball pythons, some mean, some not, and dozens of green tree pythons are dumb?

So, if you buy a Prius that DOESN'T lock up the accelerator and almost kill you, does that make the people who had the accel stick dumb? I guess it does!

The dumb people are in the mirror, my friend. Wave!

[mistersprinkles]

Ok so today I have handled my gtp more than I have ever handled my bp so today I took my bp back for he was too nippy my gtp has yet to bite and is nine months old and new to the home. I believe a bad rep is going on here or a conspiracy is going around the gtp. I can't wait to breed her/him and start my new store in Colorado

Yup. It's a conspiracy around the gtp. Gtp's are getting too much political traction, and they threaten the political platform bp's have worked so hard to establish. Those Ball Pythons have a very strong lobby in Washington. Good luck running retail telling people they're dumb and there are conspiracies around snake attitudes btw. You will last long.

[mistersprinkles]

just be careful of their small teeth, when trying to pry him off. most of the time you can blow in their nose and they will release. i've had some larger species that would only release if cigarette smoke were blown in their noses. i don't smoke so it did create quite the conundrum.

Push the upper jaw forward slightly with one finger and lift the top lip with another. They only hold on with about five lbs of force for a big one.

[sickvenom]

Push the upper jaw forward slightly with one finger and lift the top lip with another. They only hold on with about five lbs of force for a big one.

since forum posting rules restrict me from merely reply, 'lol,' i will reply with this - i am laughing out loud right now.

[mistersprinkles]

since forum posting rules restrict me from merely reply, 'lol,' i will reply with this - i am laughing out loud right now.

:confused:

I've gotten a 3ft+ king off me many a time like that.. I hold the head from the back firmly but not forcefully, push it forward slightly in the direction of the bite, and then lift the top lip up with the other finger. Usually said finger gets bitten, but not more than the very tip of the mouth, which is easier to pull away. You still get scratched up... but it works. Maybe I'm not explaining it properly but I've gotten bitten by a lot of bigger snakes too, including a BCI about 7ft or so long that didn't want to let go, and no snake I've come across under 8ft has a mouth stronger than a large human hand in terms of its ability to hold on. A snake's mouth has very little clamping pressure. They lack the muscles to 'clench' their jaw. I'm not sure what you're laughing at, but despite a possibly poor explanation, I've removed many a snake from myself like this, as even the snakes that have more nubs than teeth have nubs that point back slightly.

[sickvenom]

:confused:

I've gotten a 3ft+ king off me many a time like that.. I hold the head from the back firmly but not forcefully, push it forward slightly in the direction of the bite, and then lift the top lip up with the other finger. Usually said finger gets bitten, but not more than the very tip of the mouth, which is easier to pull away. You still get scratched up... but it works. Maybe I'm not explaining it properly but I've gotten bitten by a lot of bigger snakes too, including a BCI about 7ft or so long that didn't want to let go, and no snake I've come across under 8ft has a mouth stronger than a large human hand in terms of its ability to hold on. A snake's mouth has very little clamping pressure. They lack the muscles to 'clench' their jaw. I'm not sure what you're laughing at, but despite a possibly poor explanation, I've removed many a snake from myself like this, as even the snakes that have more nubs than teeth have nubs that point back slightly.

not you. just funny trying to picture me doing all of that with a snake hanging from my finger.

[infernalis]

I always just put the whole thing under cold running water, it appears to work for me.

My corn snake tried to eat my finger once, I held his face under cold running water and in about 30 seconds, he spit my finger out.

[mistersprinkles]

not you. just funny trying to picture me doing all of that with a snake hanging from my finger.

It isn't painful. My friend's pet lobster grabbed me once it was much worse :).

[Mikey T]

When My Cali King bites, shes holds on, i mean i've tried everything, the cold water just makes her bite more, only thing i have found that worked is something with a high alcohol content, (i used vodka the first time) and apparently mouthwash works fantastically, for the same reason i assume.

[Ch^4]

Ok so today I have handled my gtp more than I have ever handled my bp so today I took my bp back for he was too nippy my gtp has yet to bite and is nine months old and new to the home. I believe a bad rep is going on here or a conspiracy is going around the gtp. I can't wait to breed her/him and start my new store in Colorado

So you've handled your GTP 5-6 times total (as per your previous post) and your BP even less than that over the course of 9 months?? No wonder the BP is nippy. You have neglected it and not been patient enough to work with it. You had no hope for getting you BP to stop biting at a handling frequency of less than one time per month.

Many of us on here have snakes that bite 5-10 times per handling *initially*. With patience, work, and dedication, *most* snakes will come to tolerate their owner. Occasionally you'll have the fighter that will remain that way indefinitely.

When you do breed your GTP (hopefully not for many, many years), what are you going to do when you get nippy babies? Take them back to the store....oh wait, you are the store :confused:

I'm sorry if this came across as harsh, but you obviously weren't willing to work with the BP and just returned it like you would a defective item from Walmart.

[stephanbakir]

Some snakes have a crazy strong bite, simply trying to open the mouth yourself will probably result in them clamping down more, and you getting hurt. Call for help if its a larger snake and carry mouthwash:P

[Lankyrob]

Shouldnt handle a GTP of that age at all really - they should be left alone until they have had their colour change. Ours is 16 months old (or so) and has been handled no more than four or five times - he has never attempted to bite.

[smittyd16]

every snake is different. my female diamond x jungle carpet is the most mellow snake i've every handled. her brother is the opposite of that. mean as hell. just shows even snakes out of the same clutch can be completely different!

[lady_bug87]

none of my snakes have bitten me my gtp close mouth strikes if I'm cleaning her viv out when she does not want to be disturbed then she usually ignores me,

my BP has only struck as a feeding response and that was human error but he never connected

my lacertas are full of evil I get bit every time I open the tank to feed them my male I can touch and pick up my female will try and tear a finger off

[McSlo2.0]

Calling people who have had years of experience dealing with snakes dumb just because your experience varies from the norm shows your immaturity and stupidity.

[Jenn_06]

there are some nice GTPs i have one thats almost 5 years old and bite me only once because i woke it up and i only take him out 4 times a year if that, and i have a baby one thats so evil i cant even spray her cage with out her trying to kill me. just shows every snake is different. but GTPs do get a bad rep for being evil monsters there are a few but not all of them are.

[alessia55]

My ball once mistook my hand for the mouse and bit me and held on hard trying to eat me... it hurt, but I went over to my computer and did some homework until he decided to let go. Put him back in the feeding cage and gave him the mouse. No biggie :p

[ZARADOZIA]

... it hurt, but I went over to my computer and did some homework until he decided to let go.


This made me giggle...awesome visual!

[shaunyboy]

My ball once mistook my hand for the mouse and bit me and held on hard trying to eat me... it hurt, but I went over to my computer and did some homework until he decided to let go. Put him back in the feeding cage and gave him the mouse. No biggie :p

if you want him to release you sooner,try running a gentle flow of cold water from the tap on his head

works with carpets

cheers shaun

[Lankyrob]

if you want him to release you sooner,try running a gentle flow of cold water from the tap on his head

works with carpets

cheers shaun


Works with corns too, this is what i did with my only feeding response bite. The others have just been hit and release so not had a problem (so far!!):):):)

[lady_bug87]

my boa tried to take my husband's finger off yesterday, we move them into a tub for feeding so i put her in no problem she took the fuzzy as soon as she saw it no time for the zombie dance and then usually after eating she uncoils and meanders around last night she stayed in strike position and shot out open mouthed at anything that moved close to her which happened to be my husband's finger she didnt connect though but close enough it took us 10 minutes for her to calm down

[Lankyrob]

my boa tried to take my husband's finger off yesterday, we move them into a tub for feeding so i put her in no problem she took the fuzzy as soon as she saw it no time for the zombie dance and then usually after eating she uncoils and meanders around last night she stayed in strike position and shot out open mouthed at anything that moved close to her which happened to be my husband's finger she didnt connect though but close enough it took us 10 minutes for her to calm down


Lol, that is one of the major advantages of feeding in the viv, whilst they feed you just close the doors and leave them too it!

[lady_bug87]

Lol, that is one of the major advantages of feeding in the viv, whilst they feed you just close the doors and leave them too it!


its true, I may have to as she gets bigger but usually shes so good she's very curious and tolerates handling extremely well even right after a feed when we are transferring her back to her viv I'm wondering if she is in need of a bigger meal or something because she is still hungry she is a ferocious eater after all