I need help!!!

[Serpiente1995]

i recently purchased a lemon pastel ball python at a reptiles expo and it strikes a lot and its hard to handle. i was wonderin gif there is anythin gi can do to make him handleable and how i can handle him. he is three months old. soo please help.

[Aaron_S]

Patience is key.

I would leave the snake alone for a week and not bother it. Do you have any hiding places for the snake in the enclosure? Maybe it's stressed out and that is why he's striking constantly. Is it in a very large enclosure? Some idea to the way you're keeping the snake would help us out.

[SerpentLust]

To be honest, there really is no such thing as a "tame" snake. The most you can expect from a reptile is tolerance towards you. Any animal with a mouth is capable of biting especially if it is startled, cornered, scared, hurt, hungry, or feeling defensive. A snake that is unable to flee a situation it feels is threatening has only its teeth left as a defense.

As Aaron stated already, give the little one some time to acclimate to his new surroundings, leave him alone for a week or so, make sure he has plenty of hides (2+) to allow him a sense of security, be patient, and above all, remember, this BP is only 3 months old, if you do get tagged, it's nothing.

Personal Experience: My general rule of thumb with newly purchased BP's differs a bit only because of the ones I have kept. I won't handle my newly obtained young BP unless it has eaten for me reliably 3 times. So 3 weeks of extremely minimal handling. But that's just from some of my personal experiences with more nervous young balls...To me, it's more important that the snake is healthy and feeding as opposed to its handling tolerance.

Good luck

[WingedWolf]

3 months old is very young, as people have said--MANY baby snakes are very defensive and will strike. Be patient, handle gently after the snake is feeding regularly (of course leave a couple days off after a meal before handling), and he will probably calm down within a couple more month. Keep in mind there ARE a very few ball pythons that will not calm down--they are all individuals, and all have their own personalities. If that's his...well, you'll just have to love him for what he is, ornery temperment and all.

[mykee]

For one, if you just got him, stop touching him and let him get used to his new life. Touching him so much will stress him out and you'll never "break him" of his natural instincts to protect himself (Did any of you see the humour in that, or was it lost?...) Keep in mind anything that small sees anything larger than itself as a potential killer. Patience is key.

[Aaron_S]

Nope, never loss Mykee!