Borneo Short-Tailed Python

laciiejay · 05-24-10, 10:29 PM

So I just got two new Borneo Pythons. I brought them home today, and they seem really aggressive. Every time I try to touch them or get near them they tense up and hiss at me. It's a male and female, and they are both full grown (6 years old.)
Are they mad because of the new environment they're in? Will they ever calm down?
Someone please help. I don't want to have to sell them, but I can't handle aggressiveness all the time.

Any feedback will be appreciated. Please no negative comments.

infernalis · 05-24-10, 11:39 PM

Most any snake will need a settling period when a sudden change of enviroment or location takes place.

I would recommend leaving them alone for at least a few days, then begin interaction gradually.

Hopefully someone with experience keeping this species will chime in at some point.

No need to worry about rude comments here, I am very proud of the kind people that call this forum "home"

Your second post is also moderated, but after that the all will appear on the board as soon as you post them, I check frequently, so even if I miss you tonight, I will validate them in the morning roughly 5 hours from now.

Nafun · 05-25-10, 12:58 AM

Were they wild caught?
If they were wild caught, were they caught as adults?
If they are long term captives, what kind of handling did they have before you got them?
What kind of enclosure do you have them in? (pictures would help)
Are they being housed together? Were they housed together at their previous home?

These things would help us make an estimation of whether and when they might calm down. (Though every snake is different, and there are no absolutes)

Generally speaking, a new environment scares the crap out of snakes. Leave them alone, let them get adjusted, and don't try to handle them until they are eating regularly (except for necessary maintenance, etc). Keep them somewhere quiet, with normal day and night rotations. Make sure they have appropriate sized hides. A hide should be just big enough that one snake can fit completely inside while coiled up. The more walls of the hide that the snake can touch, the calmer it will be.

This being said, some snakes will never calm down, and all snakes need an adjustment period. Snakes are not domesticated, they view humans as a threat (and rightly so!). If you want a snake to handle, it's best to get a young snake of a species that has a reputation for being amiable.

The advice my vet gave me for dealing with aggressive snakes is this.

Wear gloves thick enough to stop a bite (I wear leather gloves) and long sleeves. Keep the snake out of striking range of your face. If you get bit, try not to flinch, don't pull your hand away. The snake has to learn that striking isn't an effective means of scaring you away.

Unfortunately, Borneo pythons have a reputation for being aggressive and down right mean. However, at this point, you shouldn't make any kind of snap judgments about their temperament as any new snake is going to be pissy when put in a new environment.

Lankyrob · 05-25-10, 04:03 AM

Welcome to the forum - cant really add anything to the advice above.

shaunyboy · 05-25-10, 01:07 PM

hello and welcome.i'd leave them a week or two to settle in.or watch them from a place they cant see you and just moniter how they behave.they may be nervous of their new tank and owner.you have to try and install some trust in them.once you see them settled in and they are comfortable in moving around their tank.that would be a good time to start getting used to you handling them.i usually start with little amounts of handling.say 5 minutes at a time every day except the day they eat and 3 days after eating.this allows time for digestion of their meal.once they are happy enough to be handled for 5 minutes i increase handling time to 10 minutes per day.i then go onto 15 minutes per day.usually once their happy to let you handle them for 15 minutes at a time they will be ok with you.when handling make sure you keep to slow hand movements,no sudden moves.also when getting them out their tanks ive found,if you stand around the front of the tank building up courage to go in and get them it just makes them nervous.i find it best if you go right up to the tank allow them to see you approaching then just go right in and take them out.the more you muck around in front of the tank the more nervous and defensive they become.in saying that you dont want to surprize them.i usd to make sure i came into their view about 2 feet away from the tank and as they saw me i only had a couple of steps to take then the tank doors were open and i was getting them out.i wish you well in getting these guys to calm down,they are gorgeous big chunky guys them bloods.

did you ask the guy you bought them off how they were with him ?
also give them plenty of hides in both hot and cold ends.this will make them feel more secure.plenty of fake plants as well might help.
cheers shaun

laciiejay · 05-25-10, 01:45 PM

They were not wild caught. The guy said that he's had them since they were babies. When we got them, they were both being kept in the same quarters (will include picture) but he did give us another container to separate them later on. I tried to pick up the male to move him into the other, and he would not let me get near.

Just a few minutes ago, I did finally manage to get him into a separate container and gave them both water. The male seems more calm than the female. Once I got him into his container, he was moving around more and did not seem as aggressive at all.

I think that maybe the male was feeding off the females fear and anger, so he was reacting the same? I don't know. I could be wrong. Thanks for the help so far!

In the pictures:
I'm just going to keep them in these containers until I finish building them a bigger home. Today I'm going to go buy substrate and a few rats.
Also, sorry the quality isn't so good. Had to use my phone.

Male

Female

marvelfreak · 05-25-10, 03:36 PM

Hello and welcome.

I would give them a good week a least to settle in. I was wondering have you ever own in other snakes? If so what kind and can we see pics? Nice looking snakes BTW. I have a yearling marble borneo. can't wait to see some more pics.

**Aaron_S** · 05-25-10, 09:05 PM

Seriously dude? SERIOUSLY?! You bought snakes and DIDN'T even get substrate? You don't have newspaper laying around! No paper towel?

Dude do some research. First of all these snakes aren't known to be docile. They tend to be very hissy and snap. Secondly, why offer them food right away? You just moved them and they'll be fine without any food. Besides if they are 6 years old you shouldn't feed them anymore than every 14 days. These snakes are VERY lazy and never move so you need to watch how much you feed them. They are impressive ambush predators in the wild. They lay in the leaf litter for long periods of time waiting for food to walk by.

laciiejay · 05-25-10, 09:24 PM

I took those pictures right after I separated them. I put some paper towels in there for now. Also, I have not fed them yet, though they probably should be fed soon. The guy told us he hasn't fed them in a little over a week.

emseeKAY · 05-25-10, 11:16 PM

id still wait till they settle in before offering food, last thing you want is a regurge and an even more stressed out animal.

Will0W783 · 05-26-10, 07:57 AM

Don't try to feed them for at least a week, even possibly two. Whenever you bring a new snake home, it will be stressed and need time to adjust to the new surroundings- sights, smells, textures of the cage and the presence of you. Borneo short-tails and bloods are not known for being tame snakes although they can be. However, especially if they were being kept together before, they are most likely stressed and nervous. Do NOT try to handle them for at least a week. Leave them alone so they can adjust. Then after a week, you can try to feed them if you want and they seem calmer. I would recommend that you purchase a very good strong snake hook because these snakes tend to be territorial and cage-aggressive. Also you will want to keep them on a substrate that holds moisture- they are a swamp species in the wild so they need high humidity or they will get respiratory infections. Buy yourself some nice cypress mulch and put several inches in each cage- the will burrow into it to feel secure. You also don't have a hide for either snake and your water bowls are WAY WAY too small. They need water bowls large enough to soak in. They will soak.. a lot. Do some research on this species. They are impressive and rewarding to keep but they will be nothing but headache if you do not correct your husbandry. Best of luck.