Nippy Ball Python?

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the asian
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Mar 29, 2005
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I just got a trio of ball pythons, and I've got a question.

From what I understand, Balls are very timid and just about never bites... in fact, I've never heard of a Ball that bites.

Two of the trio has attempted to bite me, a few times. I know how to read the body language so I didn't get tagged... yet. But these two are also shedding.

Is it because they're shedding that cause them to be nippy?

Also, maybe they're just striking without opening their mouths? I can't tell the difference?

The one that hasn't tried to bite me is already eating and it's a very friendly active snake. Just how I like it. :D
 
Any snake can be nippy, how old are they? Young ones tend to be more nippy if they haven't been worked with, and yes a lack of visibility during a shed can cause snakes to be a little more defensive. Sometimes if snakes haven't been worked with much they can get aggressive if they are 'spooked' by the way you take them out of the cage. Try different ways of letting the snake be well aware of your presence BEFORE you reach in the cage to take it out. I had a baby blood python that was psychotic when I first got it but i would touch it's outside coil on the side away from the direction it was facing, with a snake hook, to let it know I was going to pick it up. Once it was accustomed to this it was really tame within two weeks. Good luck!
 
Rass;3128305; said:
Any snake can be nippy, how old are they? Young ones tend to be more nippy if they haven't been worked with, and yes a lack of visibility during a shed can cause snakes to be a little more defensive. Sometimes if snakes haven't been worked with much they can get aggressive if they are 'spooked' by the way you take them out of the cage. Try different ways of letting the snake be well aware of your presence BEFORE you reach in the cage to take it out. I had a baby blood python that was psychotic when I first got it but i would touch it's outside coil on the side away from the direction it was facing, with a snake hook, to let it know I was going to pick it up. Once it was accustomed to this it was really tame within two weeks. Good luck!
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Agreed, also should ask the person from where you got them if they were fed in the enclosure?
 
I think one of them tried to bite because it was shedding, because the eyes were not very clear.

The other one was almost done shedding, and I probably just spooked the animal... after all I just got them today.

Thanks for the response and suggestions.
 
Yes sometimes just the move to a new enclosure can piss an animal off for a while. I just got a new children's python that I held a couple times before I bought it and it was as tame as could be. The day after I took it home it was all kinds of pissed off in fact it bit my glove about four times LOL. This is day three though and I held it with no gloves, with no issues.
 
When i worked at a pet store maybe 1 out of every 20-30 was nippy. Perfectly healthy and eating, would probably calm down fast too.
 
are they 09' hatchlings? regulars? or do you have any morphs.

baby snakes are always a little jumpy, they are more scared of you usually.
 
these are yearlings, not exactly young.

they're probably cranky from the relocation.... I'm just being very impatient I guess.

we'll see, if they keep it up then I might have to really get the gloves.
 
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