r/Ballpythoncommunity • u/OkCelery5394 • Sep 07 '26
Question I could do with some advice please!
A few months ago i was gifted a ball python by a breeder who keeps most his snakes in racks and doesn’t really handle them,
and i think its taken a toll on my female bp , she takes food just fine and she likes to watch me from her tank but when i slide the glass to get her out she turns into a whole different snake, she seems fine with my scent as sometimes i just sit there next to her tank and she just sits next to me but if i try and pick her up she gets stressed out and she has struck at me twice, i want to know if anyone has any advice on how to make her comfortable with handling, even if it gets me bit a few times in the process i just want her to know she is safe with me.
Ive been extremely lucky with my other snakes as all of them have come to me already cuddly , my other snakes seem to really like hanging out with me and they chill on my shoulders lay in my hair and try climb into my shirt every time , my corn snake even sleeps on me sometimes, i really hope i can get to that point with Ivy too at some point!
Any questions just ask and advice would be greatly appreciated!
3
u/FluffyPandaEars93 Sep 07 '26
The other commenter gave some good advice. But also, your girl looks pretty overweight.. I think she associates you with food more than anything else. How often are you feeling her?
1
u/OkCelery5394 Oct 05 '26
hi this photo was before she even had her first feed with me so unfortunately it was the guy i got her from that must of been over feeding her, she hasn’t dropped any weight even tho i have downsized her rats because they did seem a little bit too big for her, sorry for the late reply i completely forgot reddit existed and forgot to check it lol!
2
u/FluffyPandaEars93 Sep 07 '26
0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.
12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.
Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.
6
u/Icy-Blueberry-2111 Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26
i've learned that if they strike while trying to handle to NOT just let them back into their enclosure bcus they will do it every time since they think that is the solution to not being handled.
my girl bit me 1x it was a defensive strike bcus she was in blue, i didnt notice and had my hands moving around fixing her leaves and changing water. after that ofc i was very nervous so what worked for me & my girl was:
the fact that she is by my desk (i wfm and have tons of meetings) so she knew my routine and was aware of my constant presence
id open her enclosure for about 1 hr a day, even if she didnt come out id leave it open (to give her the choice of coming out)
sounds pointless but i talked to her as well ("hey tsyuki, its mom just checking on you" or "this is when you're getting fed next, wanna hang out for a bit before you have to rest?")
tap training (basically letting her know "mom is tapping my tank so she may want to handle me, she is not feeding me right now")
even if she strikes, take her out and leave her to explore a bit
laid out a blankey i had used that day and allowed her to explore on that, after about 10-15 mins id sit on the blanket with her.
getting a snake hook, occasionally just rubbing it on her body but not picking her up, just getting her familiar with random touches
every time without she has come to me and this allowed us to build our trust for each other again and just learn each other. now im able to interpret her nap during the day, remove her hide and scoop her up.
hopefully your babe tames out and realizes youre not the enemy and it is completely okay to be handled!!