Posted: 8/30/2008 4:08:47 AM EDT
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So, similar to Ldyrogue's thread I had my 10year old boy want a hamster or gerbil. I told him no due to I think it will smell and I don't want my dogs to get a hold of it. He tells me he wants a snake and I say that's fine. We do a little bit of reading online and we end up buying a 2' Boa from the pet store. The snake was friendly to handle and all was well. After having him for a week the Boa bit my son on the face, right around his mouth. My son was a little upset but he said it didn't hurt too bad mostly just scared him. We each handled the snake everyday we had him and the snake never seemed scared or appeared to be aggressive. I tried to take him out of the tank after the incident and he struck at me then began to strike the glass. We took him back to the pet store and exchanged him for a baby Ball Python. The reptile guy at the pet store tried to handle the Boa when we brought him back and it struck at him as well. I read online that when you bring a new snake into your home you should leave him alone for a week or two. So I did that figuring maybe the Boa we had wasn't adjusted to our home. Long story short, the baby is hisses at me and strikes when I try to take him out. I want to know what the hell I am doing wrong to these snakes because these snakes were fine to handle in the pet store but once we get them here they seem to be a little scared/aggressive. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks |
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Ball pythons make great pets. They are extremely gentle and forgiving. I understand boas can be a bit unpredictable. Make sure your python has a warm spot he can go to whenever he wants, plenty of water and only offer him live food. I had a 4-1/2 footer that roamed freely in my apartment. His food dish was a 25 gallon aquarium into which a rat or gerbil would occasionally be deposited. This worked much better than keeping him in an enclosure and throwing rodents in. If the snake isn't ready to eat, a rodent running around can injure or kill him. And letting the snake come to the dinner allows him to hunt in a more natural way. Mine had just a few spots in the apartment he would hang out, so he was always easy to find. He also had a favorite poop spot in the closet, so I just kept paper there and cleaned it up as necessary. Python poop is relatively stink-free and a breeze to clean up. That free-ranging setup isn't for everyone, of course. The biggest problem I had was early on trying to keep him properly hydrated. A big pan of water that he could slither in & out of helped. A sign of a healthy snake is the shed cycle. If they're not shedding periodically, they're not growing. And if they're not well hydrated, they'll have a difficult time shedding. Don't keep him too confined, let him choose his temperature, give him an ample supply of fresh, clean water (a large, shallow pan or pond) and let him eat when he wants. He'll be a happy snake and will reward you and your son with lots of reptilian affection. 
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| I took the snake back today and explained to him the problem I was having. I asked the reptile guy if the dogs were the problem and in his opinion they were not an issue. He wants to keep the snake for two weeks to check him out. It looks like I will go pick him back up in two weeks and see how I make out then. Thanks for the replies. |
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First off, go to www.ball-pythons.net, and read. Babies can be nippy. None of my 3 are, but its not unheard of. Proper housing is key. Aquariums suck. Glass aquariums are for the benefit of the owner, not the animal. They are hard to heat, and even harder to hydrate. BP's need to feel secure, tall glass houses do not achieve this. These animals live underground in the wild.  Here is one of mine, in a sterlite tub, with plastic pots from walmart to hide in, on aspen bedding. NEVER use pine or cedar, its oils are toxic to reptiles. Heat comes from flexwatt heat tape that is secured to the bottom of the tub with aluminum tape, and regulated with a helix thermostat. Since thermostat was pricey, my housing costs are pretty high, but a rheostat (dimmer switch) can be used to regulate your heating element also. Altogether, for my three snakes, I've spent probably $200 total on housing. Not bad, considering how much glass aquariums cost, and $140 of that was just the thermostat. Here is my big girl, on a cavarms AR for scale. Crappy lighting, and cell phone, but you get the idea. She is about 3/4 of her adult breeder size.  |
| alot of times a change in temperature can make these things aggressive.I have several of these snakes and all of mine are very docile.Make sure the temps are good give the snake time to adjust to the slight temp chnge between your house and the pet store.Also if the snake hisses dont pick him up,thats his way of saying "not right now".also dont feed him in the tank where he lives.take him and put him in another tank to feed him this way he doesnt confuse you trying to pick him up with you dropping a rat in to feed him.These snakes make great pets and are really alot of fun once they get use to you. |
| Drew, I like the set up you have there. I go back to the pet store today to pick him back up and I think I want to set up something like you have. I am guessing you keep a lid on that container with plenty of holes in it. The guy at the pet store said he has been hissing at him alot but hasn't struck at him. Thanks for the help. |
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I've kept half a dozen Ball Pythons and none has ever hissed or struck at me. I've never even seen the slightest hint of aggression out of any of them even when they're babies. Make sure they have a hide box or two right from the start and leave them alone for a week when you bring them home. |
I have kept ball pythons, burmese pythons and boa constrictors in the past. I would have to say the ball pythons are the easiest to manage. The males are smaller than the females, even so the females that I had kept seem to stay under the 5ft range. They also have a mild temper. I was bitten once by one of my ball pythons only because I had just cleaned out the mice cage then stuck my hand in the snake cage to change its water. I currently have started keeping Tree Boas, which tend to be nippy at times. 
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My experience with constrictors has shown they will usually strike when startled or if they catch a scent of prey and go in to feeding mode. If they smell a mouse, any moving object withing striking distance is fair game.
Snake bites from constrictors can result in severe lacerations damaging tendons and/or nerves. A strike in the face is undesirable for obvious reasons. When handling snakes, the upper 1/3 of the body should be controlled so as to prevent striking. The larger the snake, the more caution should be exercised, particularly around children and strangers. My father once owned an adult Burmese Python (ten foot plus) that mistakenly struck him during feeding. It coiled and began to swallow his arm. Fortunately he knew not to struggle as this only stimulates the snakes natural tendency to constrict its prey. The python eventually realized it was not eating "food" and backed off. |
Adult ball pythons are the pussycat of the reptile world. They're extremely docile and forgiving. Their teeth are very small too -- not much use for anything except keeping a rat from backing its way out. Babies can be a little bit nippy. I've never heard of anyone getting hurt by a ball python. |
I miss my snakes  I started with Ball Pythons, they never struck at me. Of the two I had, one was pretty mellow, the other definitely had personality. Striking is pretty rare with this species. Your original post stated that you bought a 2' Boa. Is that a typo? Because I raised a baby redtail that coincidentally started getting a bit irritable at about that size. I sold her and bought a 7' Amethystine Python, one of the most beautiful constrictors IMO, but talk about a handfull  |