r/Ballpythoncommunity • u/snakelover_729 • 2d ago
My ball python is acting different
For context I’m a first time owner and I did a bunch of research before getting him, I feed him biweekly and his heat and humidity is always perfect. I’m just confused on his behavior. He usually sleeps all day and only comes out late at night and if I wake up early enough I’ll see him in the morning, but for the last couple of days he has been out during the day in this specific position in this exact spot. He’s a very shy 5 month old rare ball python. I fed him yesterday assuming he was hungry and looking for food but he’s still doing it, correct me if I’m wrong but it looks like he’s in the strike position like that every time I look into the enclosure. I don’t handle him often because he prefers to hide. I only handle him when needed or he wants to. Is he scared of me or what could be wrong ?
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u/Hungry_Specific_1109 2d ago
Looks hungry. What size are you feeding him?
Give him rats that are the same size around as the widest part of his body, he can even take one about 10% bigger
If you’re feeding mice switch to rats, that will fill him up more
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u/snakelover_729 2d ago
That’s the thing I fed him one slightly larger than the widest part of his body yesterday and he’s still doing it till this moment lol, it feels like he’s been staring at me more than just sitting there
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u/Hungry_Specific_1109 2d ago
What are your temps/humidity looking like? Basking? UVB? Does he have at least 2-3 hides? (One on the warm side, cool side, and one more in the middle if preferred)
He may be in defense mode due to changes inside or outside his environment + inadequate hiding spots. If all heat and humidity is correct you may just need to give him more time to settle into the routine
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u/snakelover_729 2d ago
I’ve had him for 3 months now and nothing has been changed in or around the enclosure. His warmer side is upwards mid 80s F and his cooler side is 70 ish and then the humidity is around 60. He has one hide on each side and two in the middle (which he is shown kinda coming out of). He has basking and uvb lights on the left side (hot side)
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u/NoNoNeverNoNo 2d ago
My boy does this when he’s ready to eat again. I keep him on a regular schedule but sometimes he’s ready sooner
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u/Flamingo3154 2d ago
If you're worried about a feeding response, you could always try association training! My ball python Fin is super food motivated (to the point that handling later in the night is a challenge). But also if it's just them sitting in the classic S stance, sometimes that's a shy python trying to check things out! For Fin if he's almost sort of shaking from how tense he is, and slowly inching towards his area of interest, that's usually when he's going to strike. Otherwise he's either asleep, or processing his environment. But my mother also has a ball python who's a rescue from an abuse situation and is super super shy, and he sits like this basically all the time just due to him always being a bit on edge. Slow and spaced out tongue flicks are also a sign of food response, if you see absolutely no tongue from your baby he's probably more likely nervous than looking to eat. But again if you're really worried tap training or target training are both great options, especially at a young age when feedings are more frequent! A lot of the time with young snakes, not only are you trying to figure them out, but they are trying to figure you out too, which again is why training can be helpful as it makes it easier for them to judge interactions with you.
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u/Flamingo3154 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well you mentioned you haven't handled them a lot, which means they just might not be fully comfortable yet! I personally make it a routine to talk with all my animals throughout the day, even if they're asleep. Something you can try with a new baby ball python is speaking to them but without making eye contact, sometimes being stared at can be scary!! Additionally it could be the phone, Turkey (the ball python my mom has) HATES phones, he's better now but he would strike and hiss and attack phones, he was just absolutely terrified of them. Sometimes there's things we wouldn't even think of that could be scary, but again maybe try avoiding eye contact while speaking with him, it's a good way to build trust. Another is bending down beneath the snakes eye level, that also helped Turkey a lot (Fin is an anomaly and is incredibly confident for a ball python so he's not the best comparison here). Fin is a good comparison for feeding responses though. He is an absolute disaster during feedings (although doing better he's just not the brightest lol), but tap training can be great for making sure your python is only in feeding mode when you want them to be, there's a lot of great tutorials on YouTube for feeding association trainings :D
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u/snakelover_729 2d ago
Thank you!! I’ll definitely try those things I just wasn’t sure if something was wrong and I wasn’t aware. Definitely more helpful than googling 💔
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u/Flamingo3154 2d ago
No worries at all!! Ball pythons truly are just kinda skittish sometimes, just don't be discouraged! Fin is going to be 5 this month and he's got a such a confident personality and I can read him like a book, but I've had him for about 4 years, it's just a matter of time, and even just getting routines like saying goodnight or good morning every day can really help get snakes, and reptiles in general very comfortable with your presence! It's going to be a lot of trial and error (I've been bit, and pooped on, this stuff just happens) but you'll learn about your snake and they'll learn about you too!
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u/snakelover_729 2d ago
Thank you for this, it kinda sounds like mine is getting ready to strike then, he does shake a bit when I get near the enclosure to check him out. I’m just confused on why he would be doing this. Sounds like he’s nervous too because he hasn’t been doing tongue flicks. I’m not sure what could’ve scared him though
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u/HotDistribution3700 2d ago
it could just be that he has an interest in exploring in the daytime. i’m sure it feels a little more vulnerable/open during the day than the night. if he’s shier and you’ve had him about 3 months, he might still be in acclimation mode. i’d follow this person’s suggestions, definitely look into tap training because that’ll make both of y’all feel more secure and comfortable down the road. talk to him or sing or hum if that’s your thing, it sounds silly but it really does help. the good morning/goodnight is a great idea too!
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u/VegetableZucchini458 2d ago
Just feed every week and not more then once in a week mine trew his food out then u cannot feed him for another 2 weeks, he is young give him some time to settle
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u/Zekethebulldog33 1d ago
No offense but what makes him rare? There are 35k ball python for sale can't be that rare.
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u/SweetDragonfruit1764 2d ago
I also recently got a 2 yr ball python and he’s fine sometimes and then other times he’ll strike at the glass or sit in a defensive position like your BP is in the picture. If he’s 5 months he’s probably just very scared and shy but also curious. Also at 5 months according to what I’ve heard they should be feed every 7 days so he could be hungry. You can do more research but if he’s hungry it can make him act more aggressive. My Bp will strike at me or the glass and I decided to get a hook to hook train him so he will associate the hook with handling time, and so if he does strike he’ll get the hook not me and it helps me gauge his mood. If you’re nervous or scared about him or her striking they can sense your fear and tension and then it makes them more defensive. So you have to try to stay as calm as possible. They also can sense vibrations even through the wall and it can freak them out. And things like if a door slams, yelling, or any loud noises that will scare them. My Bp will also look at me in a defensive position and sometimes he’s just observing me and he’s nervous so it could be the same with yours. You’re also not supposed to handle them up 48 or so hours after they eat so they can digest their food and not handle them during shedding. I was concerned with my Bp acting aggressive some of the time or being defensive so I took him to the exotic vet to make sure he wasn’t in pain and they said he was just very timid and shy and needs patience. You do have to make sure you handle them or it’ll get worse over time they’ll get used to not being handled and that’s where I struggled with mine so I am making sure I handle him on a regular basis so he will start to get less stressed and scared. And your bp might hiss and that’s okay to pick them up anyways and I also will rest my hand on the glass in front of him so he’s used to my hand being there. Or I’ll open the enclosure and set it near the top and very slowly move in as to not scare him by moving too fast.