overly aggressive python

[jessjary]

I am having a lot of problems with my Children's python Diablo.

he was born in december 2010, I bought him from petbarn nerang on the 30th july and he was so placid at the pet shop that i fell in love and brought him home, he was great all night and the next morning he seemed ok, since that morning, every time i go to touch him, he bites me.

I know he is perfectly well fed so that isn't the issue, I'm in his tank every day to clean his water and check for deposits, but for some reason when he notices I'm in there he just goes berserk and strikes at me over and over until I pull my hand out.

I'm having an internal debate as to why his behaviour has soured since bringing him home.

1: he has a heat mat and great lighting now so he is up to temperature and able to move a lot more.
2: he has a substantial feed (with tongs) in a separate tank every fortnight so he is snappy because of the lump in his tummy.
3: he just plain hates me.
4: he can sense the fear when I know he about to strike at me.
5: He wasn't handled enough at the pet shop and finds me way too threatening.
6: his enclosure is way too big and he has plenty of hiding spots and as such feels the need to defend his area??.
7: his enclosure doesn't have ground level entry so when I open the tank I always have to come in the tank from front on but above him so he attacks me because I am considered a predatory threat.

Can anyone help me with what you may think could be wrong? should I just persist with putting my hand in and hold him even if he bites me over and over? can I wear gloves and will his teeth penetrate them? if anyone has ideas for types of gloves where I won't get hurt that'd be great.

 

[Skelhorn]

This happens sooo regulary. Snakes go through stages, My stimsons have just become alive again after winter....I don't go putting my hand in their tank cause they get too excited! Gloves won't be penetrated by a Childrens python so if you need to resort to that then thats fine, just be careful his teeth don't get caught cause then if that happens and they get ripped out it could be an expensive Vet trip!

Firstly you have good points above.

Temperature, tank size, smells, could all be contributing to his behaviours. From experience and the experience of others I recommend the following (just as a guide to try):
1: Leave him alone. Cover his tank up for 2-3 days so that he can't see the outside world and leave the light off.
2: use a hook to get him out, then persist and hold him gentle, let him move-you are just there to support him
3: try feeding him every 5 days (if he is small-as most I have seen from pet stores are) as he might be requiring more food. What are you feeding him? At that age he should be on a decent meal. My stimsons which are coming up to two years in 4 months eat Fuzzie-Hopper Rats. Nail them and then occasionally look for more.
4:Check your temps. Check your heat mate etc etc. I and a lot of people on here usually put a tile (flooring tile) over the heat mate as it helps to disperse heat evenly and makes it more comfortable for the snake.
5: Tank size could be a issue regardless of hides. What size is your tank. A click clack might be an idea for a couple of months until he increases in size
6: Suck it up, he bites-Take it like a women But that option is probably not as enjoyable/effective as the above!

Good luck and try a few of the above. Personally I would try the food option first!

Good luck

 

[sharky]

^^^^^^^+1^^^^^^^

My advice: he's settling in. Minimual handling (I know its hard!) and just let him settle in, He's getting used to new scents and everything, so my advice just let him be

Congrats btw!!!!!

 

[jessjary]

he eats fuzzies now once a fortnight(first one was on monday) because i had him on two pinky rats a week because even that was a step up from the one pinky mouse a fortnight he was getting from the petshop and i wanted to get him used to bigger prey gradually. he has grown 10cm in length and about 2cm in girth since I got him home. my enclosure is the rainforest habitat from exo terra which is over 40cm wide as well as deep and almost 70cm tall.
he has all the room in the world to move around because he hates his clik clak. I'm using a 7w heat pad and loads of paper towel and straw above it to give him the hiding in the barn kinda feeling and its easier to clean up after him and no heat lighting but just a uvb bulb so he gets good digestion.

I love him to bits but he is such a bastard sometimes lol.

the first time he bit me when he got home, 3 of his teeth got pretty deep for a small snake and the rest just felt like velcro.

I reckon the reason I'm still scared is because I know he will bite me.

thanks very much for your input, I appreciate that its all trial and error but I just wanna be able to hold him and introduce him to my 4 month old daughter because she loves our dragons and I dont want her to be scared of diablo as he grows.

 

[Skelhorn]

From what you have said I agree that the first option (cover him up and leave him be) or meal size is ago. Try feeding him once every 7 days. Mine eat every 7 days when its warm without any issues. A fuzzie rat is a good size so keep that up.

Also get him out and about. I always take mine onto the front lawn for about 15 minutes each at least once a week...an excellent tip! Do this after they feed at the approx 4-5 day mark....if your lucky they will leave a present on the grass and not in the tank

Again...just be patient, he went from living in a chinese container (most probably) to a vast wonderful paradise which in turn has scared the living S*%& out of him. Give him time, Don't handle him for a couple of days. Continue feeding him out of his enclosure and good luck.

By any change want to post a picture up on the set up ?

 

[Ralphee]

I had a friend come over the other day, i had Bitey out at the time, nice and calm, as soon as she came near him, he freaked! She didnt approach fast or 'wrong' so i didnt understand why.
About 20 min later i thought i would try again, more to work out why, so i opened the enclosure with her already nearby and he started climbing the walls to get away, so I quickly closed the glass and left him alone.
A few hours later i opened the enclosure by myself and he was fine, picked him up and he handled fine, asked her to come closure (while keeping my hands near enought to the enclosure for him to 'run' if he wanted too) and she approached exactly the same as the first time and no reaction at all, he watched her, but didnt flinch.
Took me a while but i think i worked it out - Perfume.
She had taken a shower before approaching the last time and wasnt wearing any perfume now!

Could be coincidental, but maybe the strange smell caused a fight/flight response? Is there any strong smell around? Are you wearing something different? - More experienced people jump in here if i am way off
Mind you i do call my Coastal Carpet 'Bitey' for a reason, but he has calmed down alot in the last couple weeks

 

[Skelhorn]

Could be coincidental, but maybe the strange smell caused a fight/flight response? Is there any strong smell around? Are you wearing something different? - More experienced people jump in here if i am way off
Mind you i do call my Coastal Carpet 'Bitey' for a reason, but he has calmed down alot in the last couple weeks

Smell is a factor. What I have done and lot of others is put a peice of clothing that you have been wearing in their enclosure, that way they get used to your scent....preferably not your knickers tho Maybe a shirt or something

 

[jessjary]

View attachment 264372thats his enclosure setup.. his other pics are on my profile

 

[Chris1]

I'm having an internal debate as to why his behaviour has soured since bringing him home.

is it possible that the heating at the petshop wasnt adequate, now that hes warm and alert, hes now himself?

i picked a darwin up from the airport a few months ago, i was so pleasantly surprised by his placid temperament, no striking even after what he probably would have considered a harrowing trip in a dark box,... a couple of days later i went to change his water and realised that when hes warm hes the spawn of satan,....!!

ive been thinking of trying those latex oven mitts on my evil female bredli, something im hoping she wont penetrate, but wont get her teeth caught on, that could be an idea till you work out whats going on with ur childrens,....

 

[Skelhorn]

View attachment 264372thats his enclosure setup.. his other pics are on my profile

Will check out your profile as that didn't work

View attachment 264372thats his enclosure setup.. his other pics are on my profile

Will check out your profile as that didn't work

- - - Updated - - -

Very nice enclosure, its a decent size but I personally don't reckon its too large. Try upping the food and leaving him be for a while

 

[jessjary]

the pet shop practically starves and deprives their pythons. its sad and cruel. they're all cold, no light, no heat and in tiny boxes, fed one pinky mouse a fortnight when it should be a fuzzie or hopper rat! diablo was way too calm and now that he is in his own enclosure, he has changed I will try the food increase and the clothing and see if that works. I know that since he gets up to temperature every day he gets ridiculously aggressive, but I take him out and put him in a clik clak to feed so he can distinguish between handling and feeding.

ill also try covering the tank and leaving him alone. then try handling him again.

Thanks everyone

the pet shop practically starves and deprives their pythons. its sad and cruel. they're all cold, no light, no heat and in tiny boxes, fed one pinky mouse a fortnight when it should be a fuzzie or hopper rat! diablo was way too calm and now that he is in his own enclosure, he has changed I will try the food increase and the clothing and see if that works. I know that since he gets up to temperature every day he gets ridiculously aggressive, but I take him out and put him in a clik clak to feed so he can distinguish between handling and feeding.

ill also try covering the tank and leaving him alone. then try handling him again.

Thanks everyone

- - - Updated - - -

I posted that pic in my album of the tank from the front so now you can see it if you want to

 

[Raymonde]

I like the look of your setup, from the photos it looks good

I was thinking that maybe he is biting because he is stressed out because it looks like his enclosure is in a high traffic area of your house. If his enclosure is somewhere where people are always walking past (and making the floor vibrate..?) it might be worth seeing if moving his enclosure to a quite area of the house and covering the enclosure might improve his behaviour (if possible).
I have also heard that young snakes can be a bit bitey but that some do grow out of it as they get bigger.

In regards to his food intake, he should be getting a mouse or rat which is about 15-20% of his body weight, regardless of how old he is. So unless we know his weight, i don't really think any of us can tell you what he "should" be eating. You said that he has grown 10cm since July(?) which to me says that even if he was a little hungry you are probably doing an ok job at giving him an appropriate amount of food.

Like i said on the other thread, i would try to get him used to being handled in small doses, but not putting him back straight after he bites (so biting does NOT equal being returned to enclosure), maybe wearing gloves if the bites bother you. Try and pick him up and hold him in ways that are not too stressful, as in just supporting his body, not grasping or restraining. One thing i have been trying with my snakes is just open the enclosure when the snake is exploring anyway and let them come out at their own accord while sitting in front of the entrance so coming out will mean coming in contact with me (never leaving them unattended). And i also start by just touching them mid body, not picking up, just stroking, to get them used to contact.

I was wondering does Diablo only bite while in the cage (as in, he is cage defensive) or does he bite while you pick him up out of the cage AND while you hold him outside the cage?

 

[timmit]

Hey there we bought a spotted from petbarn nerang aswell that was born in dec 2010 and he was also quite tane at the pet shop and the got agro when he got home we found that 5-10 minutes a day was good he came out of his agroness in about a month or so we have a pretty set time with feed and that and he is now so tame i woudnt even hesitate to give him to a 1 year old to handle he is a dream just be persinstant insted of maybe putting your hand infront of gis face just put it on his u.der belly just behind his head and keep this going i have recently got a bredli hatchy and this method i spose you call it is working so just be paitent and a.few bites here and there cone with tami.g but once tane welxone to a pretty kewl pet that will be awesome

 

[Cockney_Red]

Diablo!

 

[disintegratus]

Perhaps try blacking out all but the front of his enclosure, that way he won't feel so exposed when he's out and about. I second putting some of your clothing in there with him too, to help him get used to your scent.

 

[ArgentinoAussie]

Omg I have a jungle named Diablo, aka Devil in Spanish, just thought I'd share that, no reason really.

 

[Darlyn]

Maybe he doesn't like you?

 

[Tobe404]

Maybe he doesn't like his name. Kinda like Satan from BHB. Lol.

 

[rissatimmy]

the pet shop practically starves and deprives their pythons. its sad and cruel. they're all cold, no light, no heat and in tiny boxes, fed one pinky mouse a fortnight when it should be a fuzzie or hopper rat! diablo was way too calm and now that he is in his own enclosure, he has changed I will try the food increase and the clothing and see if that works. I know that since he gets up to temperature every day he gets ridiculously aggressive, but I take him out and put him in a clik clak to feed so he can distinguish between handling and feeding.

when i got mine from there, all he wanted was a piece of me,
they have them on a 'starvation diet' to stop them growing. Its good to see that you have upped his feed,
i remember when i first got my snake from there i was so excited showed everyone pics exct.. until someone pulled me up and said 'oh thats i nice hatchy.' and i just kinda when huh his a yearling... very very under fed little snaked there.
but any one will tell you never buy from a pet shop, as i learnt the hard way..
get a pair of cotton gloves and just pick him up try not to pull back if you see him about to strike..
this was very hard for me to do so i learnt to put my hand in and turn away so i didn't know when it was coming ,
then gradually introduce him to skin.
people say put a sock or an item of clothing so they get used to your smell.

i would just give him a big feed let him chill out for a week and then start all over again (thats what i did)

 

[jessjary]

he is just always agro doesnt matter where he is or what he is near, how long I spend time with him. I'm sure he will eventually grow out of it with persistence but if not, I'll still love him and care for him all the same a snake is a 30 yr responsibility and I am going to see it through because he is a great python. just moody. anyone would think he is a girl haha