On 12/19/08 19:09, Kellie asked the following question:
HI there. My son was bitten by his ball python last week while feeding. (my son's fault). This week when we fed him, the snake seemed to be a lot more interested in him than the mouse. The mice are frozen and my son(age 15), usually dangles the thawed out mouse in front of the snake. This week, the snake bypassed the mouse and went after my son instead. He struck at his leg while he walked to the other side of the cage and was trying to follow where he went. We were surprised and don't know what could cause that. Please advise. Thanks for your time.
Answer #1 On 01/26/09 20:49, Nikki Konna from San Francisco, CA answered:
It sounds to me like he may feel like your son is also food. You say that he bit at his leg the second time. Is the snake in a cage, or does he roam free. He may be feeling territorial if your son is in the place where he eats. He may just associate your son with food if he is the one who always feeds him, or he may just be feeling feisty.
Ball pythons are not typically aggressive and they don't just become so for no reason. Try to establish a routine where you feed him the same way every time you do it. Also, do not stop handling him if you can help it. Otherwise, just let him cool down and pay close attention to his behavior for any other changes.
He may be sick or injured which could be why he is acting out.
