coastal help

[dazza74]

hey all i have a 2.5 year old female coastal python and has always been a bit snappy in her cage but when she is out mind you i have to use a hook to get her out she calms down .but recently she is more aggressive and tries to bite all the time.she is about 4 to 4.5 ft long and feeds on medium rats 1 every fortnight .will she settle down again or do i have to work on her again and just cop the bites?any info would be great thanks dazza 74

[dazza74]

come on guys someone must have opinions heaps of you keep coastals

[Pinkenbah]

Hi Dazza
I have come across many snakes that can be snappy in the cages, and good when they are out. I think this is usually attributed to a feeding response (maybe territorial???). Simply put, the only time the cage door opens is when food goes in (but not always the case). I would try feeding the snake in a bin. Handle it as often as you can. To avoid bites, use the hook to get it out and keep moving it (don't grab it, but let it move from hand to hand)... bring your hands up from under its bottom jaw to the neck (not from in front). The more you handle it the quieter it will get... works in theory! Hope that helps a little.

[micko]

Hi there dazza,I have a couple wich were a bit snappy now and then and i found that if i take them outside and let them play around on the grass they are verry well behaved..Its like a split personality .I do this with all my animals on a regular basis and they are all great not snappy.It might sound a bit strange but give it a go.It even settled my jungles down and they used to be absolute devils.Good luck...

[WeLovePythons]

mate do you feed her in her enclosure? how and where do you feed her? I remember when I first got into Herps I made the mistake of feeding my first snake in it's enclosure and it would think that every time I went to the enclosure it would think it was feed time and get real snappy.

[cleopatra2285]

Hi there,
My 4 foot 2yo coastal is snappy in her cage as well, i get her out with welding gloves. When i brought her home at the age of 10 months she was really bad but what i use to do was get her out for a little while then but her back in then get her out and but her back in her cage again. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures and they seem to be fine and not bite me. My 4 foot coastal scares me more than my 6 1/2 foot diamond does. Hope i've been of some assistance. Just be persistant with it and it should calm down. Also sometimes i find stroking her with the gloves on calms her down abit.

Goodluck

[dazza74]

i feed her in her enclosure but i might feed her in a separate tub from now on .my sons coastal is a little bit older and dont have a problem with him and i feed him in his enclosure as well.

[dazza74]

ooops i forgot to say thanx for your opinion

[dazza74]

you were right cleopatra 2285 the gloves worked a treat today when i cleaned her enclosure out not 1 bite