Fiesty snake hungry snake

[biancanbobby]

I have recently purchased a young Childrens Python from a Pet Store about 2 months ago.... I was told it was about 7 months old when I bought it.

When I looked at the snake in the pet shop it seemed calm and did not bite or strike at all but since getting it home it constantly strikes and latches on to my hand (a bit like a pit bull dog would do) and it wees at the same time, everytime. I have tried handling the snake often but that seems to have no affect on its attitude and weeing problem. I dont know what to do about it anymore. Will it grow out of this stage?

I have also had other dramas with the snake..... When I got it home it settled in fine and I fed it the following week with no dramas. The next few feeds it went well. And then it wouldnt eat at all, i tried for hours with the last feed jiggling the mouse infront of the snake but had no luck, so I left the mouse in the tank over night but that didnt work. A few days later I got a new mouse and the snake ate that one after about half an hour of trying to get it to eat. Now I am up to the next feed...... but it has been 2 and a half weeks since it last ate. I just wont eat at all. I have tried every second day for the past 2 weeks to feed it but with no luck. It mouths the food and looks like it is going to eat it then spits it out. I dont understand why it wont eat all a sudden, the tank temperature hasnt changed at all and the snake doesnt seem to be shedding so I really dont know. Can anyone help me with this?

[Lesa]

I'm going to ask the obvious here.... are your temps OK? Does it have lots of hides? Why not try leaving it alone for a couple of weeks letting it get nice and hungry then a good feed and seeing if it relaxes?

[cracksinthepitch]

Was the pet shop feeding the same type of food, maybe its a size issue or even the temp of the food.not too hot to burn the snake not too cool or still partially frozen. Just throwing up ideas here. Hope you get it sorted. Is it a spotted or Childrens?

[dragon lady]

i dont know much about snakes....just like you to know...so anyone can correct me

if your temps are good
hides are good
size of feed & feed temp is right.....

do you have it in a tub...or glass or glass fronted habitat

ive also heard...that if the snakes habitat has any left over "doo-doo"..,it will affect their eating & they tend to be bitey?

[shiregirl]

I feel like i'm stating the obvious here,but it's obviously stressing out, which in turn may lead to other problems.
Leave it alone and just handle to clean the enclosure and given time it will calm down and feed reguarly.

[ex_oh_ex]

my friend had the same problem, her new snake was a very fiesty snake and if someone else was in the room it will continuesly strike, if you hold it a bit more it will mature a little bit and get out of the striking phase

[Armand]

it would be the new environment with heating ect.. oh and btw telling from that pic it looks more like a blonde spotted python than a childrens..

[rage_83]

My maccie use to be bitey like that took ages to calm him down and a set of locks on the doors to stop a friend of a mate i was living with stirring him up. As for the defecation problem he isnt doing it as much at moment but i think thats more to do with the amout he has been eating but i think its just due to a bit of stress. I take it as an indication its time to put him back so yeah. As for stopping it i think just get use to it for the time being.

What I use to do to help calming down also was grab his tail and just let him calm down like that for ages he didnt want a bar of it then he got use to it then after that i moved on to free handling him and he is great now. Has bitten once in last 6 months and that was only because my partners sister was panicing a bit and waving her arms around alot.

Might not be the best way to quiet him down but it worked for me.

[biancanbobby]

My Temps are right.... I am feeding the snake the same as what the shop was feeding it.
I am leaving the mouse to thaw for at least an hour before I try feed the snake aswell.

Another problem I think the snake it have is that it doesnt seem to want to "Kill" the mouse before it actually eats it (although the mouse is already dead). It only half wraps itself around the mouse and doesnt put pressure on the mouse at all and then just starts to swallow it.

I had a Carpet Python before this snake and it never seemed to have any problems. No anger issues and it used to wrapped itself tightly around the mouse for at least 5 - 10 minutes before it would eat and never did it refuse a meal.

[ex_oh_ex]

maybe it just knows that its dead???

[Owzi]

biacanbobby, this year i had a hatchling Spotted Python that was a bit of a trouble feeder to get started. When it finally ate, it did a similar thing your explaining, i just left the thawed mouse near it & it started to eat. No strike, just began swallowing. I see no problem with that, as long as its getting its food!

As for grabbing the mouse but then letting go, i find the Childrens group more picky with whats going on around them than Carpets while feeding. After your snake has the mouse, are you remaining totally still? If its a nervouse snake to begin with & then it sees movement, it will let go.

[Wednesday]

i had a childrens python not too long ago (which unfortunately died of septicaemia) that wouldn't eat...it ate the first few times (2 or 3 i think) but then it just stopped...didn't even take notice of the pinkie..i tried warming it...washing a little bit of the scent off...i made it dance in front of it....i left it in a click-clack overnight..nothing worked... but i recently bought a murray darling hatchie....hasnt missed a feed yet....just smells the mouse....comes out of its cave then takes it straight away......

wow....was that off track.... moral of the story is childrens can be a little bit finicky with their food... perseverance is the key..keep trying...check temps regularly...good luck =D

[biancanbobby]

I have tried "everything" in my eyes to make it eat. I have turned off all lights to see if that makes a difference. Made no sound before and after it eating and still with no luck. Its coming up to its third week now with no food. I have been told that it could be because its pretty much winter now, but I am just worried about my snake getting ill from not eating for so long at such a young age.

[beeman]

can you tell us what you temps are at the hot and cold end of you enclosure

[tezza007]

I would like to know some answers as well. My Macci is doin the same thing. Ate very well for the first 4 months now it wont have a bar of it. hasn't been feed for about 4 weeks now. i tried everything. Temps are about 28-30, clean enclosure, plenty of hides. He has become really stuborn. Looks at it then ***s off. Some suggestions would be good... Cheers yall.