Dealing with an angry juvenile Bredli

[n3xia]

I bought an 8 month old male Bredli/Centralian Carpet python last Saturday and he has been pretty aggressive. I regret it a little now, but I was pushed for time when the breeder came around to let me handle the snake so I rushed the buying process a little and didn't spend as much time handling as I probably should have.

He seemed fairly friendly, inquisitive etc when I handled him. The seller mentioned he was a bit 'territorial' about his enclosure but that once he was out, he was fairly friendly. He was the last of the batch to be sold, apparently because he and another snake from the batch were hard to get feeding regularly, but I'm starting to think maybe it was because of his temperament. He didn't bite the seller when she got him out of his enclosure and he didn't bite me until about half an hour after the seller left.

I put a pair of rigger's gloves and a long sleeve shirt on tonight to handle him. He bit my gloves about 10-12 times in the space of about 5 minutes. I didn't handle him for long because he was very active and I didn't want him to get inside the short and roomy gloves and bite me. He was fed about 4 days ago.

I'm not sure if this is normal or not though, because I've only handled carpet pythons a few times in the past. I've read that juveniles can be snappy until they are used to being handled, and I've also heard about the reputation carpets have for being aggressive. I have a 2 year old children's python too, so this is a bit of a jump for me.

Is it wise to handle him this way every day or two until he settles down a bit? I really don't want a 3m aggressive snake. I'm concerned about him losing teeth in the gloves too :/

 

[Asharee133]

let him settle for a week or so?

 

[tenacres1100]

as Asharee133 said leave it alone for a week or so then feed it, wait another 2-3days then try handling again. In saying that most young pythons will strike, it's how they survive, but it will settle down with time and careful handling.
What are you housing it in??

 

[Simple]

Don't want to put you off, but some hatchlings do not settle down no matter how much you handle them. Maybe on selling it and looking for something else might be a good idea. Most breeders will know if a snake is appropriate for a first time owner or not.

 

[n3xia]

as Asharee133 said leave it alone for a week or so then feed it, wait another 2-3days then try handling again. In saying that most young pythons will strike, it's how they survive, but it will settle down with time and careful handling.
What are you housing it in??

I have him in an Exo Terra PT2602.

Don't want to put you off, but some hatchlings do not settle down no matter how much you handle them. Maybe on selling it and looking for something else might be a good idea. Most breeders will know if a snake is appropriate for a first time owner or not.

I was thinking I should wait till he gets bigger before I sell him..? Because if it is just a hatchling phase, I don't want to have wasted my money. Nobody wants to buy an aggressive adult though :/

 

[craig.a.c]

Just give it time to settle in. Don't handle it for a few unless you absolutley have to. It is aggressive because it is in new surroundings, smells and may feel a little threatened. In a few weeks, handle it for about 20mins a week so it gets used to you smell, in time it will realise you are not a threat.

 

[Brown_Hair]

i agree with simple regarding that some snakes will never settle down however not with on-selling it. As mentioned let it settle down for a couple of weeks, let it get compftable with the new environment and then carefully extract the snake (makeing shure you have washed your hands to get rid of odors that may have been present). Once it is in your hands and knows you are no danger it should be sweet to handle.

However tho it will still take time (weeks, months or years) for the snake to get used to you and been handled. Dont give up just yet!

 

[JAS101]

as others have said : let it settle in before trying to handle it . if your worried aboutthe snake loosing teeth because of the gloves , then take the glove OFF .

 

[Brown_Hair]

Gloves!?! Problem with those aswell is you may not realise how much pressure your using on the snake. The striking may be because it doesnt like the feel of them...

 

[whcasual79]

don't stress mate ... i had the same dilemma with my jungle i got bout 5 weeks ago... he's bout 2 yrs old... and bit me 3x when i put my hand in there to get him...he would hiss, get jumpy and try bite me as much as he can... i got a hook the next day and started handling him everyday for 10-15mins... for the first 3-4 days he was really jumpy and tried biting my face ... now 4 weeks later, he just slithers on me and sits near my face ... doesnt even seem flighty anymore... just a bit of time, with a decent dosage of patience should pay off fella...

keep the gloves off and invest in a hook ... works wonders...

 

[redbellybite]

I agree with gloves off ..never wear them ..not good to handle with gloves...as far as your snake goes as what others have said ,let it settle down and see how it rides out over the next few weeks before attempting to handle again .
.BUT in all seriousness, if this snakes turns out to still be a challenging one, and you feel its not right for you.
,then sell him ,would much rather see it move on to a new home and get all of its needs ,then stay with someone that is totally scared of it and in tow can lead to him not been taken care of correctly.
As far as feeding cleaning and general health checks ,because your afraid to handle and interact ..if you decide that you arent able to give him what he needs ,and you sell him ,try and make sure he is sold to a more experienced carpet snake owner .
Please not a newbie, otherwise this fella might be in the same situation again.
Its nothing shameful to know what your limits are ,and it is more mature to realise this ,then to fake it and the snake suffers ...all the best either way

 

[Rainbow-Serpent]

Snakehooks work wonders, particuarly for snappy hatchlings.

I reckon leave him for a week or so just to settle in, then gradually get him used to handling.

 

[bredli1]

I bought an 8 month old male Bredli/Centralian Carpet python last Saturday and he has been pretty aggressive. I regret it a little now, but I was pushed for time when the breeder came around to let me handle the snake so I rushed the buying process a little and didn't spend as much time handling as I probably should have.

He seemed fairly friendly, inquisitive etc when I handled him. The seller mentioned he was a bit 'territorial' about his enclosure but that once he was out, he was fairly friendly. He was the last of the batch to be sold, apparently because he and another snake from the batch were hard to get feeding regularly, but I'm starting to think maybe it was because of his temperament. He didn't bite the seller when she got him out of his enclosure and he didn't bite me until about half an hour after the seller left.

I put a pair of rigger's gloves and a long sleeve shirt on tonight to handle him. He bit my gloves about 10-12 times in the space of about 5 minutes. I didn't handle him for long because he was very active and I didn't want him to get inside the short and roomy gloves and bite me. He was fed about 4 days ago.

I'm not sure if this is normal or not though, because I've only handled carpet pythons a few times in the past. I've read that juveniles can be snappy until they are used to being handled, and I've also heard about the reputation carpets have for being aggressive. I have a 2 year old children's python too, so this is a bit of a jump for me.

Is it wise to handle him this way every day or two until he settles down a bit? I really don't want a 3m aggressive snake. I'm concerned about him losing teeth in the gloves too :/

i just got 1 about 8 months ago and it was a snappy thing and it has carmed down alot

 

[amy5189]

if you could post pics of your enclosure would be great. if not let us know the dimensions of it and what hides and other items you have in it. and what you're using for heating etc.

as has been said leave it for a week to settle, then feed, leave for another week, feed and then handle 2-3 days after and only for 10 or 15 minutes.

also invest in a snake hook so you can hook it out the enclosure.

sometimes i will leave my snakes without handling for months when i first buy them. i just hook them and put them into a spare tub while i clean and then hook them back in. but wont handle. and then after a few months i will start to handle and so far i haven't been bitten by my BHP, olive, coastal or spotteds.

so fingers crossed for you!

 

[AnthonyJ]

put him on the timeout chair if he bites again, and don't let him off until he apologizes.

 

[JAS101]

while its small get it used to being handled , im going through this with my male coastal [ his about 7 months old] and is a real biter . after a few bites he calms down . take the plunge and just handle it with no gloves . its not like they hurtwhen they bite .

 

[notechistiger]

Obviously this has been a while since then, but in future you shouldn't start handling until the snake is established in your collection (and your environment). This includes feeding. If it's not feeding due to stress, the handling will certainly make it work.

I also think that if you want to sell him because he bites, then you should not be in the reptile hobby. They bite, that's what they do. They are not cuddly and should never be treated as such.

 

[orangetim]

I have a bredli roughly the same age and he was very snappy at first. I used to have numerous bit marks on my hands. First and foremost. Patience. Just be patient. He'll get used to you. Don't hand him too often. Let him settle in, enjoy his surroundings and so on. When I handle my little fella, I try not to move around to much, don't make any sudden movements near his head and just let him "explore" my hands. Gloves, as others have said, are a no no. No matter how placid your snake, it will bite you from time to time.

I found that he was extremely snappy when he was hungry. How often and what are you feeding him? Mine will easily gulp down a fuzzy. Mine is a good feeder.

Just my experiences with my bredli.

 

[notechistiger]

Sorry, the handling will make it worse*

 

[n3xia]

So I should just handle him without gloves, cop about 10 bites in one sitting and risk getting the teeth in my hands/arms? Gloves seemed like a good idea for this reason...

I will try and get my hands on a snake hook although I am not sure where I would find one. Hardware store maybe? Bunnings?

I don't use heating because I live in Darwin and it's already humid and hot enough. I have a fake rock hideout, small water bowl, fake bendable tree and fake vine in the enclosure. All exo-terra stuff I think. Oh, and kitty litter substrate. It's the white rock type litter. I was told that would be ok for snakes. I will try and take a photo for you.

He's eaten two pinky mice since I got him, about 6 days apart. He didn't hesitate to eat them either. Maybe he was just hungry? Because my friend handled him after feeding yesterday (before anyone says it, I know that's a bad idea...) and he wasn't aggressive at all.

But yeah as advised by most people in this thread, I will leave him alone for a week or so and then start handling him regularly for short periods of time. Rest assured, selling is an absolute last option