Jungle Python Taming

[jaredbandt]

Hi,

Recently just got a Jungle Python and she is about 14 months. Very nice colouring and also eating healthy but she is just soo aggressive. The previous owners were scared of being bitten so she was kept in a small 1ft glass tank. she is about a metre long and whenever handled won't stop striking.

I have had out a few times, first day having her she bit me constant, just put on a long sleeve shirt and she will just tag me and then ask questions later. she is slowly becoming a lot more placid but I'm not afraid of getting bitten which is why I just let her tag me and get over it.

She is happy to sit there calm on my hand in a defensive position, if i move a finger she will instant strike back but ends up biting herself in the meantime. When she is focused on something I can use both hands and she is fine but soon as something moves in front of her...it gets tagged.

Any suggestions on taming this beautiful girl? She has a nice big 1.2m enclosure which she is not aggressive in, just seems to like the taste of my me :/

Any tips you can suggest would greatly be appreciated

 

[Lockie_1]

Jungles have a bit of a reputation for being like that I've had a couple one was good and the other was crazy haha. Just patience I guess mate, some snakes just don't like being handled either.

 

[jaredbandt]

any suggestions? people say regular handling, others say not to and leave her for a few days before trying again. some say pillow case to get ur scent. im more into getting her out as much as possible after work.

 

[Stuart]

First suggestion is to stop doing things that would cause it to strike. In all your "action" shots you or the camera did something to provoke your snake.

When you get it out to handle, let it do the work. If it wants to sit there and be defensive, let it, it can't do it all day and will soon start moving around you. Just keep your actions calm and non threatening and you may find it will help in time. Keep in mind that you are much bigger than it and its only reacting in the best way it knows how

 

[jaredbandt]

just after tips to try and break the constant striking

 

[Stuart]

i dont know how the previous owners treated it but its the most aggressive jungle ive come across. a lot of mates have them and they are all calm. they all have said they have not seen one like this. just like i said, ive only just acquired her

Its possible its aggressive because larger creatures are dragging it out of its enclosure or hide where it feels safe and then shoving fists, fingers and cameras in front of its face and its trying to defend itself.

Try pop it in a enclosure in a low traffic part of the house for no less than a week and only disturb it to give it water. After that, when you are ready, get it out calmly and sit somewhere quietly and allow it to do the work. Bit by bit, if you're lucky, you should start to see it become more tolerant to being handled, particularly if it can move around you without having anything shoved in its face.

But also be prepared that you may have just ended up with a snake that prefers to be looked at than handled.

There are other suggestions out there on how to attempt to calm an aggressive snake. Some folks are lucky and the tips and tricks have worked for them. Try do a bit of a forum search to see if anything previously suggested helps you

 

[Mike11]

When you say you only just got it, how recent are we talking?
There are some massive changes that has occurred in your jungles life, going from 1ft tank and never being handled to all this extra space and having someone grab and pick it up at every chance.
As I'm sure you can imagine, that would be stressful on any snake.

I would suggest a setting period of at least a week to let the snake get used to the change of environment, then start again.

 

[matthew.21]

I have one a little smaller then yours , he's a male and when I got him he was very touchy and striked a bit. What worked for me was handling Each day and they will learn you're not a treat in time. Don't forget they are a aggressive type the jungles

 

[Tobe404]

Besides the already mentioned points... She could always just be striking because she is hungry? How long/thick/big is she? What was she fed before you got her and how long ago? Looks pretty small for it's age.
Either that or mine is extrememly well fed. Only ever bitten me once in the 12 months I've had him/her. Smashes down Large Rats without a problem. Well not lately sinxe it's Winter but you get my point hopefully.
Even though he/she has been shifted from inside out into the shed. Handled the other day like usual. No hissing/striking/s-position/biting. No hint of any aggression. A bit 'zoomy' I guess you'd call it. But that's about it.

This may not work on your Jungle...

I recently got a couple of Coastals that I had to seperate for feed time. Smaller one was striking like crazy. Bigger one would hiss but no striking, Eventually got the smaller of the two out and put it in the bottom half of the enclosure. How...? Chucked a pillow case over it and picked it up inside the pillow case. Even when it got free it just slithered over me without an issue. It's like it had been exorcised or something.