Very nippy snake

My snake Sullivan was very friendly when I first got him but he escaped last year and lived in the walls of my house until two months ago. Since being recaught he rattles his tail against the side of his cage, tracks your hand ready to strike at all times, and actually bites. If I put my hand in his tank he tracks it, strikes and if he catches it he quickly tries to wrap himself around my hand and attempts to swallow one of my fingers. I am pretty sure he thinks my hands are food. Could that be from him being so hungry for the time he escaped and not eating often. I have two other snakes and neither have even tried to bite let alone succeed and do it more than five times. He also eats a lot more than my other snakes. I know when he is hungry because he comes out of his hiding spots when me or one of my cats walks by his tank and he tracks us back and forth. He eats two hoppers every couple of days and would probably eat more if I gave it to him. If you pick him up he does not bite once you have him in your hands, and I can handle him as much as I want then. Will his biting ever stop biting

I just got bite again right after I posted this, and I swear it scares the crap out of me every time. It's like when a little tiny kitten suddenly spits and hisses at you and you jump. It really does not hurt that bad but it gets me jumping every time he strikes at my hand.

olot of the nipping prolly has alot to do with since its been on its own in your house for a year, he had to kinda set himself back into hunt mode...its very easy for a snake to go back to being wild....ish, which is why you have to keep interacting with them or theyll forget you and that your a friend not a predetor...im sure it will stop nipping just gotta give him some time if the bite are hurting you they make glves to prevent from it hurting....


hope that helped a bit

Sounds like he reverted back to his "wild roots." It will probably take a while to convert him back.

If you're not already feeding him in a seperate bin, I suggest you do. It will help to disassociate you reaching in with getting fed (at least not immediately). Also you said you're feeding him a couple hoppers every couple of days. That's probably a little too frequent. I'd also suggest that you try to bump him up a size and feed him a little less frequently, like every 5 or 6 days, so that he gets good and full, but then has time to fully digest.

Have patience and he'll probably come 'round for ya.

Good luck!

He will calm down, but it may take awhile. As Bruce said, you should feed him in a separate container. He will eventually learn that food is found in the deli cup, not attached to your hand!

I had a Texas leucistic get out once, and it took us a few weeks to find him. He was a bit cranky to begin with, but after being "free", he was downright aggressive. It took about a year for him to calm back down to his regular grouchy self.

Another thing to consider, and I know it's hard to control, but you should try not to pull back when he bites you. We are a lot bigger and stronger, and the reflex action can pull their teeth out and cause other oral injuries. Again, it's hard to "train" yourself not to flinch, but after your 467th bite, it gets easier!

Kathy

I'll have him.... I like the feisty ones.... He may or may not calm down, but is that really a problem if he plays when he is out.....at least he has a feeding response you can rely on......Cool you got him back....sounds like a snake with personality
MIKE

I do feed him in a seperate container, and I tried feeding him bigger mice less often but he can't quite get them down. He is still quite small for being over a year and a half old, I think his wild days may have slowed his growth because he didn't get enough to eat. I don't flinch when he bites me. I learned not to flinch and yank my hand away with my biting parrots I foster and a pissy tarantula. I know he reverted back to a semi wild snake and will take time to get better but holy crap he is more aggressive and crazy than all of the other snakes I have ever dealt with. My older brother had a Boa and a Carpet Python when we were kids and I thought that his Python was aggressive but Sulli has him beat by a mile.

I completely understand what you're going though. 3 out of my 4 are very bitey. 1 corn and my 2 new kings. The male king was even striking the container after I put him in it. I'll post pics this weekend of him all S's up and evil.

I *know* it doesn't hurt, but it still makes me jump and about wet myself when they do it. I've resorted to a bit of glove courage. Once I have them out they're fine, and the gloves come off, but until then I'm a weenie. Eventually, they'll calm down, but until then...gloves, and maybe depends.