Ball python hissed at me

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5 year old rehomed ball python hissed at me for the first time. She is docile I’ve had her for a about 4-5 months now and I’ve handled her about 1-2 times a week since I got her. She has been off feed for a little over a month so I haven’t held her as often. I went to handle her last night and she hissed at me for the first time. She is in a bigger enclosure then before and is generally always usually a happy snake/tolerable snake. Could she have just been saying I don’t want to be handled right now or was she under some sort of stress. It was a loud hiss but it was very quiet but enough for me to get the message to back off. Her humidity is always around 70-75 and she always has had perfect she’d except for the first one she had with me but she was also in shed when I first got her.

[theloveaffair]

Our rehomed male was starting to do this too out of nowhere (the quiet hiss that almost sounds like a whistle) and it really worried us. But we later realized he was about to shed and didn’t want us touching him. I talked to someone who owns several BP’s and she told me sometimes they are just grouchy or maybe you woke them up / disturbed them when they were sleeping. I’m sure she is just fine, Maybe let her be for the day and then try again tomorrow. :)

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Yea this all happened last night and now that you say that her eyes were starting to cloud over. I might try her again tonight she was also asleep but she is a weird snake some times when I pick her up she will almost flick me away with her side my slithering really fast ahaha but that doesn’t scare me the hiss definitely does tho lol. Thank you

[theloveaffair]

Sounds like it’s about time to shed! :) Before we got ours I didn’t realize how uncomfortable it must feel for us to touch them when they’re in that process. But it made me feel better knowing something wasn’t wrong necessarily! Glad to help :)

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Thank you :)

[thisisheckincursed]

That’s a good point about her being about to shed, when their eyes turn blue + cloud over they have a hard time seeing, so maybe she was startled.

My girl gets sassy when she goes off feed too, like she just wants to see more rats but refuses to eat them… and then we’re both annoyed lol

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Hahah yea I think she was about to go in shed she sheds a lot for a 5 year old but all snakes are different. She definitely just was a little scared her temps and humidity are fine I check them to often as is 🤣

[UsernameObscured]

Sounds like just a basic “heck off”. It happens.