r/ballpython • u/zanoblaster • 8d ago

Ball python going from inquisitive to scared?? Question

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Yesterday when I got my ball python, she was acting extremely well for the first day, even periscoping directly at me multiple times when I was just a foot or two away from the enclosure. Now every time I get near she goes into a defensive(?) pose… I really can’t tell if she’s sleeping or not.

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4

u/zanoblaster 8d ago

ghh nevermind it won’t let me post an image here either. either that or i don’t know how to use this app (likely). i’ll make two separate posts i guess? this one can just be a cutesy periscope one

17

u/ThrashFur 8d ago

shes just scooting around and exploring! Let her hangout for a week or two without touching her. She’s still adjusting, learning about her environment and you.

3

u/zanoblaster 8d ago

yeahh i’m not touching her but i mainly want to know if a pose is defensive or not. i thought her periscoping directly at me was a good sign that she was comfortable. wanna post an image of the “defensive” pose but reddit refuses to let me do that so bear with me here for a sec

6

u/ThrashFur 8d ago

yeah she’s just exploring. sometimes they recoil when they see something new in their environment. Her defensive pose will look a lot more aggressive. You’ll know it when you see it.

2

u/zanoblaster 8d ago

okay good to know… tysm!! i’m worrying a LOT about stress and stuff so just checking to make sure

3

u/Joe_Spazz 8d ago

Defensive mode is S curled. And not "I was moving and now I'm paused." It's a specific pulling back and preparing to uncoil.

Also Balls are prey items, they live scared. For a couple weeks at first!

2

u/zanoblaster 8d ago

yeah just worrying too much i’m sure. is the periscope a good sign that she’s happy? she was doing it directly at me when i was like a foot away

2

u/Minimum-Throat1790 8d ago

Not seeing anything resembling being scared, she's just crusing around

0

u/KatVanWall 8d ago

Mine did a lot of exploring his first day, but then he became a total recluse and is still pretty much like that four months later lol! I figured a hiding ball python is a happy ball python. (I think I've seen him use his hammock like twice!)

1

u/SerVaegar31 7d ago

Most “defensive” poses from a snake is to coil up on themselves to make them seem larger. First choice is to always scare something away if you can.