Angry Ball

[HQReptiles]

Though I would share this pic. I guess he doesnt like to have his cage cleaned :(

Matt.

[marisa]

Wow! Nice shot! Nice Ball too...is he always that rude? *L*

marisa

[Wrath]

Wait a sec, are you sure he's not just yawning? My ball yawns sometimes, it's so cute!!

[BoidKeeper]

Very cool shot!
Trevor

[HQReptiles]

that was *NOT* a yawn. ;)

[norman]

yikes! hows his temperment otherwise?

[Weather1]

That is one of the coolest pictures I have seen posted on this site. Great job.:cool:

[HQReptiles]

Thanks Weather1,

I will be honest it was a one in a million shot and I got lucky. All credit to the snake :)

Matt.

[Clownfishie]

LOL Matt... he definitely doesn't look too happy! :)

I didn't realize that you guys kept snakes too... what do you have??

[reptilesalonica]

With no mean to insault anyone, to catch a strike that occurs only 0.3 of the second, you need to put your Photo camera to shutter 1000. If like you were sayng it's a strike than the whole subject (snake) must be full of blur. I am a cameraman.

[reptilesalonica]

...Anyway...Balls always strike with closed mouths.

[marisa]

???? Since when do ball strike with closed mouths 100% of the time???? Wouldn't this mean they never bite? LOL

I dunno about your Balls but my Ball Python opens his mouth when he strikes, and usually a mouse ends up getting in there!

Marisa

[krrc]

ya I'm not too sure how that would work or what purpose a strike would serve if the snake had it's mouth closed is it going to headbutt you?? :) (J/K)

[Xetox]

Thats the first I ever heard they strike with mouths closed 100% of the time. I have been dealing with bp's for along time and have had my share of bites from them, and I am pretty sure there mouths where open at the time

Nice pic !

[Markus Jayne]

Trust me...I know that little guy. That is a strick!

He got me jumping a few times when I changed his diapers.

I know balls stike with their mouths open. I had a few hatchlings leave nice teeth imprints in my hand thsi year. Little buggers! They calm down soon enough though.

Feed that boy Matt! LOL!

How are the girls?

Mark

[reptilesalonica]

When you handle your Ball frequently and it gots your smell and knows you he will rarely strike and when he will, he will do it with mouth closed. When he smell his food, he of course be more aggresive and he will grab it immediatly. There are offensive and defensive types of strike. When your Ball do it like that shown in the photo, it means that you don't handle him frequently. That's all i mean

[unknownclown]

Nice pic :) mine does the same, shes a mean little thing.

[HQReptiles]

It was a strike; it was taken with a digital camera a Cannon PowerShot S100 Digital Elph. It is blurry. No we don’t handle them often, being used to snakes with big teeth and nasty attitudes I see no reason to 'play' with our snakes. I can handle them when needed, and have yet to be bitten by this male.

Mark the girls are great, but the male is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!

I can’t believe his colours. That picture was taken about 4 days before he shed. He’s growing like a weed, well they all are. If anyone is looking for a BP that is twice as big as you expect, and with knock out colours, give Mark an email! Top quality animals, and they never refuse a meal!

Thanks,

Matt.

[HQReptiles]

I'm not looking for any recognition here, if the snake had yawned I would have posted saying something like "oh what a sleepy head or something". I don't often post pictures, and thought I would share my lucky shot.

Matt.

[Markus Jayne]

Matt,

Your cheque is in the mail! LOL!

Thanks!!!

Mark

[Andy_G]

Nice pic!

[Linds]

LOL great pic! :p I managed to catch a similar one of my male ball being grumpy in his cage, but I forgot to take my camera off macro mode so it came out super blurry :confused:

[krrc]

Originally posted by reptilesalonica
When you handle your Ball frequently and it gots your smell and knows you he will rarely strike and when he will, he will do it with mouth closed. When he smell his food, he of course be more aggresive and he will grab it immediatly. There are offensive and defensive types of strike. When your Ball do it like that shown in the photo, it means that you don't handle him frequently. That's all i mean

A snake will not strike with it's mouth closed. plain and simple. A strike with the mouth closed would defeat the purpose of a strike all together! I'm not sure where you heard this but I would love to know.

[ross2k]

Snakes do strike without opening there mouth sometimes. I'm not sure if BPs do that, but I've seen my brazilian rainbow boas do it before. I believe its like a warning shot, a quick darty movement that if you saw it in the wild you would notice it and back off.

[krrc]

a quick darty movement could be a startled snake thats all. I'm not saying it couldent be used as a warning but then I dont think you would call it a strike with the mouth closed.

[Xetox]

I disagree, I have seen many BP's strike with there mouth closed. All of mine do it when they are having a bad day. I take it as "Hey I am having a bad day dont phuq with me" But I have have had them hit hard enought to leave a red mark beforeQ!

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

When my ball strikes, its USUALLY a dry tag and she keeps her mouth closed. But sometimes when I need to change out her towel (substrate) she gets angry and strikes with her mouth open like in the pic. She never strikes at me, just strikes. It's kinda wierd, but shes awesome! :D

[Linds]

Originally posted by krrc
A snake will not strike with it's mouth closed. plain and simple. A strike with the mouth closed would defeat the purpose of a strike all together! I'm not sure where you heard this but I would love to know.

I disagree. Snakes do strike with their mouths closed. The strike obviously isn't intended to break skin, but rather to scare you off, same as most open-mouthed strikes are.

[dm101081]

Originally posted by krrc
A snake will not strike with it's mouth closed. plain and simple. A strike with the mouth closed would defeat the purpose of a strike all together! I'm not sure where you heard this but I would love to know.

Yes snakes do strike with their mouth closed. The purpose of the strike is as a warning. Just like scorpions will sting with a very dilute venom before stinging with the strong venom. Or like humans will punch you before stabbing you. Or a rattlesnake rattles before it bites, or... Oh, and if you would like to know where I heard that a snake will strike with it's mouth closed, its in my 10 + years of keeping them.

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

If anyone watched the Snake special on PBS about a month ago, it said how Sidewinders strike at the air when a predator is around to scare it off. Believe me, the one the showed had its mouth open. It was cool! :D

[dm101081]

Yes, but we are not talking about whether or not snakes strike with their mouth open. We all know full well that snakes strike with their mouth open. We are talking about whether or not snakes strike with their mouth closed as well, which they do.

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Yeah but this may have to do why they strike with their mouths closed. Maybe they just try to ward of predators. Just a 14 year old thought....lol

[dm101081]

Here's one of my old boa. She hardly ever actually struck at me, but she would open her mouth and hiss like no tommorow sometimes.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid54/p555bd2b276b784bc6f80aab97a306dc7/fc84fc25.jpg

[ReptiZone]

It is caled a mock strike alot of snakes do it I hade a retic do it to me thank god she had her mouth closed or it would have ben a case for the E.R ball pythons cok back and give you a nose jab and cok back again and open there mouth and hiss like the end of there world is coming. Althow every animal is difren....hey there is random shooting stabing killings with out ever a punch given so why can snake give a real strik without giving a mock strike just cause you ppl dont see it hapaning dosn't mean it never hapens

[Just Me]

That was awesome timing!!