Acting

Question: My ball python is acting strangely?

(Posted by: ELK on 2008-12-01 16:54:54)

My ball python is about 10 years old. I put a mouse in her tank, she attached it but let it go and latched on to her own body. She stayed latched on for a long time and I had to separate her from herself with a stick. She seems lethargic and can't catch the mouse. Can anyone help?

Posted by: Charles Slone on 2008-12-01, 17:02:29

Maybe the mouse bit the snake or hurt it. Maybe the snake hurt itself while killing the mouse. hope i helped!

Posted by: Vicky M on 2008-12-01, 17:12:08

Is she due for shedding? have you checked that the mouse didnt bite her? you might want to take her to vets to get her checked out sorry icouldnt help more

Posted by: Draigess on 2008-12-01, 17:21:56

That's strange and would have me a bit worried. How long have you had the snake? If its 10 yrs old then it cant be an age problem unless there is some underlying health problem. Balls can live 20 to 30 years in captivity. The only thing i can come up with (if its not a medical problem) is the time of year. If the snake has slowed down for winter, it may not be hungry. It may have struck at the mouse just to get rid of it, missed and just gave up. My 2 balls only eat about once or twice a month during the months of november through february. I also adjust the amount of heat and light they get to match the sun rise/ set. They slow down greatly and only move around if they want food or are breeding. I would watch the snake closely for a few days. Do not offer it any more food. Pick it up and see if it acts normal when you are holding it. Try to get a look at the tongue and if possible, the inside of the mouth. If these areas are turning white or looking puffy, then its time to take it to an exotics vet. This can be a sign of dehydration, mouth rot or bacterial infection.

Posted by: M R on 2008-12-01, 18:39:15

I often find that the constrictors are "dumb " when it comes to food. Many of the boas I've cared for take an hour or more to "find " the rat after they've constricted it. I only feed thawed frozen rodents out of concern for the safety of my snakes. Lethargy is most likely due to improper temperatures. I would check the heat gradient with a thermometer to make sure everything is okay. Ball pythons are also prone to respiratory disease, so check the nostrils or mouth for anything out of the ordinary. Again, this problem is related to the humidity and heat in the enclosure. Balls do often go off food for months at a time, but this doesn't seem like it was the case here since the python did attempt to eat the mouse. I wouldn't be terribly concerned about her staying latched to herself for a long time. She would do that with the mouse right? So she got confused, the last thing a constrictor wants to do is open up to let the mouse go. Too bad she's got her own body and hasn't realized it yet. It shouldn't be an age thing since 10 is fairly young for a ball python. If everything checks out clean (temp gradient and respiratory areas) then I would wait and try feeding again whenever you normally would have. If she doesn't start eating after a couple of months, or you notice any puss or wheezing, take her to a vet. More often than not they'll link it to temperature and humidity though, balls are sensitive to that stuff.

Posted by: johnny on 2008-12-01, 21:53:36

It sounds like your snake latched on to itself because the scent of the mouse was on her on body. Sometimes mice excrete urine when they are struck and maybe some landed on your python. As you may know this is not the most active time of the year for reptiles. If your snake is going into shed, this could be another contributing reason for the lethargic behavior.I would be concerned if this happens repeatedly.