My boy is acting weird

[Neko_snake]

Hey, it's me again. With probably a normal "problem". My boy who will be 3 years old in about 2 months. Wow, how time flies. Anyway he has been acting extremely weird for him. Usually I'll sit with his enclosure open at night and if he wants to come out he does, if not oh well. Lately he's been striking when I open his enclosure and I can't figure out why. He just seems extra moody. I'm wondering if this is him coming of age and if this is just normal breeding moodiness. He's eating normally. He eats small adult F/T rats every 2 weeks. His temps are normal, 74-77 cool end, 88 for his hot spot. Humidity is fine, around 60%. His sheds have been good and in one piece. He's pooping like normal. Nothing dramatic has happened lately. I upgraded his hides but he was acting like this before the upgrade. He's a pet and my only reptile.

He's just been moody lately. It doesn't really matter and seems easy enough to take care of him while he's like this. I'm just trying to understand the behavior. I don't believe I'm feeding him too little. He's never struck like this unless it was close to feeding day. I haven't done anything different than normal. The only thing I can think of is he's breeding size now so maybe he's just being hormonal? Any insight would be great.

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[Homebody]

Lately he's been striking when I open his enclosure and I can't figure out why. He just seems extra moody. I'm wondering if this is him coming of age and if this is just normal breeding moodiness. He's eating normally. He eats small adult F/T rats every 2 weeks. His temps are normal, 74-77 cool end, 88 for his hot spot. Humidity is fine, around 60%. His sheds have been good and in one piece. He's pooping like normal. Nothing dramatic has happened lately. I upgraded his hides but he was acting like this before the upgrade. He's a pet and my only reptile.

I doubt this is the cause, but your cool side temps seem low to me. I'd bump them up to 78-81F.

[Malum Argenteum]

My one and only BP gets like this occasionally (is like this now a little, actually). Sometimes I'll offer a meal just to rule out some sort of crazy hungry thing (other species I keep are like this a lot), though hunger can often be ruled out based on whether he's pacing or not (pacing suggests something other than hunger). I keep an eye on him but don't worry about it.

[Neko_snake]

I doubt this is the cause, but your cool side temps seem low to me. I'd bump them up to 78-81F.

Okay. I'll try bumping it and seeing if that helps any.

My one and only BP gets like this occasionally (is like this now a little, actually). Sometimes I'll offer a meal just to rule out some sort of crazy hungry thing (other species I keep are like this a lot), though hunger can often be ruled out based on whether he's pacing or not (pacing suggests something other than hunger). I keep an eye on him but don't worry about it.

He is pacing a bit. Mostly moving from one hide to the other. Do you recommend I shorten his times for feeding? He's never missed a meal and is very excited about eating but I'm just worried about overfeeding him.

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[Armiyana]

I wouldn't change his feeding schedule. If you want to post a picture of him stretched out a bit we can help maybe evaluate body condition for a better idea of if he's over/under weight.

Is he around other males or females?
It is breeding season and they can be a bit moody this time of year. It really depends on the snake though.
I have 5 breeding age males currently and only one becomes noticeably antsy this time of year. He'll be more squirmy when held. He'll buck his body if you touch him in his enclosure. And they get fussy on food.
My other boys don't get this way unless I have handled another boy a few moments earlier and they pick up the scent.

Another consideration is maybe he's coming up on a shed cycle? Some of them can definitely be a bit more defensive when that time is coming up.

Otherwise, if you've made any changes to decor or habitat size lately that can also be a trigger. Sometimes even just changing for a bigger hide as they grow can make them get fussy because it's different. Lol. But since he was acting that way BEFORE the hides... it's most likely unrelated.

[Neko_snake]

I wouldn't change his feeding schedule. If you want to post a picture of him stretched out a bit we can help maybe evaluate body condition for a better idea of if he's over/under weight.

Is he around other males or females?
It is breeding season and they can be a bit moody this time of year. It really depends on the snake though.
I have 5 breeding age males currently and only one becomes noticeably antsy this time of year. He'll be more squirmy when held. He'll buck his body if you touch him in his enclosure. And they get fussy on food.
My other boys don't get this way unless I have handled another boy a few moments earlier and they pick up the scent.

Another consideration is maybe he's coming up on a shed cycle? Some of them can definitely be a bit more defensive when that time is coming up.

Otherwise, if you've made any changes to decor or habitat size lately that can also be a trigger. Sometimes even just changing for a bigger hide as they grow can make them get fussy because it's different. Lol. But since he was acting that way BEFORE the hides... it's most likely unrelated.

I wouldn't change his feeding schedule. If you want to post a picture of him stretched out a bit we can help maybe evaluate body condition for a better idea of if he's over/under weight.

Is he around other males or females?
It is breeding season and they can be a bit moody this time of year. It really depends on the snake though.
I have 5 breeding age males currently and only one becomes noticeably antsy this time of year. He'll be more squirmy when held. He'll buck his body if you touch him in his enclosure. And they get fussy on food.
My other boys don't get this way unless I have handled another boy a few moments earlier and they pick up the scent.

Another consideration is maybe he's coming up on a shed cycle? Some of them can definitely be a bit more defensive when that time is coming up.

Otherwise, if you've made any changes to decor or habitat size lately that can also be a trigger. Sometimes even just changing for a bigger hide as they grow can make them get fussy because it's different. Lol. But since he was acting that way BEFORE the hides... it's most likely unrelated.

He's my only snake. Never near any other snakes. It may be time for him to shed but I don't see the signs that he is. If it was just his shed though, he's never struck while in shed. He hides more typically when he's starting to shed but that's not what he's doing now.
Yeah since he's been moody since before I upgraded his hides I'm not sure what it is. He's not moody once he's out but if he's peeking out of his hide lately he just wants to strike even if he's had a meal recently. Like I can go in and get him out if he's in his hide but if I open the door and offer my hand, he strikes at it even when given scent and time to recognize it's me. He's a bit pushy with me when he's out too but nothing crazy just something new I've noticed. He just seems like he doesn't want me touching him which is fine.
Here's some photos of him. I plan on feeding him tonight. If you guys have any more advice, just let me know.

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[Armiyana]

Looking at photos...I think the one thing that hasn't been considered... Is if he may be a she? Accidental mis-sexing can happen when they're small. If you've seen sperm plugs though then it's definitely not the case. Lol

If there is a possibility of it though, especially since striking from the hide is usually a positive sign for hunger, this could be a female trying to build up for ovulation and breeding.
The age and weight are right for one that has been fed more on the pet/conservative side.

As far as body condition, they look good!

For a male, they would be a little towards the overweight side going by how the coils kinda roll when they're bent. A lot of my males tend to start fasting or skip a meal here and there.when they get that bit of pudge.
However for a female, this would be a good weight or maybe slightly below where I like them to be when looking towards breeding. They definitely will pound food down before going off it for ovulating/laying.

[Neko_snake]

Looking at photos...I think the one thing that hasn't been considered... Is if he may be a she? Accidental mis-sexing can happen when they're small. If you've seen sperm plugs though then it's definitely not the case. Lol

If there is a possibility of it though, especially since striking from the hide is usually a positive sign for hunger, this could be a female trying to build up for ovulation and breeding.
The age and weight are right for one that has been fed more on the pet/conservative side.

As far as body condition, they look good!

For a male, they would be a little towards the overweight side going by how the coils kinda roll when they're bent. A lot of my males tend to start fasting or skip a meal here and there.when they get that bit of pudge.
However for a female, this would be a good weight or maybe slightly below where I like them to be when looking towards breeding. They definitely will pound food down before going off it for ovulating/laying.

He was sold as a male and I've been able to pop him/probe him. I'm not great with popping but I'm more confident with probing. I haven't probed him since he was little though and the snakes I learned on were adults. Now that you have the thought in my head, I'll wait a bit then probe him again. I have to let him digest first.

I'm not really sure what to look for as far as sperm plugs. All the previous snakes I've worked with have been females. Also he's in a bioactive so I'm not sure if I'd see them.



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[mlededee]

Interestingly enough when looking at your above photos my very first thought was, that snake looks like a female. A female that probably wants/needs more food coming into breeding season.

Obviously we can't tell for sure from the pics. But it could explain the behavior. I have an adult female that definitely gets more snappy and hungry in the spring each year.

[Malum Argenteum]

He is pacing a bit. Mostly moving from one hide to the other. Do you recommend I shorten his times for feeding? He's never missed a meal and is very excited about eating but I'm just worried about overfeeding him.

Personally, if I thought a snake was hungry and I was troubleshooting behavior, I would offer a meal to see how the snake reacts. I'd use the info gained from the snake's reaction to better fine tune my ongoing care.

Overfeeding (and underfeeding) is a chronic condition, and I wouldn't recommend either. Adding another meal (or skipping one) isn't a problem except in those rare cases where it causes a regurgitation (meals back to back can do this). I think in this case the knowledge you could gain from offering a meal would be valuable.