# Ball Pythons > General BP's >  ball python raising head like cobra

## snakegirl4life

My ball python Maxwell has done this several times, I have only had him for a couple of weeks now and hes done it about 5 or 6 times, he will go into this posture where he goes up into a position like a cobra would, i havent been able to get a picture of him doing it so i drew one on MS paint.. sorry my artwork sucks but it shows exactly what he does.. i will attach it here. anyways he will just sit there like that with his neck stretched out going completely upwards and then his head facing directly forward, just like the pic i drew shows. he sits like that for minutes on end. i wasnt thinking anything of it and then i read this article a few minutes ago about IBD and it said something about sitting for lengths of time with their head in weird positions called "stargazing" and im FREAKING out now because i would absolutely die if my little Maxwell has IBD. is this something i should worry about? or is this just something ball pythons will do?? this is my first snake so i really dont know. please let me know your opinion. thanks.

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Marzipan (06-01-2017),_rebelrachel13_ (05-20-2012),Vonnie (07-05-2016)

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## clipclopclip

LOL Love your picture. Looks like he's periscoping, meaning he's just quietly checking out his surroundings.  I wouldn't worry about it, that's a perfectly normal (and cute) way for ball pythons to peek around and scope out danger  :Smile:

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Marzipan (06-01-2017),snakegirl4life (03-08-2009),_Toronto Python Gurus_ (03-09-2009)

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## Fallguy

Cute snake. Many of us on here have had this happen. No worries. :Good Job:

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snakegirl4life (03-08-2009)

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## stratus_020202

We have fuzzy capet in the room. The first time i put the baby on it that's exactly what he did. Trying to find that perfect hole to craw into. Then headed for a shoe! lol.

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snakegirl4life (03-08-2009)

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## snakegirl4life

> LOL Love your picture. Looks like he's periscoping, meaning he's just quietly checking out his surroundings.  I wouldn't worry about it, that's a perfectly normal (and cute) way for ball pythons to peek around and scope out danger


thank you so much, completely took my worry/stress level from 100% down to about 20. lol. i did have quite a bit of fun drawing the pic though.. lol. yeah i think it is just sooooo cute when he does it, and then i had to read that darn arcticle. ok well thanks so much again.

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## snakegirl4life

> Cute snake. Many of us on here have had this happen. No worries.


thanks a bunch  :Smile:  sooo glad its normal.

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## snakegirl4life

> We have fuzzy capet in the room. The first time i put the baby on it that's exactly what he did. Trying to find that perfect hole to craw into. Then headed for a shoe! lol.


lol thats cute i havent put Maxwell on the carpet yet, i will have to try that  :Razz: 
thanks!!

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## clipclopclip

> thank you so much, completely took my worry/stress level from 100% down to about 20. lol. i did have quite a bit of fun drawing the pic though.. lol. yeah i think it is just sooooo cute when he does it, and then i had to read that darn arcticle. ok well thanks so much again.


You don't need to stress, my pythons do that all of the time when they are moved to a new place or something in their immediate environment changes. I think it's so cute like the periscope on a submarine  :Smile:  

Not a great picture, but here is Meerah periscoping when she was little:

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## snakegirl4life

> You don't need to stress, my pythons do that all of the time when they are moved to a new place or something in their immediate environment changes. I think it's so cute like the periscope on a submarine  
> 
> Not a great picture, but here is Meerah periscoping when she was little:


aww cute, she looks just like maxwell. haha, well i guess most look the same, but still. how big is Meerah now?

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## JamieLynn

Totaly normal to periscope...the star gazing is when their nose points to the sky.

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snakegirl4life (03-08-2009)

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## Malpaso

I believe she usually do that when exploring surroundings  :Smile:

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snakegirl4life (03-08-2009)

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## ZinniaZ

I love your drawing.  Does your snake actually *smile* like that when she is looking around???   :Wink:

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## snakegirl4life

> I love your drawing.  Does your snake actually *smile* like that when she is looking around???


hahaha why yes he does, puts on a big ole grin, sometimes he even gives a wink and does the whole elvis lip curl. lol!  :Dancin' Banana:

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## snakegirl4life

[QUOTE=Malpaso;1002759]I believe she usually do that when exploring surroundings  :Smile: 

thank you  :Smile:  very nice snake you have,  :Smile:

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Malpaso (03-09-2009)

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## DutchHerp

I can count on my snake periscoping whenever I take them outside.  :Wink:

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## snakegirl4life

> I can count on my snake periscoping whenever I take them outside.


i cant wait until summer so I can take Maxwell outside  :Smile:

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## DutchHerp

> i cant wait until summer so I can take Maxwell outside


It's 80* here in Texas; what do you think I've been doing?  :Razz:

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## nixer

that drawing looks like a camel head and neck on a snake :Rolleyes2:

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## snakegirl4life

> It's 80* here in Texas; what do you think I've been doing?


Lucky you!! its like 12 degrees here and theres like 3 ft of snow covering the ground haha.

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## snakegirl4life

> that drawing looks like a camel head and neck on a snake


hahaha yeah it does doesent it. lol.

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## Nate

> 


New desktop wallpaper  :Cool:   :Good Job:

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## DutchHerp

> Lucky you!! its like 12 degrees here and theres like 3 ft of snow covering the ground haha.


Just took both my balls out and both of them periscoped.  :Very Happy: 



















And I will probably be quoted for out of context.

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## snakegirl4life

> New desktop wallpaper


haha defenitly  :Good Job:

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## snakegirl4life

> Just took both my balls out and both of them periscoped. 
> 
> And I will probably be quoted for out of context.


very cool, i just fed maxwell this morning so wont be taking him out to explore for a while but cant wait to see if he parascopes when i put him on the carpet! (since i cant take him outside lol)

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## Savitar

The video is edited he turned around and looked at us curving his body around before lowering back down i just cut it as my sister spent a long time filming him lying there hoping he would raise back up.

I know this is a old post but i found it on a yahoo search and boy am i relieved my two corn snakes do it but not as much as our new ball. Our ball is a rescue and was rescued by someone else who has had it quarantined well now we are just fostering him for a year until she wants to breed him next year sometime. 

His quaranitine was over so we brought him home this is our first ball and while we have only had him 2 days he actually ate today and has made himself right at home. He keeps "periscoping" while sitting on his hides or just in the middle of the cage only lowering back down if we walk up to the tank and sometimes not even then he will just turn his head to look at us, we were getting worried. The breeder who rescued him had him in a tub on a rack so he didn't exactly have a lot of room to show this behavior he is now in a large enclosure provided by the breeder for as long as we house and care for him. When i walked by he was by his water bowl with his head lifted up. 

I was worried about a infection or IBD but he doesn't hold his head straight up but periscopes. We were thinking he wasn't stressed about his new surroundings at all since he ate today and were wondering why that was since i know Ball's tend to stress a lot when in a new place. 

To learn that the periscoping behavior is caused by stress and being over alert when in new surroundings is a relief not only because he most likely is healthy and IBD free but also because he is acting normal and not weird like i thought he had been.  :Smile:

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## Quantum Constrictors

Watch out we got a zombie thread over here coming back from the dead!!

*Pulls out shot gun*

Anyways, Looks like your new here so I wont ride you too hard but check the date on the post before you bring it back from the dead!

With love,

-reptiliachnids

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## therunaway

My bp does this and if I scratch him under the chin area, or behind the head on the neck area, he will tighten up and do this; similar to a dog when you scratch them behind the head and a cat when you scratch it on the chin. :p so cute.

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## rebelrachel13

This is an awesome thread. I don't mind it being resurrected at all. Heck, make it a sticky!  :ROFL: 

Just shows how paranoid we BP owners are about our snakes. And hey, it might be helpful to someone.  :Smile:

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## whispersinmyhead

I am new to BP' and snakes, so I understand being paranoid after reading certain articles. I was lucky when ours periscopes she really looks around and seemed to make a decisive choice on her next move. Her behavior was easier to see nothing was wrong. Even still that little voice in the back of my head was there worried.

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## Rob

> 


LOL! I just about spit out my coffee! Great picture!

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## Tomhaycock1

Perfectly normal pal, my ball does it all the time and she's perfectly healthy! He's just checking his environment, looking out for dangers etc! Nothing to worry about at all

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## Ax01

> Perfectly normal pal, my ball does it all the time and she's perfectly healthy! He's just checking his environment, looking out for dangers etc! Nothing to worry about at all


nice thread bamp! i really enjoyed seeing the OP's drawing of her snake.  :Smile:   if it were not for your bamp, i would not have seen that wonderful drawing otherwise.   :Good Job:

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## Stewart_Reptiles

> Perfectly normal pal, my ball does it all the time and she's perfectly healthy! He's just checking his environment, looking out for dangers etc! Nothing to worry about at all


I am sure the OP whose last activity was on 06-12-2009 will appreciate an answer to their question 8 years later.

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