Tug-o-War

[CopperNightShade]

Okay, had a bit of a scary happen tonight. I was cleaning my ball python's cage while holding her with one hand. She decided she had had enough of being held, and started trying to climb onto the rack that held her cage. I had to grab a hold of her to prevent her from touching the UTH and getting some nasty burns... but she had already braced herself against the rack. She wasn't wrapped around anything, but she was coiled against the metal so it was all I could do to keep her from climbing further and getting closer to the heater.

I finally got a friend to come lift the tank off of the rack, so I could let her go and retrieve her after she had relaxed a bit.

But I am concerned! I was pulling very firmly on her to keep her from moving, and I am scared I could have hurt her. She doesn't have any scales out of place, no torn or bruised skin and thank god no burns. What should I look for to make sure my use of force didn't, in fact, damage her?

[CoolioTiffany]

I think she'll be fine, sometimes I have to do this struggle with my Ball pythons when they wrap themselves around something.

As for the burning, if you have the heat source controlled by a thermostat and have the correct temps, I wouldn't see how the heat source would burn the snake.

[lillyorchid]

She probably will be just fine. They are pretty hardy animals and can withstand a lot.

[CopperNightShade]

Yaah! I am glad there is no inherent danger in tug-o-war.

(and I do have a thermostat on the tank, but it is set to give me the correct temperature after factoring in that I am using Repi-carpet and desert snow... so direct contact to the UTH would burn her - it runs at 120F)

[seeya205]

My guy always trys to get out (if hes out of his hide) when I am changing water and cleaning or sometimes when its opened for feeding(until he sees that rat). He always wraps aroung the frame and I have to untangle him! It's just a daily fight for me! Never got hurt though!

[bobbittle]

Your thermo probe should be on the repti-carpet. The closest point that your snake could come to your UTH. There's no reason it should be running at 120º.

[Oxylepy]

I tug-o-war all the time when one of my males gets into my computer wires... which he does all the time.

[dr del]

Hi,

Your thermo probe should be on the repti-carpet. The closest point that your snake could come to your UTH. There's no reason it should be running at 120º.

No it shouldn't!

His thermometer probe should be on the reptile carpet ( though personally I'd just throw it away and use one substrate and have the probe on the bottom of the tub held down with a dab of glue from a glue gun ).

His thermostat probe should be directly on the heat tape outside the tub alltogether.


dr del