very worrying behaviour

[MRPhillips]

Hi,
Last night my 4 month old BEL ate 2 rat pups which is the norm. She went into her hide where she normally stays for the night. But then suddenly about 20 minutes later she shot out of her hide and started twitching and jerking around, this lasted a few minutes, then she went up onto her branch where she stayed until this morning.
I haven't taken her out because i don't want to handle her after feeding but i've been looking in on her and she seems ok this morning. Anyone experienced this themselves or got any ideas????????
Thanks

[Freakie_frog]

With out seeing the action it would be hard to say. With that said I've seen my sakes do some strange things, nothing quite like that.. Keep and eye on her just in case..

[BPelizabeth]

Wow I have never heard of that before...that is very concerning. I don't have enough experience to comment but me personally....I'd be making a trip to the vet.

[dr del]

Hi,

What are you using as bedding, have you double checked the temps inside the hide and what kind of hide is it?

Have you recently treated for any mites or insects or anything in either the reptile colony or rodent colony if you breed your own?

That should help us rule out a few of the scarier or more common possible causes.


dr del

[Ouroboros]

I agree on checking the hotspots. Maybe it got too hot for that little beauty?

Who knows maybe it was a 1-time episode? A friend of mine almost drawned due to a severe cramp - it has never happen before nor after.

And where is she placed, and what is she placed in (plastic box, terrarium, ect.)?

[MRPhillips]

Her hide is one of those exo terra cave hides, the temp at the time was only 26 (celcius) The bedding is Aspen, i did wonder if she had maybe swallowed some of it and it got stuck?
Haven't treated for mites etc
It was just really wierd and very worrying, it seemed as though she was having some kind of fit, i said she was jerking and twitching but she was moving around real fast when she was doing it, it was so odd, she fell in her water bowl then fit up the sides of her viv.
She does seem ok today, she's been out a couple of times and had a drink and a look through the glass then gone back in her hide.

[dr del]

Hi,

So it was her cool side hide she went into?

It is definately possible to get aspen stuck in the mouth after feeding but they normally rub and gape to get rid of it - is it quite sharp?


dr del

[MRPhillips]

No she didn't really go into her cool side she was just throwing herself all over the place, although afterwards she did go up into her branch for the night which is on the cool side.
Her aspen does have sharp bits in it so i'm now going to change that for something else tomorrow when i can get her out.
It's more worrying because nobody else seems to have experienced this!

[dr del]

Wait,

Theres a worrying point here and I'm hoping it's a miscomunication.

Are you telling me the temps in your warm end hide are 26C (78.8F) ?!?!?!???


dr del

[WingedWolfPsion]

That's totally what I read, too...I hope that was the temperature in the room, and not the temperature on the hot end of the cage. I don't think odd behavior is very mysterious if the poor snake is that cold right after eating.