Boa Keeps Head Up

[Mr Flay]

My anery columbian boa keeps his head of sometimes on the glass going all the way to the top and just staying like that. I havent fed him in 2 weeks because i just ordered more rats from rodentpro and it will be be here this week. Otherwise there is no popping, wheezing or mucus. What could this be ?

[KMG]

Can you more clearly state how it is positioned or post a pic. I'm not sure I'm picturing it correctly.

[Mr Flay]

Well right now he is coiled up. But all he does is just go up on the glass about 8 inches and just stays like that for a while. Leaving his head and some of his body rested against the glass with his head pointing directly straight up.

[KMG]

Without any other signs of an RI I'm stumped. If its new behavior I would keep a close eye on it to make sure its not the start of an RI.

[BLM94]

Oddly enough my juvenile Colombian Rainbow Boa does the exact same thing, also with no wheezing/mucous/popping etc. She does this both in her enclosure and when I'm handling her. I think that many young boas are relatively arboreal, so ours may just be doing what comes naturally to them- seeking higher ground. If yours is in a tank setup I'd suggest adding some branches and seeing if he utilizes them

[Daybreaker]

I've caught my two largest Colombians resting their heads up against the front of their vivs, not as much as 8 inches up but just resting their heads upwards. No health issues or the like: just a little quirk they do. I personally wouldn't worry.

[Jonas]

Several of my boas do that i think that their just resting their head. None of mine have RI so....???One of my ball pythons does that to but rarely. I think its just a resting post or something lol. Your alright. Just keep a watch on em.

[Evenstar]

If your boa is just resting his head on the glass, he's fine. There are other neurological signs that accompany true "stargazing". Is his head tilting back away from the glass? Does he randomly raise his head high even when not resting against the glass? Does he act drunk and wobble or spin? Can he righten himself if you flip him on his back and does he fight you when you try?

If you answer no to the first 3 questions and yes to the last one, your boa is almost certainly perfectly fine. Boas do quirky things and they like to make us wonder.......

[Gio]

If your boa is just resting his head on the glass, he's fine. There are other neurological signs that accompany true "stargazing". Is his head tilting back away from the glass? Does he randomly raise his head high even when not resting against the glass? Does he act drunk and wobble or spin? Can he righten himself if you flip him on his back and does he fight you when you try?

If you answer no to the first 3 questions and yes to the last one, your boa is almost certainly perfectly fine. Boas do quirky things and they like to make us wonder.......

I agree with this and the others. Boas are a lot more arboreal than some people think, and I have also seen some boas at our reptile store that stare straight up at their heat lights. The reptile shop for obvious reasons does not set up total display tanks and I believe the snakes are bored or looking to do something. I think the boa as a species is curious, and semi arboreal so you will see some interesting behaviors. My boa is NOTHING like our Royal.

Coincidently, he was resting his head on a perch last night looking up, and I went down to a beautiful shed this morning.

You will see some obvious signs if there are problems. Wobbling, tipping backward and loss of control as previously stated.

Toss some new "equipment in the cage and see if you have a climber!!!

[Salamander Rising]

If your boa is just resting his head on the glass, he's fine. There are other neurological signs that accompany true "stargazing". Is his head tilting back away from the glass? Does he randomly raise his head high even when not resting against the glass? Does he act drunk and wobble or spin? Can he righten himself if you flip him on his back and does he fight you when you try?

If you answer no to the first 3 questions and yes to the last one, your boa is almost certainly perfectly fine. Boas do quirky things and they like to make us wonder.......

Mine all do that and other crazy bodily contortions when they're hungry to make sure I freak out and notice them.

It works very well, I might add.

Bob even resorts to faking his own death, sometimes.

[he's the fat slob who's on a diet and very miffed about the reduction in his meals]

LOL