My BP has become spring-loaded, but why?

[ferrislongdog]

So over the last probably four days, Ferris, my (around) five month old BP has picked up a habit of sitting outside his cool hide, constantly alert. Pupils are enlarged, his body is pretty stiff, and he's poised as if he's about to strike whatever moves. Now he is a very sweet little dude, hasn't even tried to bite me once over the last couple months I've had him. When I check up on him in this position, he will follow the closest heat signature, or sit still for a minute and then he will move closer to me and look around and stop breathing as hard. I'm concerned he's stressing himself out over something. I have towels that go over the front of his tank so every wall is covered. But he stares straight at the covered wall, and breathes pretty hard (or so it seems when he's so tense and hovering off the ground). At first I assumed he was getting hungry as it had been six days since his last large mouse (which he seemed to take a final poop for that very morning). I gave him another which he instantly snatched up. He sat in his warm hide all day then today and I assume most of last night, and this evening was right back in his cool hide, rigid and alert. Today he looked at me for a little bit all rigid and hovering, but then rested his head on the floor and took a more curious approach and sniffed around. I put back the towel and he is hovering again.

Is he still on the lookout for food since he's young and growing? Or could there be something he's stressing over? My husbandry is pretty on point, I think he may be approaching another shed too which means a lot of moss. Here's some pictures of him creeping:
and a couple gifs. The first one is him following my hand before I fed him, second is today: x x
]

[CALM Pythons]

He's a cutie... But no telling what he is up to. Mine do this often, once i pick them up they forget about acting tuff and crawl around on me lol.
My 6 mos old starts doing this more around day 5, his clock knows its about time to eat.

[zina10]

He is still hungry...I would say.

[Scosta56]

I agree looks like he is ready to eat again lol. When they are young they truly are bottomless pits don't take it personal or think you are doing something wrong. I just fed all mine on Sunday.. walked into snake room yesterday and they are all staring me down like they are starving -.- crazy noodles.

[Reinz]

My adult BP does this from time to time. When she is cocked and locked, hovering, and tracking, she is in no doubt hunger mode, even after after eating. If she continues after extra rat(s) I leave her alone for a day or two and she goes back to normal.



Elvira, normal BP

[ferrislongdog]

He was doing it tonight before I took him out for a quick weigh-in (little chunker is up to 176 g!) and as I expected didn't even try to tag me. He DID however start his weekly poop explosion AGAIN while I had him. I saw he had sausage poop butt but I thought id be safe. Luckily I rushed back to the tank before urates and poo really kicked off. He gets a kick out of it I swear. Haha I'm not too worried about it at this point, it gets me great pictures! Definitely nice to hear he's just being a typical noodle!

[ballpythonsrock2]

He was doing it tonight before I took him out for a quick weigh-in (little chunker is up to 176 g!) and as I expected didn't even try to tag me. He DID however start his weekly poop explosion AGAIN while I had him. I saw he had sausage poop butt but I thought id be safe. Luckily I rushed back to the tank before urates and poo really kicked off. He gets a kick out of it I swear. Haha I'm not too worried about it at this point, it gets me great pictures! Definitely nice to hear he's just being a typical noodle!

When I first got my little albino male the first couple times I took it out it would pee. I think they do this at first because they are so scared and so young. It is not getting a kick out of it I doubt. (Although I wondered what was up at first myself.) It is just so scared right now. With continued handling it will soon realize you are not going to hurt it and will stop the bathroom stuff, mine did. I also agree with the hunger theory. It means you have a good eater. I would feed the appropriate sized feeder every 5 days for a while. Eventually you can go up to a week and one day you will need to go to 10-14 days perhaps. But you have a snake like I use to have which I sold. (Loved her but I only want one snake to care for.) Anyway I called her a little piggy, but it just means your snake is happy (but hungry) so I would feed every 5 days for a while.

[ferrislongdog]

I'll definitely keep up the five day schedule, he's growing like a weed. Lol, I figured the poosplosions were out of a panic as it is in lots of animals. Definitely cannot get rid of that odor. Super happy he's all good and settled in here to discover his true bottomless pit potential. I'll have to get an extra frozen next time I buy so I have one if he is still hungering for more after being fed. He's currently on large mice, but at 176g I'll see if I can upgrade him at all.

[Yzmasmom]

My hatchling was 134g when we got her and ate one fuzzy rat every 7 days. She's now around 234g and on weaned pups every 7 days. She never acts like she's starving. She uses it all since she never poops and she would totally take a second one if we tried to piggy back, but she never acts hungry. Are you feeding the right size prey?

[Vipera Berus]

I started getting almost exactly the same thing so I decided to try increasing the amount of food I offered mine. I currently have been feeding mine every 2-3 days and they are getting eaten, to the point I basically got mugged for my noodles rodent last night - she literally started striking at me before I could get it ready. Between the 3rd January and the 8th of January I fed mine three times for a total of 114grams of mouse, bearing in mind she weighed on the 3rd 450grams. Long story short I got bitten because mine wanted food without me heating it.

Try increasing the food - bigger prey or more prey depending on what your noodle likes.