Hello Everyone!

I'm sorry to be a dolt and start my time on the forums by asking questions right away, but I'm a bit distressed by my python's behaviour lately and I wanted to see if I could get an opinion on it.


I am the proud owner of a two year old (approximate. He was given to me and my girlfriend as a gift and were not given any more information other than "he's very young"... a fact that was apparent due to his small size) Ball Python. Not sure on the sex, as we haven't probed it, but we took the liberty of assuming it was male and calling it "Monty" (cute? Very. Original? not so much). He's usually very dosile, very calm. In fact, it seems he prefers something about my body heat or such, since everytime my girlfriend handles him and I sit next to her, he waltzes on over to me and curls up under my shirt.

Recently, however, he's been behaving strangely.

The other night, I go to his terrarium, as I usualy do, to check up on him and turn on his light (our air conditioner was turned on, and it tends to get cold).

As I got close, he slowly peeked out of his hidebox, which he tends to do. However this time I noticed something peculair. He not only peeked, but kept going outside his box, eventually coiling up, preparing to strike. I thought it odd, but didn't think he'd go through with it, until I went to reach for the lamp. At that moment, he struck at me as I turned on the switch.

Of course, he didn't land a bite, as the grate on top of the terrarium was still in place, but the fact still remains he was going for it. He also snapped at my girlfriend as she came over to investigate.

Thing is, later that night, as she reached in to change his water, he went into his usual "peek out, hide in" behaviour when we fiddle with something in the terrarium.

Today, the same behaviour. I got close, as slow and deliberate as possible so as not to threaten him. Same thing happened. He struck as I reached for the lamp. In fact, later on I passed by his terrarium, at a distance of about 5 to 6 feet away, and even from that distance he had seemed to notice me and coil into strike position.

My question is: is this normal?

I've hypothesized several things, ranging from perhaps sickness, to threat, to hunger (he's gotten a bit bigger, but we still have him on a mouse-a-week diet)... but I'm no expert

We're taking him to a vet in a week, but I thought the wisest choice would be to get some sort of opinion from a community more schooled in these matters than I am, if only just to ease my nerves a bit


Thanks in advance!
-HP