Cutting back prey amount.

[Gooseman]

Alright, so my gal had gotten quite chunky during my absence, and I have since managed to get permission to house my ball up here with me so I can watch over her much better now. Well... I've been knocked her down to a jumbo mouse last week instead 2 (petco) adult mice (which are not really even adults). She now gets around 3/4ths the meal size as she did prior, and I believe that should be of good size for the time being. I mean... she was starting to get fat rolls, and thats very much a no bueno. The thing now is... she's ALWAYS in hunt mode... she's striking at me even when I get too close to the cage. it's not anger strikes... you can tell she's hunting me by her poise... She went from the most docile animal in the world to a snake straight out of those rediculous anaconda movies... Yet, I have a hard time believing that i'm starving her... I guess she just really likes her mice.

my question is... has anyone else noticed a change in temperment when they try to curb a snakes weight? I imagine she'll calm down in a bit, but man... it's actually kinda fun. It keeps me on my toes.

[rabernet]

I've not noticed that - but do you think her change in attitude might be more an issue of getting used to a new environment? Even if her enclosure is the same, the location isn't.

[Gooseman]

I've not noticed that - but do you think her change in attitude might be more an issue of getting used to a new environment? Even if her enclosure is the same, the location isn't.

There's always that possibility. however, it's just the way she's striking that has me thinking differently. When she strikes at the front of the cage, it's the slowly creeping forward, flicking her tongue until she gets within striking range, kinda strikes. As if she's stalking me.... Once I get her out of her enclosure, she seems to return to normal, although incredibly alert of everything going on around her.

But yea, aside from changing her water and having a quick look-over her, I havn't been messing with her so she can settle.

[Rapture]

Perhaps it is because she had not been handled while you were gone?

Someone gave me a large Central American boa some months back, that used to have a very gentle disposition when it was handled regulalry. It hadn't been handled for about 10 months (they didn't clean the cage or change the water... only poured in more water through the screen lid of the aquarium), and after that it was extremely aggressive.

[Spaniard]

I have nothing to back this up besides just logic; but is it possible that her metabolism is running at a higher rate because she was being overfed? Now that she is no longer being fed as much maybe her metabolism will slow down and with it the hunt mode you're experiencing. Could just be the change of environment...

[kc261]

If you've ever known anyone on a diet... you get used to eating a certain amount and will feel hungry if you eat less. Even if you were eating more than you need. No idea if it works the same for snakes.

Maybe a combo of this and not having been handled as much while you were away and settling in to the new place?

[MelissaFlipski]

I am no expert, but IMHO this could be a combination of change in eating habits, change in environment (location, caretaker, and routine), and lack of handling.

What if instead of cutting back so much and so suddenly on her food, you cut back slowly? Feed the same 2 adults she was getting before, but slowly increase the interval between feeds. Once the interval has increased by about 25% (guessing based on your 25% cut in diet), you could substitute one adult for one fuzzy (give one of each) or go to the jumbo... I am not sure of all the details, I am just thinking that cold turkey might be hard for her. I know it would be for me!

Also, maybe after she settles in a bit more, you can do the opposite with handling. Start with a few short handling sessions over a week, then go to more and longer sessions slowly.

Good luck!

[West Coast Jungle]

I think she has a bad case of food piggy. Some just have food on there mind all the time. I have a snake I know would eat until she pops. Everytime i approach the rack she comes out like she has never been fed in her life. She could very easily be overweight if I let her. Better than the picky eater anyday. I would try to take her out more to calm down but also for the exersize. That will help her slim down. if she does strike and gets you get a pic, they are the best!

[Holbeird]

I love how in this community the first thing people want is to see pictures.....:-D If the little one I have with a bad attitude starts doing damage I'll have to dedicate a thred just to that one!

Not really sure what to say other then work with her to slim her down, and maybe cut her back slowly off the food instead of cold turkey.

Human dieters need "cheat day" why not ball pythons

[bearhart]

Alright, so my gal had gotten quite chunky during my absence, and I have since managed to get permission to house my ball up here with me so I can watch over her much better now. Well... I've been knocked her down to a jumbo mouse last week instead 2 (petco) adult mice (which are not really even adults). She now gets around 3/4ths the meal size as she did prior, and I believe that should be of good size for the time being. I mean... she was starting to get fat rolls, and thats very much a no bueno. The thing now is... she's ALWAYS in hunt mode... she's striking at me even when I get too close to the cage. it's not anger strikes... you can tell she's hunting me by her poise... She went from the most docile animal in the world to a snake straight out of those rediculous anaconda movies... Yet, I have a hard time believing that i'm starving her... I guess she just really likes her mice.

my question is... has anyone else noticed a change in temperment when they try to curb a snakes weight? I imagine she'll calm down in a bit, but man... it's actually kinda fun. It keeps me on my toes.

I've put both my BP and JCP on diets lately. My JCP because of inactivity and my BP because of fat pockets developing on his sides towards his tail. I have found that it most definately gets them a little more wound.

I have experienced your exact situation with my BP. He has always been completely docile except when he's dispatching rodents. Recently, I switched from feeding out of cage to feeding in cage and I got exactly the change in personality you did. I don't personally think it's fun. But that's entirely a matter of personal opinion.

However, if you feed in-cage, you might try feeding in a separate enclosure for a a month or two and just see what happens. In my case, quitting in-cage feeding stopped all strike-poses and tracking within 3 feeds. It might be something that might make dieting a little less "dangerous". With the current diet, mine displays the desire to eat by spending more time out "hunting" and generally making himself available to be taken out. He does not sit in his tank in 'S' shape waiting to tag the next thing that comes in like he started to when I fed in-cage.

Anway, just a suggestion of something to try if you're interested. I still feed mine in-cage now and again if I'm in a hurry. I'm finding that feeding out-of-cage 75+% of the time really minimizes the behavior you describe. As far as my JCP goes, I don't bother. I feed him in-cage all the time because docility isn't a big value for me in his case.

Cheers!