Acting strange

Hi All,

Sorry, this is going to be a little long. Here's the story:

I have a ball python that my wife got me (as a baby) for Christmas 2 years ago. I don't know if she's a boy or a girl, but we named her Maxine just for giggles.

I've never had any trouble with Maxine at all (I had a wild-caught king snake back in high school...much more difficult to deal with), she (generic term) eats well, tolerates handling, cage cleanings, etc with no problems.

About a month ago, Maxine started pushing against the top of her cage in an attempt to get out. It's become progressively worse, she's begun striking the top of the cage and pushing against the mesh that her heat lamp sits on. I'm concerned she's going to burn her nose or get caught underneath it.

I have her set up in a clear Rubbermaid tub with a heat lamp on top and Aspen bedding. The hot side of her cage usually runs around 90 & the cool side usually around 80. Humidity is around 50%. This is the same setup I've used since I got her almost 2 years ago. She has a hide on the cool side of the cage where she hangs out most of the time.

We handle her every few days or so, and take her outside with us sometimes when we go out. Nothing has changed in the last month, so I'm confused about what brought on this behavior.

She's about 2 years old now, so could this be a breeding issue?

either something has changed in her cage that has her stressed. Or your snake is a female and is hungry, getting ready for breeding season.

Hi All,

I posted this in the "general BP" forum before realizing that I probably should have posted it here. Here's the story, sorry it's a little long.

I have a ball python that my wife got me (as a baby) for Christmas 2 years ago. I don't know if she's a boy or a girl, but we named her Maxine just for giggles.

I've never had any trouble with Maxine other than a couple of bad sheds (I had a wild-caught king snake back in high school...much more difficult to deal with). She (generic term) eats well, tolerates handling, cage cleanings, etc. with no problems.

About a month ago, Maxine started pushing against the lid of her cage in an attempt to get out. It's become progressively worse, she's begun striking the lid and pushing against the mesh that her heat lamp sits on. I'm concerned she's going to burn her nose or get caught underneath it.

I have her set up in a large, clear Rubbermaid tub with a heat lamp on top and Aspen bedding. The hot side of her cage usually runs around 90 & the cool side usually around 80. Humidity is around 50%. This is the same setup I've used since I got her almost 2 years ago. She has a hide on the cool side of the cage where she hangs out most of the time.

We handle her every few days or so, and take her outside with us sometimes when we go out. She eats F/T rats every 2 weeks or so. Nothing has changed in the last month, so I'm confused about what brought on this behavior.

Maxine is about 2 years old now. Could this be a breeding issue?

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Welcome :)