Something wrong with baby ball?

I recently purchased a spider ball a few days ago. She was shedding and seemed to be having a little problem, so I rubbed her down with some Shed-Aid and the old skin came away as I did so. She was shedding when I got her, so when I did, I just put her into her cage with a heat mat, hide, log to rub on, and water. Now as I take her out to explore with her pretty new skin, she's acting VERY strange.

She's moving with her head tilted to the side, and always the same side. I looked, and can't see anything wrong with either side, no remaining old skin or anything like that. Before she shed, it seemed like she was moving fine, but again, I tried not to mess with her too much to avoid stressing her more than she already was.

Now what? Help!

Possibly, it is one of two things. First, it may be that you snake has a "wobble", which is a neurological condition that appears in some spiders, and can range from leaning their head to the side up to full corck-screwing of their head. Apparently, stress causes it to get worse at times and also some members have said that as their snakes got older, the "wobbles" were reduced or went away entirely.
The second possible cause is over heating caused by your temps being too high. What are your Temps? And how are you heating the tank? And are you using a controlling device?...


Rob

I'm using a cobra heat mat. On the box, it says that it regulates the temperature by measuring the temperature of the surrounding air. It barely feels warm to me, and I've used the same thing for my now adult blood in the past.

I guess this is why I got her so cheap for only 200. She seemed fine the other day, so maybe it is just stress that causes the 'wobbles' flare ups? She's also a little underweight, but she pooped last night while rubbing the shed-aide into her skin, so I guess that's a sign that she does eat.


EDIT- I have a digital camera that takes videos. Would it help if I took a video of her movement? Also, it worries me that she takes a lot longer to flip herself if I put her on her back than any of my other snakes, 2 bloods and 2 balls. Is that part of the wobbles? And is wobbles genetic?

Here is what I found out about Cobra Heat Mats. It says they are designed to maintain an approximate temperature of 100 degrees, which means it could fluctuate to over 100 if unregulated. Since our body temp is 98.6, while that will feel slightly warm to us, that can be lethal to a snake who only needs around 91 degrees. I kind of equate it to the effects that a 105 deg fever has on a human. The best thing I can recommend regarding this is getting some controlling devices i.e. thermostat, rheostat, or lamp dimmer, and, if you don't already have one, I would recommend a temp gun to check the surface temps off your enclosures.
As far as the "wobbles" go. Yes, it is genetic. Hope this helps...


Rob

Alright, I'll go dig up my temp gun, I've got one somewhere, and I'll do some more research on wobbles. I hope she'll be okay. Thanks for your help!

I did take a video of her movement, if anyone wants to see.

Yes, posting the video will help. What I know about the "wobbles" is only what I have learned on this forum. Hopefully some of the Spider owners will jump in and explain it a little better. You may also try using the "Search" function at the top of the page to find previous threads on the "Wobbles"...


Rob

Sounds like a little bit of a wobble. Nothing to worry about, its just something that crops up in spiders. As long as she eats, sheds, poops, and grows they are just like everyother Ball Python they just get around a little different.

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I'm using a cobra heat mat. On the box, it says that it regulates the temperature by measuring the temperature of the surrounding air. It barely feels warm to me, and I've used the same thing for my now adult blood in the past.

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To you, you need to remember that YOUR body temps is 98 degrees therefore something that has a similar temps would seem barely warm to you, while already too warm for a hot spot for your BP

You need a thermostat to regulate your temps, unregulated heat mat can reach temps of 100-120 degrees or more, andif you heat mat over heat since it is not controlled it can lead to neurological problems and or burns.

Temps need to be controlled and measured, to measure them you need a temp gun or a digital thermometer (not analog) and the temp must be measured right on the heat source.

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so maybe it is just stress that causes the 'wobbles' flare ups?

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Yes spinning can get accentuated due to stress.

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And is wobbles genetic?

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http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...pider+spinning

Much more an be found using the search function.

Thanks for the information, everyone! I feel a lot better knowing that she isn't going to die on me. I'm already attatched, even if I haven't thought of a name yet.


For those that want to see her, here she is. She looks underweight to me, but she took a F/T small mouse today, better than my normal normal BP!

To get her back to her normal weight, how much should I be feeding her? I've had to get my bloods up to weight, but I'm terrified of hurting her, she seems so tiny and fragile!

Here's the link.

YouTube - Female Spider Ball Python With Wobbles?

Yep, she is a spinner. Mine does something similair.

Sometimes they grow out of it with age, but it shouldn't affect her health at all...she is just "different" lol. :giggle: