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BP almost breaking neck.

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  • 11-07-2013, 12:19 AM
    LBbp
    BP almost breaking neck.
    Just wondering if any other BP's do this. My snake when im holding him will go straight up with his head then go back with it going upside down then his head neck/head will kinda like fall around back to normal. He does it quite often and over and over sometimes. Its really weird ive had 10 snakes through out my years and none do this. If any of you all have instagram Add me @travisrobinson and ill put a vid of it up. I always try to support his head with my hand. But hell take off straight up in the air and make like a roller coaster loop with his head and neck. It cracks me up but at the same time makes me wonder if he is a little
    brain dead haha. Reminds me of a snake that just got chopped in half. Btw i had a guy tell me infrared lighting was all BP's needed and no day time lights. That you could run red bulbs 24hrs for heat and theyll
    be fine because there nocturnal. Any truth to this? I currently run day night bulbs. 12 hour cycle. But just wondering about that.
  • 11-07-2013, 12:48 AM
    The Serpent Merchant
    Your BP isn't a spider morph or a combo that includes spider is it?

    BP's don't need any supplemental lighting. All you need to do is provide proper cage temperatures/humidity. If red bulbs can do that then that's all your BP needs.
  • 11-07-2013, 12:49 AM
    Pythonfriend
    pictures would help a lot.

    is it a kink? or is it a spider doing what spiders do? right now, no way to tell.
  • 11-07-2013, 01:06 AM
    angllady2
    It sounds to me like you are describing the very common "spider wobble". Any ball python with the spider gene will do this to varying degrees.

    However, overheating can also cause brain damage that results in the same thing. While the spider wobble is well known and harmless for the most part, if your snake does not have spider in it, I would immediately suspect overheating and I'd be all over the enclosure to find out how it happened and prevent it from happening again. Very rarely, exposure to chemicals or chemical vapors can also cause this problem. But unless you have exposed your snake to harsh cleaners or solvents in the enclosure or nearby where it was forced to breathe the vapors for a prolonged time, I can't imagine that is the cause.

    Has the snake always done this or is this a recent development? If this is a young snake, or newly purchased and carries spider in it, that is almost certainly your answer. if this is an older animal, or one you have had for a while and you have never seen this, then it may be time to look into possible other causes.

    Gale
  • 11-07-2013, 06:24 AM
    Naom9Anne
    I was looking into the spider wobble on google yesterday as I'm possibly getting a spider myself. There are some good videos on youtube which seem to describe what you're experiencing. I second these guys, a spider/spider combo morph may have this wobble and it is a genetic "fault" (for lack of a better word). Maybe have a quick google like I did if your BP is a spider and it may put your mind to rest. It tends to happen during stress or excitement (e.g. feeding) from what I have read.

    Sorry if this is a bit useless, I know "google it" may not be the best way to give advice :P
  • 11-07-2013, 07:47 PM
    LBbp
    I have a lesser bee. So im guessing I have the spider wobble. It is a younger snake I got him
    last weekend at an expo. I hope he grows out of this. Temps/humid is fine.
  • 11-07-2013, 07:50 PM
    LBbp
    I wouldve googled it but I had no idea where to start with this one or what it was called. He does seem to get excited when im holding him. Hes very curious about stuff. And he wont stay still when im holding him. He never stays in his ball when I get him out.
  • 11-07-2013, 07:54 PM
    LBbp
    He never does this in his cage or anything else. Only during holding. And he acts like a normal snake other then the wobble.
  • 11-07-2013, 08:01 PM
    Archimedes
    All spider combos have the wobble, and as long as it isn't severe enough to inhibit feeding, they live perfectly normal, if occasionally goofy-looking, lives. It comes out more when they're excited or stressed, so just stay calm during handling and he won't hurt himself, haha.

    Sent from my Huawei Y301A1 using Tapatalk
  • 11-07-2013, 08:27 PM
    LBbp
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