Stargazing?

My bp just ate and his postffeeding behavior has been really strange. He drank a lot of water and then kept lifting his head up and opening and closing his mouth. He made his way into his hide so I figured things were fine but the next time I looked over he had his head extended and raised and resting on the side of his tank. When I went over quietly to take a picture to post here he went backwards quickly into his hide. As I look over now he is back to raising his head and opening and closing his mouth. I'm terrified of it being IBD and would really appreciate some insight.

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That's normal. Readjusting their jaws. My boople and Odyn do this.

Stargazing is usually when they focus on a light or other object and almost get into a trance.

Is he your only pet? How long have you had him? Did you recently get a new pet?

I am not a really experienced owner but I'll give you the information I have:

1. If you have had your ball python for more than two months and have not gotten yourself a new pet, then I really doubt that he has IBD. Ball python die quickly if they have IBD (as far as I know they die within a few weeks) while Boas can have the illness for a long time (many years) without displaying any symptoms.

2. "He drank a lot of water and then kept lifting his head up and opening and closing his mouth."
I don't know why he drank a lot of water but the head lifting is normal. The opening and closing of the mouth (like yawning) could just be him trying to relocate his jaw.

3. "(…)the next time I looked over he had his head extended and raised and resting on the side of his tank."
If he is a Spider or a Spider morph (Killerbee, Queenbee, etc.) he is likely to stargaze sometimes but you shouldn't worry too much. Even healthy, normal ball pythons do it sometimes.
When I got my ball python (Bumblebee) I was so worried because he stargazed (he still does it once a month) that I even contacted a doctor and he told me that my ball was fine. It's been four months since then and he's doing well.

4. It might be a sign that your ball python is stressed. Maybe there's something up with the husbandry?

Ball pythons that have IBD do not only stargaze but they also fall down due to neurological malfunctioning. They will tilt their heads. Sometimes they get seizures and/or the last part of their body is paralysed. Most of them will refuse to eat.

Thank you so much for your response!!! He is my first and only BP. I've had him about a year, hes a normal, and this is unusual behavior. He was back under his hide as of the most recent time I checked on him which is good [emoji106] I looked up videos of IBD and the way these snakes were behaving was different. He didnt seem to have any difficulty balancing and wasnt leaning back. As of right now I'm crossing my fingers that it was just periscoping and will keep an eye out for more serious symptoms. Again, thank you so much that was very helpful!!!

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