queen

my 3 year old normal always in a ball, like somone said before, they are BALL PYTHONs so when they are in a ball, its just a defense mechanism. My ball is almost always in a ball form. Totally normal. I would think different if they werent in a ball most the time. That is what there hides are for. so they can ball up and be safe feeling. when your ball is not balling up, thats when you should worry.:banana:

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Originally Posted by Faber

And that water bowl thing is halarious, the snake got all of the water out?

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Yes, yes he did LOL. I actually thought he was soaking at first which he has never done, atleast that I am aware of. However, when I approached his tank I realized everything was soaking wet and he had dumped the entire bowl out so he could chill in it......sigh.

He sure did make sure his head was 'hiding' under that vine leaf though LOL.

I'll try and post a picture tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by shannoncope

my bp has folded herself up like cake batter into a bowl....and she looks lumpy....she is also hiding her head is something wrong with her please help

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If she doesn't have a dark, safe place to hide, such as an overturned Kleenex box or a commercially available box, she is hiding. Having water on all sides of them makes them feel safe; even if there isn't water in the bowl, they feel safer there than out in the open.

If she does have suitable hide boxes, there may be something wrong. The most common problem that may cause a snake to sit in its water dish for long periods of time is mites. Check her thoroughly for any tiny black dots that move. If you aren't sure if it's a mite, try to wipe it off. If there is a trail of blood, it is a mite.

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she also opens her mouth wide alot what's up with that, i know it sounds so first grade but hey like i said this is new for us

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This is one of three things; yawning, open-mouth breathing, or star-gazing.

Yawning, surprisingly enough, is common in snakes. They have organs on the top of their mouth called Jacobson's organs that "smell" the surrounding air. A snake placed in a new environment may "yawn" to pick up the scents (this works much better than using their tongues). Snakes will also yawn after a meal to reset their jaws. Yawning is perfectly normal, nothing to worry about.

As you say she opens her mouth wide, I doubt she is open-mouth breathing; she would open her mouth slightly and keep it open. Open-mouth breathing is a tell-tale symptom of a RI (respiratory infection).

As for star-gazing, I highly doubt it. Star-gazing is a symptom of IBDV (inclusion body disease virus), which is a very rare disease that kills a snake very slowly. "Star-gazing" is when a snake opens their mouth very wide and tilts their head upwards, as if they are looking at the stars. They may remain like this for extended periods of time.


I would assume that she is yawning, unless there is mucous around her nose, eyes, and / or mouth, in which case she probably has a RI.