Very moody BP - any insight appreciated

Ive had him for goin on 8 months. I got him when he was 3 months old. He was super docile up until 2.5 months ago. Over night, he turned into a maniac. He was shedding and all but his head and face had shed and I still picked him up the night before he went mad, and he was fine... then next day he was out of his hides and a female friend looked in at him and he just started striking everywhere. He couldnt see still but was like wildly jumping at whatever. his face finally finished (this was his worse shed) and is back to normal since but hes very moody. I test his moods by touching him. Sometimes hes totally quiet and just looks up and puts his face under his body but doesnt ball. Sometimes ill touch him and he will hiss so I pull back then touch him again and he will either be quiet or hisses louder. Then again... louder. Ok not today I think. Others hes totally for it. Hes been extremely active at night too, he actually thinks hes a spider (a real spider) he climbs the plastic in his enclosure like it were stairs. Sometimes hes cool, and then an hour later hes on a rampage. Hes healthy and is a healthy eater. I know its not recommended but he eats out of my hands. Even sometimes after he eats hes rabid. Sometimes he just lays there and doesnt care and others hes very aggressive. Never bitten me but I see and hear him strike as I walk by.

My '07 ball has been moody in the last month and has even bitten someone (offensively, not defensively). He's calmed a little but still runs out from his hide ready to strike any time he hears a noise. I've heard a few people suggest it has something to do with the breeding season.

It sounds to me like he is stressed out. This could be caused by environmental issues, such as: improper heating, cage size, hides to large, and cage too visibly open. Fixing these issues should solve the issue. It may also be a good idea to use a hook to remove him from his enclosure. Once out they normally calm down immediately.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Derteufel

Hes been extremely active at night too, he actually thinks hes a spider (a real spider) he climbs the plastic in his enclosure like it were stairs.

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sounds like hes trying to find a way out of that enclosure. there must be something thats causing him stress that you need to fix husbandry-wise. like Eddie said, temperature, humidity, security, size of enclosure(too big/too small) double check everything.

also check for mites.

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Originally Posted by aweve124

My '07 ball has been moody in the last month and has even bitten someone (offensively, not defensively). He's calmed a little but still runs out from his hide ready to strike any time he hears a noise. I've heard a few people suggest it has something to do with the breeding season.

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He does exactly this. Ill be up at the top of his enclosure and make a noise and out comes his head "Who goes there! damm kids get off my lawn!"

He's only 8 months old, it's not because of breeding season.

Check for mites, check all your husbandry, and give him about 2 weeks of alone time, then start handling him a little then ultimately regularly. My adult male has be viscious lately and I found the best cure for him has been handling more frequently as he doesn't hiss as much now.

Humidity and temp are good, it had heated up a bit during July but I was able to keep it pretty much constant. I suspected something stressing him but in the day hes fine, i mean hes not active, and not every night is he trying to climb the wallsbut when he does he gets places I cant beleive. He spends most of his time by the water bowl, just layin on the rim.

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

He's only 8 months old, it's not because of breeding season.

Check for mites, check all your husbandry, and give him about 2 weeks of alone time, then start handling him a little then ultimately regularly. My adult male has be viscious lately and I found the best cure for him has been handling more frequently as he doesn't hiss as much now.

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i left him alone for a month while his face shed, took forever (ive since increased humidty slightly and the last 2 sheds where fine). then I resumed taking him out. At first he was jumpy but by the 2nd and 3rd day of handling him he seemd to totally calm down. Then one day, over night, back to crazy. hiisssss! He never hissed before, now he nearly growls. Then the next day hes totally fine.

Perhaps it's how you are going in to get him. Or maybe you're waking him up and he doesn't like it. It could be that he's just become a grumpy snake, or maybe he has some internal parasites that are bothering him :/

I want to thank you guys, I dont mean to sound like im arguing.

Its the same enclosure since I got him, hes since about doubled in size about 26" long now estimated but the enclosure is fairly large. its fairly high, about 25" and is 22" deep and 36" long. Two hides one at each end, he fits snuggly into one and the other is a little larger. I really appears to me one night he just went berserk.

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

Perhaps it's how you are going in to get him. Or maybe you're waking him up and he doesn't like it. It could be that he's just become a grumpy snake, or maybe he has some internal parasites that are bothering him :/

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Its not just when I reach in. Im not sudden though and I havent cahnged the way I do it since I got him. I guess I should try a different techniwue though just to see. At night when hes active ill walk over and he immediately gets offensive, but not everytime. Some times he just stops and then goes about it others (rarely) he winds up and hides. Sometimes ill make a noise up top and this grump old man face snake juts out.

Just a phase like a 13 year old? does that even happen? I know they usually mellow out when they get older but do I have a monster?

It's entirely possible that it's a phase. Or perhaps he just thinks you smell bad. It could be anything, really.

I thought of that too, I showered. could be anything, I know but WTH one night hes a kitty cat and the next hes a zombie from 28 days later.

I use infrared and natural sunlight in the day and at night one infrared and one blacklight, just because I have the bulb. He has consatant clean water and I clean his cage, news paper and disinfect it every 2 weeks. He looks good and is a good size (weight).

Hes a very healthy eater, will only eat live. He spits FT out if he takes it at all. This might sound like hes starving but he will eat any time anywhere (on feeding day) as long as its not too bright. he likes very low light. He doesnt need warmup or gettin in to it. I pull the hide off him and within a minute hes ready to go CHOMP.

Do you have all the sides of your tank covered? Have you seen him actually soaking in his water bowl? Are you using an UTH, along with a dimmer or thermostat?

You need to give us a better description of your husbandy. Temps might be fine I you but they could be all wrong. What kind of thermometers are you using? How are you heating the enclosure? What kind of hides are you using? What substrate? How often do you feed him and what sized prey item?

It sounds like this snake is stressed out. How often do you try to handle him?

Elise, covered on 2 sides, 2 sides are open but its not see through, not glass or clear plastic. No UTH, hes off the ground off any surface for UTH. Ive seen him soak though he rarely puts his entire body in, at least from what ive seen.

Kaorte: What?, Infrared lighting for heat execpt for an occasional blacklight, news paper. Feed him once a week, not too big not too small. Used to handle him 5 days a week for 5 - 15 minutes a day. I left him a lone for about a month after the hard shed and the to let him alone after the first episode and now its hot or miss. For the last 2 weeks maybe 3 times.

I should add member of the forum, Brett, lives in my building and agrees things seem right. hes just moody.

that is precicely not helpful. What size prey item? Hopper, fuzzy, adult mouse, rat weanling, small rat. You could not be feeding him enough.

What kind of thermometers are you using and what do they read? What kind of hides does he have? Describe them.

What do you mean he is off the ground for a uth?

Well not using an UTH can irritate him if you handle him too soon after eating. Belly heat helps them digest their food, so if you're using a lamp he might take longer to digest. If you have a spare $45, I would invest in a UTH and a thermostat.

Hi Elise, I dont handle him for 26 - 30 hours after eating. He is warm all all times though (pick him up and hes warm) hes off the cold floor and the enclosure is plastic. Its not the money for a UTH its how Ive set him up. Hes very warm but well hydrated and its any day though he does seem to be least irritable the night before feeding. Ill need more time to confirm this.

Kaorte, what is your native langauge? maybe I speak it and we can talk, I dont think we are undestanding eachother. He eats small to medium size adult mice. He is a good weight for his lenght. The hides are bark. I dont remember what kind of wood but its not a scented wood. "What do you mean he is off the ground for a uth?" What do you mean what do I mean? Hes not on a flat surface, the enclosure is not on a flat solid surface.

Hey Elise, the temp is no lower than 80* at night and 95 - 98 max in the day. I might cut down the lighting and get an UTH to try but hes been this way for almost 8 months with no issues.

There was on thing that happend around the time... I live on the top floor 80 ft off the ground in an old office building built in the 00's. 1907. Had a mosquito problem. One night I moved him out of the loft and had it sprayed and came back 30 minutes later. There werent any fumes and I followed the procedures but could this have made him sick? mad? hehehe. this was in July about 1 - 2 weeks before he started goind insane.

My native language is English. I assume yours is not since you don't seen to understand what I am asking.

Do you know the snakes weight? He should be eating 10-15% of his body weight. If he is 8 months old then he should be eating small rats, not small mice.

Are the hides half log hides? If so, they do not provide enough security for the snake. He needs small rock cave like hides with a small opening. He should fit snugly on all sides (including the top).

Your temps should not fluctuate. It should be 92-94* on the hotspot at all times. Any more than 95*F could burn or COOK your snake. Ambient air temps should be more than 75*F but not more than 85*F. You should be measuring temps with a digital thermometer with a probe. Stick on or gague thermometers are horribly inaccurate.

Spraying for bugs could have caused some neurological damage.

You really should get a UTH. Lamps, as you may have noticed, tend to kill humidity and cause bad sheds. A UTH must be used with a thermostat. This is a device that directly controls how hot the UTH gets.

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Originally Posted by Derteufel

I want to thank you guys, I dont mean to sound like im arguing.

Its the same enclosure since I got him, hes since about doubled in size about 26" long now estimated but the enclosure is fairly large. its fairly high, about 25" and is 22" deep and 36" long. Two hides one at each end, he fits snuggly into one and the other is a little larger. I really appears to me one night he just went berserk.

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Get rid of the lamps and get a smaller enclosure.
That sounds like a 3ft x 2ft enclosure, way too big for a ball that's not a large breeder female IMO.
Take a picture of your cage so we can help you further, chances are, there are things you are missing.

I guess our pythons arent the only ones getting moody. :D

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Originally Posted by Derteufel

Hi Elise, I dont handle him for 26 - 30 hours after eating. He is warm all all times though (pick him up and hes warm) hes off the cold floor and the enclosure is plastic. Its not the money for a UTH its how Ive set him up. Hes very warm but well hydrated and its any day though he does seem to be least irritable the night before feeding. Ill need more time to confirm this.

Kaorte, what is your native langauge? maybe I speak it and we can talk, I dont think we are undestanding eachother. He eats small to medium size adult mice. He is a good weight for his lenght. The hides are bark. I dont remember what kind of wood but its not a scented wood. "What do you mean he is off the ground for a uth?" What do you mean what do I mean? Hes not on a flat surface, the enclosure is not on a flat solid surface.

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Don't get defensive, Kaorte is correct on being confused. Many of my cages are off the ground and have UTHs. You use foil tape, or if you have to, the adhesive on the UTH itself.
Also, I recommend waiting at least 48 hours after feeding to handle him, especially without a UTH for proper belly heat digestion.

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Originally Posted by Derteufel

Hey Elise, the temp is no lower than 80* at night and 95 - 98 max in the day. I might cut down the lighting and get an UTH to try but hes been this way for almost 8 months with no issues.

There was on thing that happend around the time... I live on the top floor 80 ft off the ground in an old office building built in the 00's. 1907. Had a mosquito problem. One night I moved him out of the loft and had it sprayed and came back 30 minutes later. There werent any fumes and I followed the procedures but could this have made him sick? mad? hehehe. this was in July about 1 - 2 weeks before he started goind insane.

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98 is way too hot and 80 is a bit on the colder side. You need exact temperatures on both sides of the cage. It should be about 80-85F on the cool side and 90-95F on the warm side. You need some good thermometers with probes (digital, dial is useless) to read these temperatures or a good temp gun. The ambient air temperature should never drop below 80F.

I doubt the spray was bad unless it mentions something on the bottle about it.

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Originally Posted by Derteufel

Elise, covered on 2 sides, 2 sides are open but its not see through, not glass or clear plastic. No UTH, hes off the ground off any surface for UTH. Ive seen him soak though he rarely puts his entire body in, at least from what ive seen.

Kaorte: What?, Infrared lighting for heat execpt for an occasional blacklight, news paper. Feed him once a week, not too big not too small. Used to handle him 5 days a week for 5 - 15 minutes a day. I left him a lone for about a month after the hard shed and the to let him alone after the first episode and now its hot or miss. For the last 2 weeks maybe 3 times.

I should add member of the forum, Brett, lives in my building and agrees things seem right. hes just moody.

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Blacklight is dangerous, do not ever use it on any reptile.
What is your humidity in the cage? With heat lamps, I highly doubt your able to keep the humidity at a stable 60-70% unless your spraying the cage 3x a day.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

My native language is English. I assume yours is not since you don't seen to understand what I am asking.

Do you know the snakes weight? He should be eating 10-15% of his body weight. If he is 8 months old then he should be eating small rats, not small mice.

Are the hides half log hides? If so, they do not provide enough security for the snake. He needs small rock cave like hides with a small opening. He should fit snugly on all sides (including the top).

Your temps should not fluctuate. It should be 92-94* on the hotspot at all times. Any more than 95*F could burn or COOK your snake. Ambient air temps should be more than 75*F but not more than 85*F. You should be measuring temps with a digital thermometer with a probe. Stick on or gague thermometers are horribly inaccurate.

Spraying for bugs could have caused some neurological damage.

You really should get a UTH. Lamps, as you may have noticed, tend to kill humidity and cause bad sheds. A UTH must be used with a thermostat. This is a device that directly controls how hot the UTH gets.

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Well your spelling mistakes and bad grammar were an indication. English is my first, but I speak several others well. Not using stick on, I know about them, and the humidity can be sucked out by lamps. Hes had one bad, not terrible, but bad enough shed where his head, just his head wouldnt finish. Ive fixed that. Are you sure he could have neuro damage? It seems very possible but how often has anyone heard of this happening?

ah black crystal, I feed Saturday, dont touch him until Mondya afternoon / evening at the earlist. Sorry im not skilled at math today.

The highest its ever been is 98* and that was during the hottest pint in summer. Its generall 90 - 93* indicated. Its a pretty constant 80 - 81* on the cool side. Nothing on the spray that said it was hrmful to pets, and we vacated for long after the recommended time. Ambient temp does drop below 80*.

I could never get a clear answr about black lights, I have one that I use occasionally if ambient temps drop too low, ill stop. humidity is low to mid 60%. I dont think its ever been above 68% but I do spray the cage 2 - 5 times. No joke. After the 3 before the last shed I raised the humidity. His body shed quickly but his face hadnt forever, indluding his eyes. The last 2 sheds went well. Ill stop the black light and kep an eye on the rest you mentioned.

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Originally Posted by Derteufel

Well your spelling mistakes and bad grammar were an indication. English is my first, but I speak several others well. Not using stick on, I know about them, and the humidity can be sucked out by lamps. Hes had one bad, not terrible, but bad enough shed where his head, just his head wouldnt finish. Ive fixed that. Are you sure he could have neuro damage? It seems very possible but how often has anyone heard of this happening?

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Well first of all, I was typing on my Ipod which likes to auto correct my words and make them not make sense.

Second of all, you think my grammar and spelling is bad? No offense but I could barely read your posts.

Okay, so if you aren't using stick on thermometers, what kind are you using and where are they placed in the tank?.

I am not sure about the neurological damage, I just said it could be possible. I don't see why it couldn't happen though. It is a very small animal and even a small amount of inhalation could mess him up.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well first of all, I was typing on my Ipod which likes to auto correct my words and make them not make sense.

Second of all, you think my grammar and spelling is bad? No offense but I could barely read your posts.

Okay, so if you aren't using stick on thermometers, what kind are you using and where are they placed in the tank?.

I am not sure about the neurological damage, I just said it could be possible. I don't see why it couldn't happen though. It is a very small animal and even a small amount of inhalation could mess him up.

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First of all, dont expect your readers to know this. second of all thanks for your input, Balckcrystal has been most helpful. But thank you.

I just woke up from a nap, sorry for not responding.

Something we normally expect for posters to know if what is in their snakes tank. What kind of thermometers, how are you measuring your humidity, etc... You did/didn't put these things in your reptiles tank, after all.

Like Blackcrystal said, don't handle him for at least 48 hours after eating. This is recommended when using proper heating, an UTH. Like I've stated before, belly heat helps them digest, so as long as they have the proper temperatures 48 hours is the "don't handle your snake" time. Being that yours has only a heat lamp, he might take a little longer. Putting myself in the snakes shoes, if someone consistently held me while I was trying to digest food, I would get fed up with it. Digesting for them takes alot of energy.

I could assume (just assuming) that a BP can live in improper conditions for a certain amount of time before it causes them to stress out. Your snake will change over time. Maybe he's just handling his stress a little different, all snakes are different.

Also, for future reference, if your snake has a bad shed you can put him into a damp pillow case for 15 mins and help him shed it off. I just did this with mine, and even though she wasn't too happy with me at first, she eventually realized I wasn't going to stop and just let me take most of the shed off her head.

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Originally Posted by Elise.m

I just woke up from a nap, sorry for not responding.

Something we normally expect for posters to know if what is in their snakes tank. What kind of thermometers, how are you measuring your humidity, etc... You did/didn't put these things in your reptiles tank, after all.

Like Blackcrystal said, don't handle him for at least 48 hours after eating. This is recommended when using proper heating, an UTH. Like I've stated before, belly heat helps them digest, so as long as they have the proper temperatures 48 hours is the "don't handle your snake" time. Being that yours has only a heat lamp, he might take a little longer. Putting myself in the snakes shoes, if someone consistently held me while I was trying to digest food, I would get fed up with it. Digesting for them takes alot of energy.

I could assume (just assuming) that a BP can live in improper conditions for a certain amount of time before it causes them to stress out. Your snake will change over time. Maybe he's just handling his stress a little different, all snakes are different.

Also, for future reference, if your snake has a bad shed you can put him into a damp pillow case for 15 mins and help him shed it off. I just did this with mine, and even though she wasn't too happy with me at first, she eventually realized I wasn't going to stop and just let me take most of the shed off her head.

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hey Elise, I know what exactly whats in it. There are more posts here that you might have wanted to read back but I wait until after 48 hours. feed saturday afternoon and I dont touch him until monday late afternoon at the latest.

I used a sheet last time a sheet but same thing huh, thank you. Its kind of frusterating when people assume that you know nothing... its like say you call for tech support on your computer and the tech asks if its turned on or plugged in. Blackcrystal was the only thing that made sense to the situation and yours. The eather has heated up lately and I came home and kept an eye on him for a few hours. He was totally fine today and I think BC hit it, its a little too hot too often. kind of explains why its not everyday hes raging. I took him out today and while he doesnt feel dry I think its the heat. Also coincides with when it started late July. Its been hot in L.A.

Ive got everything, Ive got friends who are on here that raise reptiles, its all there. One of those things that needed an extra pair of eyes. Guess I was looking for something more difficult. ill not use the black light however rare I used it and turn the heat down.

This is turning into a huge argument lol.. Easy way to solve this put up some pics of your inclosure your thermos! And correct everything that everyone has told you. Someone on here ( probably not me ) Will be able to tell you why your bp is acting the way he is. Im relativly new but i keep my 3 in a rack setup which i feel is 10 times easier to keep temps and humidity where they need to be!

hey srtaylor, things seem to be fine now. While hes not dried out it appears it may have been the heat. I turned it down and took him out last night to clean and he was totally mellow, and last night he wasnt climbing the walls. Ill need to not assume the temps are right because they were right as is for 3 weeks prior and be more conscious of the weather and ambient temps. I just movd to the top floor 100ft off the ground and it is considerably more humid and hot and those temps dont seem to flucuate as much as my old spot several stories down. Its a new dynamic. But BC and Elise pretty much nailed it. Heat. so simple.

Ok been watching the temps, nothing really out of the ordinary. Hes still hydrated and still appears healthy. I talked to a friend with years of reptile experience and it being this is the first young one ive had he mentioned something I hadnt known. He said they usually calm down as they mature, that because they have a better cahnce of survival in the wild when they are grown, that they are programmed to get there fast as they can in a sense. That right now, everything is is food, and I should try feeding him more. Ive been feeding him med size adult mice. Hes seen my BP and does not recomend rats, but he said get very large mice and see how he does. He is still at a good weight though. Last week I fed him two small adults one after the other and couple days later hes a bit mellow-er. Ill see how this goes.

it would still be good to know what kind of thermometers/hydrometers you're using to measure the temps and humidity.

the reason for this is because the analog dial ones can be off by more than 10 degrees in either direction and the stick on tape ones are made to measure water temperature, not air temperature.

Just to let you know.