acting very weird still

ever since i changed his substrate to cypress mulch he has seemed really stressed. i dont understand whats going on with him. he wont go in his hides. he usually stays in there for days. should i buy another UTH that is bigger than what i have.

What were you using prior?

it was orchid bark. he went as far as pushing through the mesh screen where there was a very small hole. and he pushed through it and escaped. but luckily i found him quickly

Why did you change him to cypress mulch, now? Did I miss the start of your story?

i asked on here what would hold humidity better. and someone on this site said cypress mulch was good. so i picked some up. he may be hungry.... and isnt there breeding season coming up soon. he is really active

Exactly how humid do you have it/are you trying to get it? Covering part of the screen lid and using plain aspen has always worked for me w tanks

well im just trying to keep the humidty kept up. instead of it going up and down. i already have plastic on one side of the tank. he keeps trying to get out. he is not doing what he usually does. do u think he is just hungry or stressed out about something. i know my UTH is not as big as my hide. should i invest in another UTH that is bigger.... i just dont know why he is so dang active.

he is prolly stressed about the new substrate. he prolly doesnt like it. my girl is pretty picky about her substrate. how often do u feed? how old is ur BP?

i feed every 5 days. and he was born november of 08. so he is a little over a year. he is kinda acting like he does when he is ready to eat. he is just going back and forth around his cage and poking at the top of the screen. he may hate the new substrate. does that mean i should switch back to what i was using before or just leave it in there and see if he gets use to it. or does it sound like he may be hungry

if ur feeding an appropriate size then he shouldnt be hungry. what r u feeding?

last time i fed him it was 2 small rats. but that was like a week ago

hes prolly just freakin out cuz the new setup then. different smells and feel and everything. a new substrate will change ur heat and humidity so make sure that ok first. u can leave him alone for a week and let him get used to it or if he doesnt settle in after a few days switch back. i went to newspaper and im about to build a rack n go to tubs.

do you think thats why he is trying to get out??? and my UTH is on a termostat. so the temps are good. and i have a humidty gage. and thats good too

well how r u measuring ur temps?? u want to make sure ur getting accurate readings

i dont have a temp gun or anything. i just set my therm on the hot side. and run off that.

u really gotta get two digital thermometers with a probe and use those for the hot and cool side. wal-mart has an accu-rite for 12 bucks that is awesome. ur temps and humidity may be off adding to the stress. it sounds like ur snake is just stressed out. fix the husbandry!

i have had him for over a year. and he has been perfect since i got him until i changed the substrate on him. the therm i have has a probe that goes down under his hot hide.

what kind of thermostat are u using? do u know what temp u r keep ur snake at or r u guessing?? u had ur snake for a year n if ur snake has been hiding most of the time n just started goin crazy, i would say its the substrate u r now using

its a zoomed. and its set at 91 on the hot side. im watching him right now and he is really trying hard to get out.

try to feed him and see what happens. Balls get stressed so easily so it may be the substrate

ya i agree. try tossin him some food and see if he eats.

i was assuming it was the substrate. but he is literally pushing the screen. i have never seen him do that before

double check and make sure ur substrate doesnt have anything added to it that may bad for ur snake. but most likely he just really hates his new digs if it changed after a year. i say take him out and put th old stuff back.

yea i think i am gonna do that. but obviously the pet store isnt open right now. but i am gonna go in the morning and get the stuff he use to have. but now i know that he absolutley hates cypress. i feed in a cardboard box. should i try and feed tomorrow as well as changing his substrate.

no dont feed just yet. let him get comfortable first. once he starts to hide again try feeding. if u have extra newspaper laying around try that. its easy to clean and i feed my snake inside its tank without worrying about getting substrate in her mouth. heat also gets from the UTH to their stomache better that way

yea true. i will try that. and wait until he isnt stressing out so much. hopefully he doesnt get out tonight. i wedged a piece of foil in the hole he put in the screen just as a temporary fix. is that gonna be good enough to keep him out

uuuh ya prolly not. if he can get to the screen he can really do some damage to himself. pull out the substrate before u go to sleep. put newspaper, paper towels, hand clothes, old t-shirts jut something in there other than the new substrate

ok. i am gonna put some paper towels down. hopefully he settles down. what should i do about the hole in the screen he made

if u have duct tape, tape both side carefully so he cant get up and get into the tape. try and get up early, go to the store and get a new screen. when u get home check his face for wounds. neosporin and a vet will be ur best friend

alright. well thank u so much for your help. hopefully he will go back to normal soon. thanks again

no problem. just make sure he goes in his hide n gets some sleep. after a few days try feeding

Hi,

When you changed the substrate it probably did stress him out a bit so he is now going through the whole "explore and escape" routine they do when you put them in a new enclosure.

I have seen a snake be in the same tank all its life and suddenly do this when the tank was moved to a different room with no other changes.

As to the screen top I would sew a patch over the hole - I tend to use thin wire for this.

Tape and snakes is a horrible combination ( especially with a snake that is exploring and testing the cage ) so I would replace/ repair it as soon as you can before the worst happens.


dr del

Last weekend when I cleaned out my little BEL's enclosure, I added a log since she's a baby and the cage is 24" wide. I figured I'd add a little 'clutter' and perhaps something she'd find interesting. Result was, she freaked. For 2 days she cruised the cage, head up at the top and wouldn't settle down. I gave up and took it out. She went into her warm hide and has been calm as can be ever since. Some just don't take to any changes to their enviornment.

I also changed out my little axanthic's hides since he had outgrown his small ones. He inspected them and slithered right into the warm one and is happy as a clam. He had gone into a tizzy when we added aspen to his eclosure previously so we were expecting more of same. Nope. They certainly can be unpredictable creatures!

I am sure your guy will fall right back into his routine you put things back to his view of "normal."