*yawn*

Anyone elses bp yawn a lot? Mine seems to. She even yawned at the register at the pet store. I just think it's funny.
Anyway. I thought these snakes slept during the day and are active at night? Just always in her same spot on the cool side, so I figured she spends her time sleeping.
She does love to explore though. She gets excited when I take her out of her tank.
Maybe she yawns cuz she's bored of her enclosure...... :rolleyes:

If a BP yawns a lot, could be a sign of an RI!

The yawn is them realigning their jaws. This normally happens during feeding. It will sometimes happen randomly, but not on a daily basis. If you snake is yawning frequently it can be a sign of an RI but that symptom alone isn't enough to be sure.

Ball pythons are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day. If your snake is out and about during the day then it is stressed out with something in its environment. Generally this is inadequate hides or an over sized tank.

She is probably scared and trying to get away from you when you take her out. Moving very quickly generally means they are trying to get away from something, namely a big scary monster such as yourself.

I generally only take her out and night, since she is nocturnal. But when I do she doesn't try to get away. She did eat yesterday, so maybe that's why. What are other signs/symptoms of RI?

Mucus, sitting around with head in the air (draining), clicking, wheezing, whistling, strange breathing in general.

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Originally Posted by savedtolive

I generally only take her out and night, since she is nocturnal. But when I do she doesn't try to get away. She did eat yesterday, so maybe that's why. What are other signs/symptoms of RI?

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Wheezing, mucus, open mouth breathing.

Okay, well she's not showing any of those symptoms. Should I not handle her as much? I take her out once every night for about 20-30 minutes.

Is she eating?

Well I purchased her last saturday. The girl said she eats a f/t mouse every Wednesday, and when I held the mouse (with tongs) in her feeding box yesterday she took it right away.

maybe something stuck in the snakes mouth? like a peice of substrate? just a thought...idk .my boa did this once when she had something in her mouth that wasnt soposed to be there ,a small peice of cypress ,i removed the object .she had no complaints after that..:banana:

If she eats, handle away...

just remember to let her have 48 hours after she has had something to eat before handling again

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Originally Posted by punkoldschool

just remember to let her have 48 hours after she has had something to eat before handling again

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Thank you. If your snake just ate yesterday, do not handle it. If you handle it right after it has eaten then you run the risk of a regurgitation.

Also, I would just feed in the home enclosure. Feeding outside the enclosure only creates more stress for your animal and makes you more likely to receive a bite. It doesn't prevent her from "associating your hand with food". If anything, the association would be stronger if you feed outside the enclosure because you have to physically pick up the snake and move it very close to feeding time and directly after when the snake is still in feeding mode.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Thank you. If your snake just ate yesterday, do not handle it. If you handle it right after it has eaten then you run the risk of a regurgitation.

Also, I would just feed in the home enclosure. Feeding outside the enclosure only creates more stress for your animal and makes you more likely to receive a bite. It doesn't prevent her from "associating your hand with food". If anything, the association would be stronger if you feed outside the enclosure because you have to physically pick up the snake and move it very close to feeding time and directly after when the snake is still in feeding mode.

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The only reason why I feed in a separate box is because that's how she was being fed in the pet store. When she's done eating, I put the box in her enclosure and let her slither out on her own. I don't pick her up once she's finished eating.

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Originally Posted by savedtolive

The only reason why I feed in a separate box is because that's how she was being fed in the pet store. When she's done eating, I put the box in her enclosure and let her slither out on her own. I don't pick her up once she's finished eating.

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If you think she might have a problem eating in her home enclosure I can assure you, she won't.

If she eats in the separate enclosure then great, but if she ever refuses, try in the home enclosure.

My snakes yawn, or stretch. Usually it's when I get them out and if they are out too long they get sleepy and relaxed and almost always yawn. I think they do it when they are getting ready to go back to sleep too.

I can't say I've ever had one yawn at the pet store, but they have on the way home. Make sure you trust your pet store to the fullest extent. It doesn't take much to get mites from newly ordered snakes.

Other than that. I don't think it's anything to worry about.

It's not necessary to feed outside of her enclosure. The only reason pet stores do it, is because they keep a lot of snakes in one tank, and you can't feed them together. But, it's a really good idea to put the box in her enclosure and let her get out on her own. As long as she is healthy, you do what makes you comfortable.

Yeah, pet stores do a lot of things that aren't great ideas...

My only fear about feeding her in her enclosure, is that she might get a piece of aspen stuck on the mouse and digest it.

if thats your only worry give this thread a read http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=121604 i was kinda worried about the same thing at first but if someone with so much experience doesnt have a problem why be worried :gj:

Those whole small rodents they eat? They have bones inside of them. Bones are much harder to digest than aspen. Same goes for hair and teeth and claws. And did you know that humans eat a lot of things they can't digest? Beans and corn are the first to come to mind...