Strange behavior after drinking water???

Hey Everyone! I just signed up with this site because
I had some recent concerns about my ball python.

I'm not quite sure on his age, however when I bought him I was told he was about a year old. Which was hard to believe considering his size. He was so tiny and even know hasn't grown much. He is 28 inches long. And I've had him for more than 6 months.

Anyways. Yesterday and today I observed something really strange after he drank water. Which he seems to drink water all the time. For extended periods at a time. Yesterday i glanced over at him and he was by his water dish opening and closing his mouth various times but at a diagonal angle.Five to 6 times at least. But also while he was doing this water spilled out of his mouth while his head was sideways and he was doing a chewing motion. I watched him again today and he did it again! I've never seen him do this which is why I'm concerned. Also after he drinks he always holds his head vertical for a couple mins.... is this normal?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Generationshell

Also after he drinks he always holds his head vertical for a couple mins.... is this normal?

---

Yeah they have a hard time keeping the water down. I picked up my girl one day because she was out during the day and she must have been getting a drink because it all spilled out on me. It was quite a lot of water.


I can't really shed any light on the chewing... I've seen mine realign their jaws like that but only after the water situation^ and after eating.

Sarah thank you for the insight! I've always wondered why he would have to look up after he drank. haha now that that is settled... im stumped on the whole turning his head sideways and opening his mouth.

Its like he's gnawing on something that isn't there but with his head sideways... and then back and forth for a couple seconds. but at a fast pace. Then after that he usually realigns his jaw but idk i just find the gnawing really wierd...

It may, just may, be an early warning sign of an impending RI {respiratory infection}.

Don't panic yet, just bump your temps up a tad bit, and keep a close eye on him. If you notice him holding his head up a lot, or if at any time he begins to make a whistle or click when he breathes, or if you see him wiping his mouth on objects in his enclosure, then it's time for a vet visit.

Gale

My poor ball has had so many things go bad with him. I brought him home from the pet shop and then to my demise i found out he had bad mites.... then i had a scale rot scare...which i treated with diluted iodine and some neosporin and thank goodness it has gone away!

speaking of possible RI
before vacation i was seriously considering to take him to the vet because he had slight scale rot and was clicking!! like little popping noises which i knew were signs of a possible RI. So when i got back his scale rot was getting much better...after he shed it looked way better. and he was no longer making the popping noise. He seemed to be doing great until i noticed his weird gnawing..... :/

he has no other signs of a RI tho so I'm not sure whats going on!
I'd take him to the vet in a heartbeat if he was showing any other serious signs.

he seems to be the runt of the litter...
but thank you!

doesnt seem normal to me at all

If he was popping and clicking before but isn't now, likely it was not a RI because they dont go away on their own. Might have been a piece of shed over a nostril.

As for holding his head vertical, that is a sign of a RI if they do it a lot. If its only after the water episode, then likely he is just trying to keep it all down. Now with him chewing...who knows! Typical to see that after they eat or drink, but not too much. They will align their jaws or yawn randomly too, but it isn't usually a chewing episode.

Maybe you should call your vet and see what they say? Better to fix whatever it is now, rather than wait and end up being too late.

Im going to be out of town the next three days. but I'll make sure to get a vid of it when i get back. That way everyone can get an idea of what i mean lol and also for future reference at a vet.

Maybe a video (even if it's just from a camera phone) would help everyone understand a bit better about the "chewing".

I agree...sounds kind of like a RI, but like they said, bumping up the temps a little early on can really make a difference. (Did the same with my bp and she got over it.)

You could def. call a vet, or at least they'd let you talk to a vet technition who may be able to give you some advice. Couldn't hurt.

Maybe next time you take your bp in (vet visit) have them look at his/her jaw? Seems weird that they'd keep trying to realign it so much...

I'm far from an expert, but just my thoughts...

So after 3 failed attempts at catching him do this on camera.... idk what to think. I literally sat next to his cage for 15+ mins each time waiting for him to be done drinking. And each time he never held his head vertical or did his gnawing at all. I was like "OH c'mon!" lol Idk if me sitting there staring at him had anything to do with the failure to catch his strange antics on camera. Or maybe if was just a 2 day thing? Im not sure.....

You mentioned he isn't growing. How often are you feeding him, and how large a prey item are you giving him? How's his appetite?

I feed him once a week. & one regular mouse. I feed him pre-killed but as soon as I dangle it he immediately strikes and grabs it. And usually has it down in 5 minutes!! I read it isnt good to feed them more than once a week which is why I haven't considered that. He has grown maybe 2 inches since i got him. Which has been 5 to 6 months. But his girth hasn't increased nor his head size. I am thinking he was underfed when I bought him because they said he was over a year old and my friends BP isnt even a year old and is much bigger than Xander(my BP). Maybe hes a slow grower? He sure does drink tons of water. I always see him do it at least 3 times a day for like 15 mins each time. I know BP's drink but i didnt realize the extent.

what the the temps, humidity, setup, what instraments are you using to measure the husbandry.... ect....

I better be ready to take the stabs. lol
I have a wall temp on the cool side. which reads 82
As far as the hot side I have an UTH but i assume its at least 5-10 higher than the cool side.

As far as the humidity. I do not have something to measure the humitity but im very open to suggestions as far as what I should buy. I do mist frequently tho. And give him baths weekly. When I clean his tank.

He is in a 20g tank. Has one hide I'm not sure what it is called but its the rock/cave thing.(exo terra) I have a large rock in there as well as a large branch. He has a large enough rock-like water dish to soak in if needed. But i never see him soaking.

I use Aspen bedding also.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Generationshell

I better be ready to take the stabs. lol
I have a wall temp on the cool side. which reads 82
As far as the hot side I have an UTH but i assume its at least 5-10 higher than the cool side.

As far as the humidity. I do not have something to measure the humitity but im very open to suggestions as far as what I should buy. I do mist frequently tho. And give him baths weekly. When I clean his tank.

He is in a 20g tank. Has one hide I'm not sure what it is called but its the rock/cave thing.(exo terra) I have a large rock in there as well as a large branch. He has a large enough rock-like water dish to soak in if needed. But i never see him soaking.

I use Aspen bedding also.

---

Don't assume. Get a thermostat to know the temperature of the under tank heater. Mostunder tank heaters can go over one hundred degrees, and I'm talking about Fahrenheit.

They also need TWO hide. One cool hide on the cool side, and a warm hide on the warm side. Some people have more than two hides, but your snake will be just fine with two.

You are right I should get one. I was worried about my UTH being too hot but then lifted the tank up for ventilation which helped imensely.

As far as the two hides. I do have one for the cool side. Its just i suppose im still paranoid mites might still be in it. because it is wood, so I havent put it back in the tank.

To be honest, your bp could just be exhibiting behavior brought on by stress. You need to get your temps and humidity down, and for that I suggest an accurite thermometer/hydrometer or two. You can find them on amazon for around 25 dollars, or at your local home depot/walmart for a bit less. I'd also suggest a thermometer or rheostat for that heatpad, because like the previous poster said, they can get into some pretty high temps when left unattended which can be bad news bears for your bp. As far as humidity goes, it can be a real pain to keep it stable in a tank, so get some tinfoil and put a layer on top of the screen, and then stick a towel or some dense wood over that.

Also, if I read correctly, you said your snake was a bit on the small side? Crumple up some newsprint and toss it in there to crowd things up a little. Bp's aren't a huge fan of open spaces, so if there's a lot space try to clutter a bit... Or just grab another hide like said before. Balls benefit from more than one hidey hole. I also reccomend not bathing your snake so often, because ball pythons tend to be like the cats of the snake world, and most aren't a huge fan of water, though there are exceptions. Bathing too much can also stress them out, lust like trying to offer food too much or handling too much (there's a ot off things you can doo "too much" of to stress a bp... :P).

Hope I've helped, and I hope your little guy starts doing better!

Thank you so much!
I'll def check into the the thermometer. I really do need one.
Considering in a couple weeks Imma be welcoming a baby spider bp :]

I want my bps to have the best possible environment.

And so I should cover the screen?

I need a bit of advice to be honest. but it doesnt relate to this thread.

I'm leaving for college in the end of Aug.(3 hrs away) And although I already arranged plans for my good friend to take care of my BP because she owns one herself and a RTB. So I trust Xander in her care way more than i would my parents. But as far as getting my baby spider. I really do want her and my friend is more than willing to take her in for me as well. But im jsut conflicted as whether I should get her or not. I will be home periodically..once a month and for breaks like thanksgiving and off 6weeks in Dec and Jan. So It isnt like i'd never see them. But I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. :/

If I were you I'd wait till after you got your first bp's husbandry down to a science, and for your first year of school to be over till you get another snake. A lot of things go down during the first year of college, and you might find yourself in a place where another snake might not be able to fit into the picture. Not saying that it will happen, but you never know. Also, the best part about getting a baby bp is watching it grow into a big fat creepy crawly during it's first year, and if that little spider is with your friend while you're gone, you'll be missing out on it.

This is just my opinion, though. Do whatever feels right to you. If you think you can handle college and two bp's and such, by all means go ahead, but I'd at least hold out on the little spider girl until you get the set up for your first bp correct so you're not freaking out over two set ups all at once while simultaneously preparing for school. And don't worry about missing your chance to buy a little girl. The babies are only just beginning to hatch. >:]

And yes, covering the screen top on a tank helps do wonders with humidity (but it may take some tweaking), though if you live in a area that's got high humidity levels to begin with, it's not that necessary. Find out what the humidity is before you go ahead and cover the tank, just so humidity levels don't get too high. You want humidity to stay in the 50-60% range, and get it up to 70% when the snake is in shed.

If you are going to be moving away to college and you are leaving your animal(s) in the care of a friend, keep it as easy for them as possible. Stick with one until you can live somewhere that allows you to have your animals. If I were to get more animals, I would want to be the one taking care of them, not my friend.

Think of it this way, the price of spiders has been getting less and less expensive. By the time you can live somewhere pet friendly you might be able to afford more than just a spider morph :)

Both of you are right :/ I guess I just don't want to accept the reality that I won't get to spend time with the snakes or the spider baby and watch it grow up.

I just don't wanna have to wait 4 years to get another snake. But thats prob how its going to have to be. I'm gonna have a hard enough time leaving my one BP while I go off to college. Adding another snake isn't going to make that situation any better. Haha maybe in 4 years ill be able to get an albino and a spider! :]

Thank you!

Is living off campus an option?

Of course. I'm def gonna consider that after my first year.

I would smuggle my snake in if I could :P

Okay so I decided to downgrade my baby to a 10 gallon. Maybe he will be more cozy. :] I put the 2nd hide in there and a hygrometer for humidity. Which is currently at 60. But i need to bump it up to 70 b/c my BP is about to shed. Any ideas?

I'm trying to post pics so I hope they work.

Xander drinking water as always.
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...shel11/010.jpg

The setup now.
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...shel11/014.jpg

Xander exploring the area.
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...shel11/005.jpg

Are the only thermometer/hygrometers you are using the ones in the picture? If so, I would STRONGLY suggest switching to digital. Especially if you have a heat mat.

Those gauges and strips do basically nothing and they aren't at your snakes level.

I moved them lower but i do see what you are saying.

I saw an electric one today at petsmart.That was both a hygrometer and thermo that was fairly affordable. But im just confused as to where I put them in the tank.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Generationshell

I moved them lower but i do see what you are saying.

I saw an electric one today at petsmart.That was both a hygrometer and thermo that was fairly affordable. But im just confused as to where I put them in the tank.

---

well you want at least one probed digital thermometer. This probe goes right on the UTH under the substrate. It measures your hot spot, or the hottest spot in the tank your snake can get to.

You want one ambient digital thermometer (doesn't need to be a probe) to measure the cool side or "ambient" air temperature. This goes on the cool side, or the side opposite the UTH. This should be no more than 2-3" from the substrate level.

You want one ambient hygrometer to measure the ambient humidity. This can go in the same spot as the cool side thermometer or it can go in the middle of the tank. This also should be no more than 2-3" from the substrate level.

Thank you so much!

I need that explanation. & a great list of things I should order for my snake.

I'd like to thnk that my setup is semi decent. compared to some snake owners out there. And that at least im trying to make it the best I can.

Until I can get them. Which may be a week frm when i order them. I will have to use the old school ones.

I moved my hygrometer to about 4 inches from the bottom of the tank. and it kept reading 55. Which i hoped held some tiny region of accuracy for me. B/c my snake is in shed im rlly need it to be around 70. So i did the aluminum foil on the top of the tank and sprayed and the gauge immediately went up about 15-20! thank goodness b/c my bp has a history of having bad sheds :/