Bp keeps trying to get out of tank!

for about a week now my BP Mitch keeps trying to get out of her tank. Every night when i go into my room and turn on the light, BAM there she is looking straight up and searching around trying to push up the screen and get out. I keep trying to feed her a live rat, she sniffs it a bit and keeps going on the search to gtfo. Her temps are normal, i cleaned her tank, shes got good ventilation. i have no idea what is wrong. anyone have any ideas?

Hi,

How long have you had her, have you changed anything about the enclosure and what are her recent eating habits?

Have you tried feeding her an F/T mouse?


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

How long have you had her, have you changed anything about the enclosure and what are her recent eating habits?

Have you tried feeding her an F/T mouse?


dr del

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i put her in a windowsil recently because of my room moving and lack of space. thats about it, same setup in her tank. i have had her since october of last year. She has never had a F/T.

here is her feed log since january...


1/3/11 364G (no feed)

1/7/11 ???G fed rat 2

1/24/11 383g No feed yet

1/28/11 Mitch ate.

2/23/11 Mitch ate that pain in the ass rat.

3/20/11 Mitch ate the small multicolor rat.

3/27/11 Mitch = 506G. No feed just a weigh in. previous rat undigested.

4/13/11 Mitch = ???G/ Ate sniffles 2. Previous rat still undigested,

5/2/11 Mitch = ???G Ate rat.

5/21/11 Mitch = ???g Ate black rat

5/30/11 Mitch ate another rat

Do you try to feed him once a week?
What are your temps and how are you measuring them?

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Originally Posted by Mikekrause2000

i put her in a windowsil recently because of my room moving and lack of space. thats about it, same setup in her tank.

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Putting the tank in the window could be drastically altering your temperatures. Is the tank protected from direct sunlight? Have you checked and double checked your temps. Your snake is going to explore and part of that is going to include pushing on their enclosure. As long as its not hurting itself in the process it might not be a big deal.

My BP does that when he's hungry.

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Originally Posted by Atrax

My BP does that when he's hungry.

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x2

well, to be honest, a ball python being nosey at night isn't too out of the normal, they are escape artists after all...

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Originally Posted by AkHerps

Do you try to feed him once a week?
What are your temps and how are you measuring them?

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i try to feed her every night if she is out and about looking for food. im measuring temps with a temp gun. Her tank has always been in front of the window, even in the winter. and the back glass is covered with paper.

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Originally Posted by Mikekrause2000

i try to feed her every night if she is out and about looking for food. im measuring temps with a temp gun. Her tank has always been in front of the window, even in the winter. and the back glass is covered with paper.

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You should not try to feed every night she is out. Your snake is best served by a schedule. I would recommend a mouse or rat that weighs around 10% as much as your snake fed every 5 to 7 days. If your snake refuses a meal you wait and feed on the next scheduled day. This allows your snake to refuse a meal for whatever reason without you stressing her out. As your snake gets bigger you can scale down the size of your prey and go longer between feedings. I go for about 5% of my snakes weight every 10 days. My BP is about 1300 grams now.

I agree with Egapal, You shouldnt try to feed him every day. All that will do is stress him out. You should feed your ball python once a week. If he doesnt take it then either wait 3-4 days and try again or try again on the next feeding day. For instance I feed mine every friday. If on doesnt eat i try again the next friday. And dont worry so much about Him poking to get out. Thats what ball pythons do. they like to do that in there spare time. Just make sure that the screen is closed all the way so he doesnt get out. Ide say to not worry about it. Its pretty normal behavior.

How many hides do you have in there? Do you have pics of the set up?

I agree with egapal also, don't try feeding every night, get him on a 5-7 day feeding schedule, and if he refuses on the day he should eat, wait for the next round. Also like someone else said I'd get the enclosure out of direct sunlight, that will definitely effect the temps. Trying to escape however is not out of the ordinary. My bp hides all day, and hides for about 3 nights after he eats, then every night until his next feeding he's out exploring, or relaxing on his water dish, or stretching out and looking for an escape route. If he starts roaming during the day, then I'd worry.

P.S. LOVE the name Mitch, I love that movie lol.

Y does ur feeding log say previous rat undigested. It should only take a few days for the rat to be digested. How are you heating

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Originally Posted by Atrax

My BP does that when he's hungry.

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Ditto.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I agree with egapal also, don't try feeding every night, get him on a 5-7 day feeding schedule, and if he refuses on the day he should eat, wait for the next round. Also like someone else said I'd get the enclosure out of direct sunlight, that will definitely effect the temps. Trying to escape however is not out of the ordinary. My bp hides all day, and hides for about 3 nights after he eats, then every night until his next feeding he's out exploring, or relaxing on his water dish, or stretching out and looking for an escape route. If he starts roaming during the day, then I'd worry.

P.S. LOVE the name Mitch, I love that movie lol.

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I love you.

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Originally Posted by mpkeelee

Y does ur feeding log say previous rat undigested. It should only take a few days for the rat to be digested. How are you heating

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UTH with a thermostat

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

How many hides do you have in there? Do you have pics of the set up?

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2 hides, yeah ill post a pic in a sec.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...mag0227bh.jpg/

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Originally Posted by Mikekrause2000

I love you.

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I love you too? ;)

Anyways, that setup looks okay. He might feel more comfortable if you black out the sides and back. I use black Con-Tact paper, it's like $6 at Home Depot and you just cut it to the size you need and stick it on. It makes the tank seem smaller from the inside. :aww:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I love you too? ;)

Anyways, that setup looks okay. He might feel more comfortable if you black out the sides and back. I use black Con-Tact paper, it's like $6 at Home Depot and you just cut it to the size you need and stick it on. It makes the tank seem smaller from the inside. :aww:

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yeah i will probably have to do that at sometime.

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Originally Posted by bsavage

well, to be honest, a ball python being nosey at night isn't too out of the normal, they are escape artists after all...

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x2

Ball pythons are notorious escape artists, they're always trying to push their way through stuff. When i have my baby ball on my bed with me, she's always slithering into the folds of comforters and pillows.