Difference between exploring, hunting, and being stressed

Is it possible to tell the difference between the three when you see your snake out of hiding? I own a ball python so I'm speaking from this pint of view.


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This is a really good question. I don't have much experience with BPs (Sherbie is my first one), but I don't think that you can always look at them and know the difference. If they appear to be exploring around and your husbandry is off, I would say that is stress. If it isn't off and it's evening/night time, they may just be exploring. Also consider the feeding schedule too. If it's time for them to eat (and they know it), they'll appear more active...or at least Sherbie does. I hope this was helpful. Good luck!866

I personally believe in the beginning it takes a lot of time, studying, observation and paying close attention to your specific snake to be able to really tell. Once you know what to look for and then what you're seeing it's easier with other snakes.
I don't believe it's as cut and dry as simple husbandry or day/night or hungry. Of course, these are factors, but there is more to it than just that. My two cents is that it takes time and experience to be able to truly tell.
That being said, yes, sometimes their behavior is pretty obvious due to husbandry or hunger or stress, etc...

I totally understand that it's hard to read snakes. I just ask because whenever I see mine out she's traveling from one side of the tank to the other while always stretching to the top searching for a way out because she knows the top opens lol

After a while she'll just go back into hide.

I'm not going to say she's stressed only because so far I haven't had a shed problem (3 sheds for me) and has eaten every time I offered.


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Pay attention to what is going on with the tongue. Long lazy tongue flicks with movement is healthy behavior. Rapid tongue flicks or no tongue flicks combined with relatively rapid movement is stress. Hunting behavior (not starving) will often consist of the animal in wait mode with occasional tongue flicks. Some animals will get active on feeding day regardless of whether there is prey in the room or not.

All this varies per animal. See Craig's post.

Oh, forgot this one. Pay attention to respiratory rates. A high respiratory rate is a very good indicator of stress.

JodanOrNoDan brought up some good points I should have elaborated on in my first reply.

Tongue flicks and respiratory rate are very good indicators and something to watch closely as you observe and learn.

Also, their movements should be slow and precise and calculated. Quick, jerky movements are typically a sign of stress.

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Originally Posted by SaltLife422

I totally understand that it's hard to read snakes. I just ask because whenever I see mine out she's traveling from one side of the tank to the other while always stretching to the top searching for a way out because she knows the top opens lol

After a while she'll just go back into hide.

I'm not going to say she's stressed only because so far I haven't had a shed problem (3 sheds for me) and has eaten every time I offered.


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Mine also did that all the time even after feeding, only after about 12-24hrs of hiding. I considered my husbandry to be on par following the how to sticky, and feeding every 5 days. Waited about a week before I messed with her. Even after about 4 weeks of she was still constantly probing the top and messing up everything up.

After some digging around and researching on hatchling's weight and size of prey they should be on, I came to the conclusion that she was being underfed with mice fuzzies. So I ordered 50 rat fuzzies, since they are bigger. She took it no problem and dissappeared for 4 days! So I've now got her on 4 day feeding schedule. It's been 3 weeks and she basically hides between meals now.

Yesterday morning was her feed time but I held off for another 24hrs. Last night she was out exploring the top again. The past 3 days she has been bulldozing her tank though.

So I've classified my ball as being hungry when she is exploring the top

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I'm liking this thread!

Reminds me of a few of my handling sessions I had with pet store snakes I visited (don't worry I have no intention of buying from them). There were atleast two occasions where the ball pythons I held seemed pretty chill, roaming around me with polite little tongue flicks, pretty smooth cruising. But at soon as the worker took them and put them back in their enclosure they started to wig out a bit. Some head shaking, no tongue flicking and looked like they were trying to scramble back up the worker's arm and avoid being put back in. Everything in their body language sorta screamed "escape!"

One of the two, once situated in the tank, kept restlessly roaming and glass surfing. The other just sat still and eventually went back in its hide (if I can even call it that). Granted I know the way pet stores keep their reptiles is less than ideal, but I can't help but be curious of the behavior and the sudden gear shift. Was it because they thought the worker was going to drop them?

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

I'm liking this thread!

Reminds me of a few of my handling sessions I had with pet store snakes I visited (don't worry I have no intention of buying from them). There were atleast two occasions where the ball pythons I held seemed pretty chill, roaming around me with polite little tongue flicks, pretty smooth cruising. But at soon as the worker took them and put them back in their enclosure they started to wig out a bit. Some head shaking, no tongue flicking and looked like they were trying to scramble back up the worker's arm and avoid being put back in. Everything in their body language sorta screamed "escape!"

One of the two, once situated in the tank, kept restlessly roaming and glass surfing. The other just sat still and eventually went back in its hide (if I can even call it that). Granted I know the way pet stores keep their reptiles is less than ideal, but I can't help but be curious of the behavior and the sudden gear shift. Was it because they thought the worker was going to drop them?

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I'd agree totally ... This thread is very thought provoking isn't it !?

It's gonna take me a while to read through all the comments and process everything

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Oh, forgot this one. Pay attention to respiratory rates. A high respiratory rate is a very good indicator of stress.

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See I've noticed that sometimes mine does that and it's really noticeable but then other times I have to stare hard to even see the breathing


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Originally Posted by WarrThox

Mine also did that all the time even after feeding, only after about 12-24hrs of hiding. I considered my husbandry to be on par following the how to sticky, and feeding every 5 days. Waited about a week before I messed with her. Even after about 4 weeks of she was still constantly probing the top and messing up everything up.

After some digging around and researching on hatchling's weight and size of prey they should be on, I came to the conclusion that she was being underfed with mice fuzzies. So I ordered 50 rat fuzzies, since they are bigger. She took it no problem and dissappeared for 4 days! So I've now got her on 4 day feeding schedule. It's been 3 weeks and she basically hides between meals now.

Yesterday morning was her feed time but I held off for another 24hrs. Last night she was out exploring the top again. The past 3 days she has been bulldozing her tank though.

So I've classified my ball as being hungry when she is exploring the top

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You know that might be it. I feed every 7 (fridays) but I've thought about switching to a shorter time frame in feeding.

With your new schedule are you saying she's hiding a lot more and not coming out rarely at night just to snoop around?


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Originally Posted by SaltLife422

You know that might be it. I feed every 7 (fridays) but I've thought about switching to a shorter time frame in feeding.

With your new schedule are you saying she's hiding a lot more and not coming out rarely at night just to snoop around?


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Yes she basically hides between meals

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Prob a bunch of different answers here. I think the key to figuring it out probably lies in knowing your snake really well and being able to recognize if something isn't quite right.

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Originally Posted by cletus

Prob a bunch of different answers here. I think the key to figuring it out probably lies in knowing your snake really well and being able to recognize if something isn't quite right.

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Also I feel that you have try some of them and wait an see what how they respond to changes. If their active and probing the top for an escape, try bigger prey or less time between feedings until you run out of it and then get bigger prey.

It seems more often than not that hatchlings get started on too little of prey for too long.

Also the key the way I understand it, is that you want the right size prey to only keep feedings at minimum of 5-7 days as long as they take it.