Blue Eyed Leucistic Ball Python head shake

So I just got a Blue Eyed Leucistic ball python from bhbreptiles and as soon as I put it in its cage I noticed its head was wobbling back and forth as it looked at me. At first I assumed it was of course just scared but then I noticed it's head shaking a lot everywhere it moved. The snake just couldn't move in a straight line at all. It tried climbing on the glass then flipped backwards. Is this just because it's a little scared or is this actually a problem?

The call and talk to Brian or Cindy tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by leskoluke

So I just got a Blue Eyed Leucistic ball python from bhbreptiles and as soon as I put it in its cage I noticed its head was wobbling back and forth as it looked at me. At first I assumed it was of course just scared but then I noticed it's head shaking a lot everywhere it moved. The snake just couldn't move in a straight line at all. It tried climbing on the glass then flipped backwards. Is this just because it's a little scared or is this actually a problem?

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This is most likely one of three things.

1. Bad... Snake got too hot during shipping or was exposed to a chemical.
2. Not bad... It is a spider. I would ask the breeder if the mother or father was a spider. If you post a good picture of the animal I can probably give you a good guess. I produce those, so I know what to look for.
3. Bad... Not very likely but the snake could have a disease.

In any case make sure the animal is quarantined.

Can you film its behavior and post it? Is this your first snake?

when you're talking about the head shake/wobble, is the movement really dramatic or is it subtle? when Coffee Bean first came out of the bag she had this subtle side-to-side head shake going on; you could only tell if you held her still (you can see it in my unboxing video 2:04-2:08). knowing her personality now, i can only assume she was scared out of her mind. there is no sign of a wobble now and she is 100% healthy. all this said, she moved just fine and never had an issue crawling into her hide. not being able to move in a straight line does not sound okay.

definitely call BHB and let them know the situation, and also keep a close eye on the snake's behavior.

I really wish I would've gotten a video of it when it was moving around. The head shake is definitely much more dramatic than the one in your video taylor. It was very, very obvious back and forth almost as if his head was shivering. Right now the snake is in a small quarantine tank and just stays in a ball. This is my third snake but first ball python. I left a message with BHB. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ur.com/a/LOT7N

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ur.com/a/LOT7Nhttps://imgur.com/a/LOT7N

Good picture but not close enough. Here is one of my Spider Super Mojaves. Under blacklight you can usually see the pattern if you have one. Flip it over and see if it rights itself in an odd manner.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...1700301_2s.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../5/1/tears.jpg

Spider genes could play a roll but one thing I would ask is if there is a visual sign of heavy breathing during this head shake. When a ball python is agitated they will breathe heavy and slightly shake their head. Now if you snake has a neurological condition that aggravates that or if it is just an overly defensive or stressed snake (you do have it in a quarantine tank which might not feel secure enough) is the question but heavy breathing can tell a lot about physical twitches.

The difference between spider wobble and shaking from agitation is noticeable.

This video shows a perfect example of defensive posturing (heavy breathing and shaking)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4d9jph-KcM


This video shows off more along the lines of a wobble (note the neck also following along with the head side to side movements).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHNVfDHONt8

Here's the best video I could get. Head movement was a little less in this video than it has been but there is still a slight wobble. When I try to pick him up his head wobbles a lot more. I flipped it over and it didn't try to fix itself for a little while, then it only flipped its head back over and not the rest of its body.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViM571dwhkU
https://imgur.com/a/0xB8A

While mine does not corkscrew anything like that it does has the same odd head movements going back and forth when it tries to go anywhere in the cage sometimes. It has tried to strike at me a few times and missed while also making its head go upside down.

I watched that video a few times and I do not see any tell tale wobble. That looks like timid head shake to me. Not to rule our neurological issues at all so I can not in good conscious say for sure but I know wobble inside and out and that ain't wobble ;).

My guess is temperamental more so than neurological.

What's the temps of the quarantine tank? Could also be temperature related.

I do see a very slight wobble. Other than that it looks healthy. Another good try on the pic but I don't see anything to indicate one way or the other. The light has to be just right, and to make it even more difficult, that animal most likely has lesser in it which makes it even more difficult to tell. The only way to be sure is to look at it under blacklight and or see it make a full corkscrew motion with its head. Look up spider ball python wobble on youtube. There should be some good examples there. Wish I could help more. I went through this same thing a couple years ago when I bought a super mojave. Turns out it was spider as well.

Doesn't look like a spider wobble to me, more of a timid snake exploring. When you do your first feeding, that will tell you more than anything as it's a very "exciting" time for them when a spider gene wobble shows up the most.

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Doesn't look like Spider Wobble to me. I had a BumbleBee for over 7 years and 4 hatchlings with the gene.

At 6 seconds, that weird head shake, that is not normal. If that happens every time she tries to look around or move more, then yeah, I don't think that is good or normal. Never seen that before, not in that way.

Esp. since you say its normally much more pronounced. Also don't like that that snake could not right itself when put upside down. Something is off.

Now..it might get better, but it might not. If the snake stays weak and can't flip back up after upside down, I would make sure to let the breeder know you aren't happy.

Any updates on this?

Hopefully BHB will get back to you. Would hate to see you not satisfied with your purchase, live animal or no. If this is not neurological but stress related or cold related (still would like to know the temps of the quarantine tank) I would think the behavior would improve once husbandry and stress gets taken care of. I know from videos that they keep hatchlings in lower light opaque or semi opaque racks so this might be a stressful change (just spitballing here).

If this is neurological or viral it would be a shame. I also know from videos that BHB resells animals from outside vendors so this might not be from one of their clutches. There could be problems they did not even know about because their concern is feeding and so handling and exams are not top priority. I would feel horrible if it was viral... On that topic. If you are concerned and can afford it you could always find a proper vet and do a viral exam for, I hate to even mention this, IBD.

You would test for this more so to rule it out than to assume your snake has it (I am in no way insinuating such a condition, only that you want that ruled out as a cause). If you can rule out IBD, RI, Stomatitis, etc you can then work toward getting temps ideal and calming this little one to see if it reduces.

Make sure you keep to strictest quarantine protocols until you figure this out...


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He's still acting a bit strange and hasn't moved too much. The temperature in his tank is 83 degrees currently. I called BHB and I think we have it all worked out. Thank you all for your help. I'm going to be keeping an eye on him for the next few days.

Any update? I have a 3 month old BIL Russo White Diamond that has a bit of a head shiver I noticed when i got her. It seems to be when shes concentrating hard or when its getting the last of its meal down. Another words I believe mine is like when I pick up a 120LB bag of concrete with all my might hahahaha


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