Yawning???

Hello This is my first post here. So my story first i guess. I have wanted a ball python my whole life, but my mom would never let me get one. I turned 18 joined the marine corps and after about a year got to my duty station and got a house. I was extremely excited to finally be able to get one. Then my wife dropped a bomb and said NO!!!! Finally(after alot of begging) she said yes! Now i am the proud owner of Kaia my 2 year old ball python. When i got her she was very aggressive and she bit me the first night i had her and my wife freaked out and almost made me get rid of her. After a few weeks of daily handlings she is now an amazing snake! I can handle her now with no worries of being bit. She was also very skinny and the previous owner said it had been awhile since she ate. When i brought her home her cage was absolutely disgusting! I cleaned it out and immediately rushed out and got her a small rat. She is an amazing feeder she will only eat live small female rats! Thats it she won't even touch a male! And it has to be live or she just looks at me almost as if to say "Do you think I am stupid?" My question is do ball pythons yawn? It may be a stupid question but i want to know because sometimes when i am "playing" with her she opens her mouth very wide. Is she yawning or is it her trying to scare me into leaving her alone she only does it right when i take her out and after that she just climbs all over me!

Oh, balls do it all the time. Why? No one knows...

oh, and welcome to BP ^_^

Yes, snakes will "yawn" for a variety of reasons. Quite often they will yawn after eating in order to realign their jaw. They also seem to yawn occasionally for unknown reasons... perhaps for the same reason we yawn.

However, sometimes they will yawn frequently because they have a respiratory infection and they are trying to get more air into their lung. If you suspect this is the case, I would recommend that you get your snake to a vet ASAP as this condition can be fatal. You can also look for other signs of a URI such as drooling, keeping their neck stretched up, and bubbles coming out of their mouth.

haha yeah dude, yawning is completely normal.
just make sure they aren't making any weird noises or anything
mine yawn all the time so you're fine. welcome to bp.net

yeah that what i was trying to say about the noises and other symptoms.
make sure your snake doesnt have RI that sucks.

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Originally Posted by devil_dog

Hello This is my first post here. So my story first i guess. I have wanted a ball python my whole life, but my mom would never let me get one. I turned 18 joined the marine corps and after about a year got to my duty station and got a house. I was extremely excited to finally be able to get one. Then my wife dropped a bomb and said NO!!!! Finally(after alot of begging) she said yes! Now i am the proud owner of Kaia my 2 year old ball python. When i got her she was very aggressive and she bit me the first night i had her and my wife freaked out and almost made me get rid of her. After a few weeks of daily handlings she is now an amazing snake! I can handle her now with no worries of being bit. She was also very skinny and the previous owner said it had been awhile since she ate. When i brought her home her cage was absolutely disgusting! I cleaned it out and immediately rushed out and got her a small rat. She is an amazing feeder she will only eat live small female rats! Thats it she won't even touch a male! And it has to be live or she just looks at me almost as if to say "Do you think I am stupid?" My question is do ball pythons yawn? It may be a stupid question but i want to know because sometimes when i am "playing" with her she opens her mouth very wide. Is she yawning or is it her trying to scare me into leaving her alone she only does it right when i take her out and after that she just climbs all over me!

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I used to think mine was just a "yawner". He did it ever since I got him. Eventually, he started this mouth wiping thing. It turned out he was showing symptoms of a mild RI. These things can persist at a low level for a long time in a snake. Since a course of antibiotics and making sure that things we plenty warm in his cage, I rarely see him yawn. He used to yawn a few times every handling. Considering that your previous owner's care was questionable I would recommend the following:

1) Get him a checkup at the vet. Infections cause excessive mucous and snakes can't just swallow it like we can - they sort of drown on it (or something) and have to do these weird things to deal with it. If you have an exotics store around that is run by people that have experience and care about the animals you might be able to get some experienced eyes on your snake for free (if you shop there, of course). usually though the stores are dodgy so a good vet is probably best. Just set up an appointment for a wellness visit and express concern that there might be an infection.

2) Make sure that your snake is warm enough. I used to have an overly warm hide but the rest of the cage was very cool. I think that was my only saving grace because once my brought my warm side temp down he started having troubles. I eventually realized that only a few inches from the warm side hide it was 75d. I put cork around 3 sides of the tank and covered most of the top and added an additional small UTH to the cool side get a good ambient temp that was above 80d everywhere. I use three temp readings which (IMO) is barely adequate. I think the recommended is four. Make sure you are using a rheostat or thermostat to control the temperatures.

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Originally Posted by Kennyxemerson

haha yeah dude, yawning is completely normal.
just make sure they aren't making any weird noises or anything
mine yawn all the time so you're fine. welcome to bp.net

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I have to disagree with that. You only start hearing weird noises when they are way down the road and practically drowning in mucous. Everybody I've talked to says that BP's are good at hiding sickness and by the time you start seeing any really obvious symptoms, things will be serious. I'm not saying your snakes are sick but I really think its rash to say "it's totally normal - my snakes yawn all the time".

I thank you all very much! I got her to the vet today and he said she is fine! Can never be to cautious, right? Again thank you all very much! I am already looking forward to getting a red tail! That is as soon as i can talk my wife into it! Does anybody know any tricks to talk an unwavering woman into something? HAHA

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Originally Posted by devil_dog

I thank you all very much! I got her to the vet today and he said she is fine! Can never be to cautious, right? Again thank you all very much! I am already looking forward to getting a red tail! That is as soon as i can talk my wife into it! Does anybody know any tricks to talk an unwavering woman into something? HAHA

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Welcome to BP.net! :handshake

The yawning question was addressed already, but I can certainly address the "reluctant spouse" question with authority. My husband would be happy to never have a snake within a mile of his house.

The key is patience, communication, and understanding. Not so much getting her to understand you (although that's part of it) but for you to try and understand her. WHY doesn't she want a pet snake or two? What is she afraid of? For instance...my husband isn't afraid of snakes, but he's afraid of his home turning into a stinky, weirdo zoo with exotic animals on every available surface. (His opinion, not mine!!!) And once you have thoroughly talked out the issues and you truly understand where she is coming from...then you can start to take steps to alleviate her fears/concerns.

None of this happens overnight. It's taken my husband and I literally years to come to a mutual, agreeable understanding about exotic pets in the house. But we never would have gotten there if we didn't talk things through, and if I didn't completely respect his feelings in the matter, even if I don't relate to them.

CANDIES worked with my wife. After i bought my second and third Ball pythons (with out asking). She forgave me after about 1 LG bag of Tootsie Rolls, and another of Jelly Bellies!!! LOL!!! :D

i had to fork it out and ger her a pink 4gig ipod to get my 1st bp!!

They yawn to show off their sexy sharp teeth.

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Originally Posted by darkdreamer

They yawn to show off their sexy sharp teeth.

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Yeah haha thats what i figured. and they sure are sexy...till there holdin you!

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Originally Posted by devil_dog

I thank you all very much! I got her to the vet today and he said she is fine! Can never be to cautious, right? Again thank you all very much! I am already looking forward to getting a red tail! That is as soon as i can talk my wife into it! Does anybody know any tricks to talk an unwavering woman into something? HAHA

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I'm glad to hear things went well at the vet. I'm glad your new-found friend is healthy and has got a good home!

yawning is normal...

im at work now.. but if i remember when i get home i have a pic of BOTH my BP yawns at the same time

=-D

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Originally Posted by bearhart

I have to disagree with that. You only start hearing weird noises when they are way down the road and practically drowning in mucous.

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actually at that point you'll see them open mouth breathing with their head way up in the air.

weird noises may be early symptoms of an RI.


welcome to the site devil dog! do lots of research!

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Originally Posted by jeffjr464

i had to fork it out and ger her a pink 4gig ipod to get my 1st bp!!

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haha! do what you gotta do!

WHAT IS THIS "ASK WIFE" STUFF?!

Am I the only guy I know that wears the pants in a relationship? You know how I got my BP? I went out and bought it. "You know where to find the door!"

Just kidding. The wearing the pants thing, I don't even know what that means.. lol.. I totally had to beg my wife for weeks, talk to her about it; show her how great I would take care of a snake by the amount of research I had been putting in. After my relentless efforts, she finally saw the only way to shut me up was with a BP. On top of that, she already knows how "into" animals I am with the mini-zoo I've been building in our house. She's awesome.

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Originally Posted by MikeC1212

WHAT IS THIS "ASK WIFE" STUFF?!

Am I the only guy I know that wears the pants in a relationship? You know how I got my BP? I went out and bought it. "You know where to find the door!"

Just kidding. The wearing the pants thing, I don't even know what that means.. lol.. I totally had to beg my wife for weeks, talk to her about it; show her how great I would take care of a snake by the amount of research I had been putting in. After my relentless efforts, she finally saw the only way to shut me up was with a BP. On top of that, she already knows how "into" animals I am with the mini-zoo I've been building in our house. She's awesome.

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wow am i the only guy on this forum who's not whipped?

i just came home and set up the tank in my room...

i told her that if she didn't like them i'd get rid of them in place of a burmese ....

she then googled it and found a pic like this:
.
http://www.funmansion.com/images/boy..._friends_3.jpg


heh

whoa thats a big snake..... and i love to watch my snake yawn...

yeah...

yawning and drinking... something i love to watch =-D

I guess I'm very lucky. My hubby, Mike and I share our passion for the snakes and it's a wonderful hobby we share together and with our kids. :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I guess I'm very lucky. My hubby, Mike and I share our passion for the snakes and it's a wonderful hobby we share together and with our kids. :)

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Same here Joanna. It's so nice to share something like this hobby when you've been married for many years and all your friends barely talk to their spouses . . . makes me really thankful I've got a great hubby!

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Originally Posted by devil_dog

I thank you all very much! I got her to the vet today and he said she is fine! Can never be to cautious, right? Again thank you all very much! I am already looking forward to getting a red tail! That is as soon as i can talk my wife into it! Does anybody know any tricks to talk an unwavering woman into something? HAHA

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Yup, the trick that works for me? Bribery. :D

Thx for your service devil_dog and Semper Fi!

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Originally Posted by Shirkin

Yup, the trick that works for me? Bribery. :D

Thx for your service devil_dog and Semper Fi!

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Are or were you in? And since i got my ball my wife has become addicted! Now she wants a little ball of her own HA! Woman!!!

I was about to post a question about this very topic, but I decided to do a quick search first (as I always do before posting) and found the question already raised.

I've noticed my new baby (2mo old) BP "yawning" every now and then. I caught him outside his hide this evening after a full day of sleeping, and he 'yawned' twice in about 5-10 minutes. I assume they were 'waking up' yawns.

I've also seen him drink twice. (So utterly adorable I just wanna vomit sugar!) I'm glad to hear that other people's BPs 'yawn' too. Of course, I'll keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't doing it constantly while visible.

The humidity is kept in the recommended levels of 50-60%, and I'm using Cyprus mulch as substrate. I mist it once in the morning and once at night to maintain humidity. Could this contribute to an RI, scale rot, or his 'yawning'? He has shown no signs of these things, but I just wanna ask.

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NightLad Re: Yawning???

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I was about to post a question about this very topic, but I decided to do a quick search first (as I always do before posting) and found the question already raised.

I've noticed my new baby (2mo old) BP "yawning" every now and then. I caught him outside his hide this evening after a full day of sleeping, and he 'yawned' twice in about 5-10 minutes. I assume they were 'waking up' yawns.

I've also seen him drink twice. (So utterly adorable I just wanna vomit sugar!) I'm glad to hear that other people's BPs 'yawn' too. Of course, I'll keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't doing it constantly while visible.

The humidity is kept in the recommended levels of 50-60%, and I'm using Cyprus mulch as substrate. I mist it once in the morning and once at night to maintain humidity. Could this contribute to an RI, scale rot, or his 'yawning'? He has shown no signs of these things, but I just wanna ask.

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I'm pretty sure the misting twice a day could contribute to many problems. However if it's an enclosure with a lot of ventilation it may be necessary to maintian proper humidity. As long as you monitor your humidity levels you should be fine. Just be careful not to keep it too moist in there.

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Originally Posted by devil_dog

I thank you all very much! I got her to the vet today and he said she is fine! Can never be to cautious, right? Again thank you all very much! I am already looking forward to getting a red tail! That is as soon as i can talk my wife into it! Does anybody know any tricks to talk an unwavering woman into something? HAHA

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If you put your snakes in a low traffic room and they spend the day in their hides and only come out at night when your wife is sleeping she may not realize that they are there.;)