First Tag ..... odd behavior too

Well.... why would I think MY snake would be any different? :P

I fed him Sunday morning.... so I waited until this morning to get him out and say 'hey' again. I noticed him sticking his head out of his hide, which was a bit unusual at this time of morning. I have the pleasure of having his tank right across from my desk since I work from home. Anyway.... saw him pokin his head out looking around so figured I would get him out.

Got him out and he was way more 'active' than normal. Usually he just sits in a ball in my hand or lap for a while and will eventually start 'exploring' around, climbing around on my hands, etc. This time he was moving from the git-go, very active. I didn't keep him out as long as normal because he was acting different. So I went to ease him back into his 'home' and he started slowly going back down into it.... and BAM! My left hand was holding him and my right was just to the side of my left. He turned a little over 90 degrees and tagged my right hand. Very light hit (never been tagged before so not sure), didn't even draw blood. I didn't move or drop him the rest of the way or anything... just let him ease on in.

So now he is in his hide with his head pokin' out..... looking around again. He will ease out a few inches.... tongue flickering like crazy (was also flickering way more than normal when I was holding him earlier), then he will ease back and rest his head on the edge. Then he will go back inside for a bit... then repeat.

It appears his skin is dulling getting ready for a shed. But eyes seem clear (there he is again pokin his head out looking around). Are these signs of "I'm hungry already, where's the next course"?? He's never acted like this before. Usually you never even see him during the day unless I go get him to say 'hey'.

Help Help :snake:

um... hes hungry. feed him and see if he eats?

FEED MEH!

^_^

I would say give himt something to munch on, and if that doesn't work .. call the shrink and see if he is stressed out? Congrats on the first tag though, I am waiting for mine .. not really looking forward to it, but just waiting for it to happen ... because it will.

So feed him again? Even though he just ate Sunday? That's only 2 days. He ate one adult size mouse and a fuzzy Sunday.

Here's a snapshot of him just resting his head on the edge.... lookin out. Then he'll go back in for a while.... then repeat..... Can snakes look Sad?? :confused:
http://a46.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/...8db3f19165.jpg

Yep, he's still hunting. No, don't feed him NOW. Take this as a signal from him to up his prey size at the next feeding. What size and type did you finally manage to get for him? i.e. what did you give him 2 days ago? :)

Cute shot... and much like Basset Hounds snakes can look VERY sad just by being themselves. :D

He was at 150g when I last weighed him. I was feeding him 'fuzzies' per the shop's directions. That was way too small.... so I got an adult large mouse (two feedings ago). This past feeding (Sunday) I gave him one large adult mouse and then a fuzzy.

So snacks between feedings are a no-no, eh? lol Poor snakes. Hell... if he's that hungry NOW.... I don't think I'll pick him up again until after he eats again. May take my arm off next time. ;)

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Originally Posted by ThuSandman

It appears his skin is dulling getting ready for a shed.

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This may be the answer.
If he´s preparing to shed, it´s normal to be a bit "cranckier" (sp?).

If you fed him 2 days ago, don´t feed again so soon. Let him be for a while and at the scheduled feeding day you´ll see what happens: either he is deep in shed and you just let him be (increasing humidity) or he´s not in shed and ready for a meal.

Do you know how much the mouse weighed? I have a female who is on live mice and when I go to Petco to purchase hers, their mice can range from a really small 15g to a larger 24g. Could you have just fed a smaller one this time?

I take my gram scale into Petco and weigh the mice. Yes, the staff believes me to be rather eccentric for doing this, but I don't care! ;)

Just weighed another frozen one in there.....

What they called L-Adult is 18.5
Fuzzie is 5.5

Well, he shouldn't be getting fuzzies at all. And that 'large' mouse is more like a weanling in weight! Sigh... The frozen pre-packed mice at Petco and Petsmart are BAD BTW, don't get those! They're also WAY overpriced.

Hmm, I would ask around here and see if anyone who breeds their own mice, or knows of a store that sells good feeders, lives near you. Chain stores should be a last resort for snake food... :)

he could still be hungry but you did mention that he may be going into a shed and you also said he was very active squirming around your hands when you held him and that is not normal behaviour for him. because of one or maybe a combination of those reasons he may have been feeling a little stressed when you where handling him and i think he stuck at you in defence and not because of hunger. maybe give him a little time to get through his shed and try feeding again next week.

just a feelin...:oops:

I'm in the Jackson, MS area. And yep... those were from PetFart. I've looked at mail order but shipping is so much and you have to buy in such quantity it seems. What weight mouse/rat should I be feeding him ya think? I don't want to get a whole BOX since as he grows I'll need to move up in size as well.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

Well, he shouldn't be getting fuzzies at all. And that 'large' mouse is more like a weanling in weight! Sigh... The frozen pre-packed mice at Petco and Petsmart are BAD BTW, don't get those! They're also WAY overpriced.

Hmm, I would ask around here and see if anyone who breeds their own mice, or knows of a store that sells good feeders, lives near you. Chain stores should be a last resort for snake food... :)

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he was probably defending your honor. he knew that you had a hold of him and when he saw that floating Rogue Hand to his right he decided to protect you! im pretty sure everyone will agree with me!! (whatever)

when you say that you were holding him with your left hand and your right hand was just to the side of your left...does that mean you werent holding him with your right and it was just suspended next to him inside his cage? this might have been an issue.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ThuSandman

I'm in the Jackson, MS area. And yep... those were from PetFart. I've looked at mail order but shipping is so much and you have to buy in such quantity it seems. What weight mouse/rat should I be feeding him ya think? I don't want to get a whole BOX since as he grows I'll need to move up in size as well.

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He does eat frozen?
You could buy them online, shipping is a price but some places like American Rodent have shipping deals and it's free to some states. :]

A good site to get a feel for sizes of rodents (my rats though are larger than there's at all stages :P) but at least it will give you an idea.

http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_mice

Your snake likely needs two per week of the size you are feeding since they are closer to weanling mice than to "large adults".

What you observed with the head peeking out behaviour is called "lurking". Snakes like ball pythons that are ambush predators do this in order to remain in a safe place but be alert to prey moving near them. Normally you'll see lurking when they are hungry and either want to hunt or building up to hunting. I often see it in our snakes for about 24 hours prior to feeding night as they gear up to a feed. Sometimes a snake will just do it to peek out at the world but if they are doing it constantly, then it usually means...."when is dinner coming by?"

Now combine that with the fact that your snake is likely going into shed and you pretty much have the recipe for a tag. Not your fault, not the snake's fault, just a combination of circumstances that you can be more aware of now.

To learn about shedding here's a great link.....

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28794

If the shed goes wrong......

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

Welcome to the Bite Club! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ThuSandman

I'm in the Jackson, MS area. And yep... those were from PetFart. I've looked at mail order but shipping is so much and you have to buy in such quantity it seems. What weight mouse/rat should I be feeding him ya think? I don't want to get a whole BOX since as he grows I'll need to move up in size as well.

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You might check into local reptile shows. Often rodent feeder people vend at them. Also check under our Feeder forums to see recommended suppliers. Usually if you buy 100 mice you get a discount but make a list and phone around for the best bang for your buck. Personally I like www.themousefactory.com They aren't the cheapest out there but back when I fed f/t I was impressed with the quality of their rodents, their customer service and the quick processing and delivery of my orders.

If you are feeding adult mice then he'll never outgrow them. He may well need multiples of them as he matures but that's fine to do. Male BP's don't need a huge prey amount to stay healthy and most snakes in captivity are fed well above what they'd ever catch in the wild.

Joanna said it: You can get a large order of 'large adult' mice because he'll never outgrow them, you'll just be giving him more in a feeding as he grows. :)

Lots better than my corns... I can only get 25 of any size at a time since they grow out of smaller ones quickly. :rolleyes: Luckily Willard's Rodent Factory vends at the RMRExpo which is every 4 months.

Once again.... thanks to everyone for their help!!
He is STILL very "active" so I am just leaving him alone for now. Just ordered some nice meeces from rodentpro as ya'll suggested. I'll have to feed him once more before they arrive. I think they don't ship again until Tuesday. So I am thinking I will feed him two of these so called Large Adult Mice I have.... since they appear to be almost HALF the size of a REAL Large Adult Mouse. :)