he is trying to get out!!!! is this normal

ok soo i have a young male ball python (born in october) and he is always goin around his tank and climbing up the sides and poking at the top of the tank. acting as if he is trying to get out... is this a bad thing or is it just because he is young and curious.... we have only had him for a little more than a month sooo i am just assuming that he is doin this because he is a bit curious... any suggestions?? thanks guys!!!!

More than likely normal behavior. Snakes can be curious.

What are your Hot side and cool side temperatures? How big is the enclosure, and what do you have in there in regards to furniture ( Bowls,Hides,Climbing stuff if any)

hot side 90 to 92. cool side is between 80 -82. he has a humid hide and a hide on the hot side. and a piece of wood in the middle. and obviously a water bowl. its a 30 gallon.... ooo and some fake leaves that we bought. he loves those darn leaves. he goes in and out of them and rubs on them. with that info does that give u any more ideas. like i said i think he is just curious

In addition to what has been asked already when was the last time you fed him?

we feed him every sunday... and this past sunday we gave him a hopper. soo it was a pretty big meal...

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Originally Posted by mattramsfan

we feed him every sunday... and this past sunday we gave him a hopper. soo it was a pretty big meal...

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Does the prey leave a lump? baby ball pythons generally can eat small adult mice right out of the egg. id offer a mouse.

As a juvenile he may be hungry. Some of them can eat every 4-5 days. Another possibility is itchiness. Do you know if he is close to shed? Watch him for a bit if he "yawns" then his is likely trying to loosen the skin. Only question about what you posted earlier:

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he has a humid hide and a hide on the hot side.

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Are both these hides on the warm end? If so he could be looking for a safe place on the cool side to thermoregulate.

Bloodsong

nope. the 2 hides are on seperate sides of the cage. i almost knew that he could eat more than just a hopper. i would say he is about a foot to a 1.5 feet long. and his width is about the same width as a quarter prolly a little bigger

Put him on a 5 day feed schedule, increase the size of prey also, try a med mouse to start with. keep him on a 5 day schedule til he's around 300g then you can go to a weekly schedule he should be eating weanling/small rats by then. :)

Likely hungry. Try a mouse. If you want to keep with rats get a size better.

Bloodsong

ok. maybe thats why he is always flyin around his cage. cause right after we feed him he sits on the hot side for like 3 days and then he starts comin out and lookin around.... soo ya i agree with feeding him more.

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Originally Posted by mattramsfan

nope. the 2 hides are on seperate sides of the cage. i almost knew that he could eat more than just a hopper. i would say he is about a foot to a 1.5 feet long. and his width is about the same width as a quarter prolly a little bigger

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Toss him a mouse. Youre good to go. Keep bumping up the prey as you see him grow. Once the prey is not leaving much if any bump, you can bump it up to a larger prey item, or multiples, depending on what you decide to go with.

ya i think he is hungry. but i think his head is kinda small. i mean once he gets it half way down its easy for him but before that i looks like he is really working to get it down. and that was with a hopper mouse....

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Originally Posted by mattramsfan

ya i think he is hungry. but i think his head is kinda small. i mean once he gets it half way down its easy for him but before that i looks like he is really working to get it down. and that was with a hopper mouse....

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Feed Prey the size of the widest part of the body. Dont worry about the head size, your snake is quite capable of feeding on prey that seems large.

alright. sounds good. i think that i am going to go to a 5 day feeding schedule. is that a good idea

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Originally Posted by mattramsfan

alright. sounds good. i think that i am going to go to a 5 day feeding schedule. is that a good idea

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Sounds good :)

alright. thanks a lot for all the info!!! appreciate it!!!

I look forward to a few feeding pics.....:)

Bloodsong

I shoulda took a pick of my boy eating his adult mouse last night. its sure a thing to see there head and neck streth to the size of the fattest part of there body. but they are designed to do it :)

id take a pic of his lump to give you an idea but he is in his hide digesting and im not one to bother him when he is.