BP "flattening" herself ?

Also,

She has learned how to make her head see-through. :O

OK so that last bit is because I have a faulty camera that was rubbish to begin with. :P

http://satanswombat.googlepages.com/ghosties1.jpg

I just wanted to ask the guru's why she was flattening her body quite so much? It makes her backbone stick up a bit more than normal which was why I noticed it at first but I have caught her doing it quite a lot recently.

Incidently that is an empty tub in the colubrid rack I put her in while I cleaned her real tub - outside edge to outside edge it is 39cm to give you an idea of her general size.

She is not hugging the hot side but is going under the paper onto the cool end heatmat which is set to 83F - the hotside sits around 94f and there is an area on the coolside with no heating whatsoever containing the waterbowl that is currently 80f.

She seems to be keeping her body temp around 86f acording to the tempgun.

She is still locking up with the male (last lock was on the 8th ). She is also ravenous and will eat anything remotely rodent shaped I bring close to her - last night she had a small F/T rat and was still going nuts afterwards when I was feeding some of the others.

So is she just lazy and slouching or what? :weirdface


dr del

how does a digital camera double expose like that (why your getting "Ghosting")

i dont know the answer to your query though

Hi,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JeffJ

how does a digital camera double expose like that (why your getting "Ghosting")

i dont know the answer to your query though

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I have no clue - I took 5 pictures of her in there and she has done it in all of them to a greater or lesser degree.

The camera has serious light issues - insists room lighting isn't bright enough but if you use it outside or in strong light it gives a total whiteout. :(


dr del

is she "flattening" all the time or only sometime?

Hi,

Almost everytime I lift the hides and pull back the paper and look she seems to be doing it.

It's not permanent though - she does lie normally as well. This one was from the main tub earlier on the same day (errr - I think ).

http://satanswombat.googlepages.com/Cleoagain1.jpg

**edit**

dangit I'm sorry that's a completely different snake - that's Natasha not Cleopatra. :oops:

**end edit**


dr del

Hi,

This is Cleo this time I promise. :rolleyes: :P

http://satanswombat.googlepages.com/Cleothistime1.jpg


dr del

Ghost python!! Ahhhhh!!!

I have NO idea if this would have anything to do with it, but I was just reading a thread on a corn snake forum about the different shapes their body goes through in different stages of gravidity, gravidness... whatever word fits there.

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17939

that could jus be what she does. or she feels that its a deffense mechanism. i wouldnt be worried at all.

well dr del,

at least she would be awesome at limbo hehe :P

Well you beat me to it. I was getting ready to post the same question. I have a female that really flattens herself out and it has/had me worried. At times she is like 3 times wider than high and her spine sticks right out. When I pick her up she rounds out after a few seconds of holding her.
She is still locking up with the male I paired her with so she can't be too close to eggs . . . (?)

I know I didn't answer your question but at least you are not alone!!!

Jim

I'm not sure I know exactly why your BP is doing that, but I have noticed that the spine does protrude slightly in the gravid females, especially as they get closer to laying. Maybe this a good sign for you!

I just think it's a personal preference for her. I have a female that always lays flat. I remember asking Adam about it a couple of years ago and asked him if he had any snakes that lay flat. He said he knew what I was talking about and had seen it before.

She does it year round, whether gravid or not, it's just how she prefers to lay. And when you take her out, she "rounds" up, just like any other snake. She's my only one that does it. She's gravid again this year and still my little pancake!

Maybe it is the snake equivalent of poor posture?

I think that it is just another way to thermoregulate. Think of it like a tire. If you decrease the pressure, more of the tire makes contact with the ground and vise versa. I find mine doing this often while gravid.

Hi,

So she is either just too lazy to slither on over to the warm side or just has bad posture?

Thats it - pilates and a training regime for you young lady. :mad:

Now - any hints on trying to get a snake to do push-ups?


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wh00h0069

i think that it is just another way to thermoregulate. Think of it like a tire. If you decrease the pressure, more of the tire makes contact with the ground and vise versa. I find mine doing this often while gravid.

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exactly!!!!!