pushing on tank

Hi everyone!
I know i just made a post but this is just something i’ve been noticing about Pretzel.
Lately i’ve noticed at night he will put his nose in the corner of his cage( top and bottom corners) and push with all his might. Like really hard. I can see his whole body lifting up and pushing; he is using quite a bit of force. why is he doing this? does it have to do with stress or hunger? i just don’t see this being good for his nose or just in general. Thanks :)


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Because he wants out...and you're right, it's bad for his nose (face) & in time can cause an abscess that requires surgical drainage to fix.

Why do snakes want out of their cages? Many possible reasons (in no particular order) so this is for you to determine what makes sense in your case:

The urge to mate? Nearby snake of opposite gender (snakes have extremely good sense of smell) & both are of breeding age. (I am not encouraging you to breed,
by the way...consider moving cages to separate rooms, etc. if this is the issue.) :snake::snake:

Cage is unsuitable in some (or multiple) ways...too small, too warm, not enough hiding places to feel secure, etc. (double check cage temps. & properly regulate heat)

Snake smells fresh outside air & is just curious. :snake:

Snake is hungry & "room service" is too slow. :rolleyes: Or snake is smelling potential prey nearby. (any other pets?)

Snake detects some weakness in the cage (& they remember their way around, btw). Some will persist in trying to escape. Boredom???

My ball python used to try escaping all the time and he'd mash hard, doesn't do it anymore since I got him a bigger enclosure. Doesn't mean that is the issue though, just letting you know what worked for my little guy. Sometimes a bigger enclosure can actually stress a snake out. He used to grind his face on the little grid near the bottom but he never hurt himself. I tend to let him out when he wants nowadays. :)

thanks everyone. i have him in a 35 by 16 plastic tub that i’ve been keeping him in since i’m waiting for my animal plastics t10 to arrive. i’m going to try and tape paper on the sides and add more clutter to his tank. i double checked his temps and they seem fine. maybe he is just bored, and i know for sure he’s hungry but he always is haha.
can he detect female snakes that are outside my house? i leave my window open so maybe this could be the case.. but i also thought mating season was in spring.. he doesn’t have any visible injuries yet but i don’t want him to develop any, so i’m gonna keep an eye on him. thanks!



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i have a boa that will rub when she is really hungry. It's a real pain sometimes because she always seems to be hungry. She hasn't left any marks yet. Usually once I feed her she will relax for a week or so and then go back to cruising her cage for food.

yea pretzel always roams the cage when he’s hungry, but i’ve never seen him be this forceful, it’s almost as if he’s trying to use his body as a drill to get though the tank,like his whole body lifts up in the air and pushes, i guess that’s how i would subscribe it


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by pretzelpretzel

...i know for sure he’s hungry but he always is haha. can he detect female snakes that are outside my house? i leave my window open so maybe this could be the case.. but i also thought mating season was in spring.. he doesn’t have any visible injuries yet but i don’t want him to develop any, so i’m gonna keep an eye on him. thanks! ...

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Are you SURE you're feeding the right size prey? You wouldn't be the first to confuse mice with rats, especially when many just talk about fuzzies or pups. Might be hunger.

Don't think he'd be attracted to the scent of other kinds of snakes, only the same (or very similar) species...you're not in Africa, are you? Wild BPs are not likely in U.S.

Either hungry or horny. :) Probably hungry ✌️

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Either hungry or horny. :) Probably hungry ✌️

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Both:O


The chart:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ing-Guidelines

Snakes will find the weakest point an escape if they can.