Why is she doing this?

[Moofins07]

I'm terrified, and hopefully for no reason, but my year-old ball python did a definite corkscrew motion about a week ago. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I bawled my eyes out seconds after seeing her do it. She means the world to me, and I've had paranoid thoughts of IBD ever since. She did it after I'd touched the sides of her head a few times to demonstrate to my boyfriend how head shy they are. Hopefully she was just trying to rub her face, but I don't know.

For the next week or so, she seemed to be acting normal. Turned blue, shed, and then I tried to feed her, since it had been just over a week. She would approach the mouse, then go too far to one side or come so close to the mouse that it would touch her nose, and scare herself away. I doubt she would do this on purpose... In the end, she didn't eat. Her temperature has never gone over 90 anywhere in her tank.

I'm just looking for some advice and maybe hopeful answers, that I'm just worrying over nothing. Balls are picky eaters, I know that. But I've never seen her try to eat like THAT before...

[stevepoppers]

One of mine did a really weird corkscrew motion when I offered a thawed rat instead of a live mouse. Kind of like, "GEH WTF IS THIS!?!?!"

It freaked me out, but I haven't seen it since.

[nicktreb]

Unless you start to see more signs, I wouldn't be too worried yet. One time i was sort of tickling the side of my ball python and when i put him down he did some very strange movements, so maybe it was just from you touching the head or something.

[strangefamous]

I agree with Nick. Wait it out for a couple weeks. If she starts to show signs of this again, might be time to take her to the vet. Question, is this the 09 Normal that is in your sig? Its not a spider is it?

[Kaorte]

It was probably nothing. IBD is unmistakable. A strange motion here and there is normal. If the snake had IBD it would not be able to move around right and would be corkscrewing constantly. I see some of my non spiders do a kind of corkscrew motion every once in a while.

Also, IBD kills pythons in about 1-2 months. IBD doesn't just come out of no where. It has to be contracted from another infected snake. So unless your ball was canoodling with a bunch of boas, she should be fine

Keep an eye on her, but not too close or else you will see problems that aren't there