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  1. #1
    Registered User no pants man's Avatar
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    Exessive heat and aggression.

    I had a question concerning high temperatures and their effects on snake behavior. I have to 1.5yo Bull snakes, a wild type male and an albino female. Generally, they have a very complacent disposition and are never prone to threat displays or aggression. On occasion the male will become upset and hiss mildly, and sometimes rattle, but never does he strike or take it any further than a mild, "hey, leave me alone" sort of thing. The female has been absolutely amazing, never has she displayed or anything, she's always been a sweetheart.

    But all of the sudden, accompanying a heat spike in the weather, she has become an absolute terror. Before I even open her cage, she's hissing absurdly loud, rattling and striking. It seems to me that the heat has brought on these behavior changes, but I could be wrong. Is my girl just stressed from the heat, or could her personality be changing for some reason? Nothing about her husbandry has changed, except that it's now hotter as the AC can't keep up with the weather. I'm under the assumption this is normal and she'll calm down as it cools down, but still I'm worried this little sweety is turning into a demonic nether serpent from realms beyond. Anyone's input is welcome, Pituophis related or not. I'm curious of other keeper's experiences
    1.0.0 Ball Python - 1.1.0 Bull Snakes - 0.1.0 Leopard Gecko - 0.1.0 Bearded Dragon - 1.0.0 Boa Constrictor - 0.0.1 Chaco Golden Knee

  2. #2
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    Just sounds like its acting like a normal bull. Mine was always calm then just got progressily more defencive. Now he just have his good moment and bad like a normal bull.
    Always be Batman

  3. #3
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    How long the added behaviour been going on? Could be he is going into shed and you havent noticed yet. They can be extra fun when they are in shed sometimes.
    Always be Batman

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    BPnet Veteran Lucas339's Avatar
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    i don't give any of my bulls heat....and i have some terrors!

  5. #5
    Registered User no pants man's Avatar
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    It's been going on for about 2 or 3 weeks. I fed her the day this thread was posted, 3 large mice, and found she had regurgitated one a day and a half later. Tried to feed her a single large mouse on the 27th, and was regurgitated yesterday evening. At this point, I'm worried something else is to blame. Any thoughts? It seems as though it's time for a veterinary appointment

    On a positive note, my Golden Knee sling molted on the 27th, and is now approximately 1.75-2"
    Last edited by no pants man; 05-29-2012 at 02:37 AM.
    1.0.0 Ball Python - 1.1.0 Bull Snakes - 0.1.0 Leopard Gecko - 0.1.0 Bearded Dragon - 1.0.0 Boa Constrictor - 0.0.1 Chaco Golden Knee

  6. #6
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    just out of curiosity, whats the temp in their eclosure during the heat spike vs the temp they have been kept at in the past.

  7. #7
    Registered User no pants man's Avatar
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    Re: Exessive heat and aggression.

    Quote Originally Posted by USNHM242 View Post
    just out of curiosity, whats the temp in their eclosure during the heat spike vs the temp they have been kept at in the past.
    They are normally kept at approximately 70-80f, from the coolest point to the warmest. During these heat spells they have been at 85-90. I've since moved my female to a cooler area of the house where I can better regulate her temps during the summer months.

    Feeding has resumed as normal, so far as I can tell. It's been two days since the last feeding (1 large mouse) and she's kept it down thus far, so I don't expect any issues. Once I can be sure that she's keeping her food down, I'll slowly bring her back up to her normal meal sizes.
    1.0.0 Ball Python - 1.1.0 Bull Snakes - 0.1.0 Leopard Gecko - 0.1.0 Bearded Dragon - 1.0.0 Boa Constrictor - 0.0.1 Chaco Golden Knee

  8. #8
    BPnet Lifer Mike41793's Avatar
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    Whenever a snake regurges youre supposed to give at least 2-3 weeks to allow their digestive systems to recooperate.
    The heat could definetly be a factor. Im not familiar with bulls but i know bps can become stressed when theyre kept too warm. Bulls show signs of stress a bit differently lol, a bit more aggressively.

  9. #9
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    Re: Exessive heat and aggression.

    My female has acted like a grizzly with hemorrhoids since the temp outside has hit the upper 90's and inside my apartment its probably in the lower nineties. I think the heat definitely has something to do with it. I skipped the feeding until it cooled down a little. I just went to pick her up and she was going crazy hissing and striking at the side of the cage while i was taking her lid off but i grabbed her anyways and she seemed to calm down a little. I still think they are mostly just being dramatic and actually wouldn't bite unless you started slapping them in the face. Thats been my experience anyways. My male is just lazy and calm like a ball python.

  10. #10
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    Unhappy bull

    Were you keeping the male and female together? If so there may have been some activity that you did not notice which resulted in her becoming gravid. Some lose their appetite when gravid. Has she shed recently? If so, watch for eggs but leave her be, dont feed her. As far as the heat goes, pits tend to get very lethargic when it is too hot, even becoming quite limp when handled. It may be late but it is also breeding time which can make some act funny. Im just throwing out some possibilities here.

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