What is Normal Post-Feeding Behavior?

[Patricia]

New owner here (brought our BP home only 2 days ago) and I've been a bundle of nerves/terrified for the past 2 hours.

Our young (6 months?) BP ate a thawed hopper mouse just fine last night. I'd read not to handle a snake for at least 48 hours after eating, so we left it alone. Today it spent 5 or 6 hours unmoving, curled over itself, draping through the "window" of its tree-shaped hiding spot, i.e. hanging over the "window sill". Wouldn't that put a lot of pressure on a full stomach?

What scared me was having just read that thread about UTHs needing a temperature control, otherwise the snake could burn/die. The tree is directly over the UTH, where BP has been since arriving. I merely wanted to add more ReptiBark over that area until we could get a temperature control, but couldn't pick up the tree to move it since BP was draped through it. Nudging it didn't make it move (which is usually does), just hiss. Several times. That scared me too. Eventually it moved. I picked it up and held it while our daughter added more ReptiBark.

However, after putting it back in it didn't go back into its hiding spot inside the tree, but kept roaming around the cage constantly, reaching up to the screen cover like we haven't seen it do before this. A thud on the floor scared the bejeebers out of it. It was clearly very agitated, and looked like it was desperately trying to escape. I was afraid it would regurgitate, which I've read is harmful.

While yes, it was moving around the cage, the back half didn't seem to move normally, kind of dragging along like a dead weight (which I guess the mouse inside literally is), yet a couple of times that rear section seemed to twitch in a funny way. Perhaps this is a normal way a snake digests?

Finally, 2 hours after I first nudged it to move, it's back inside its hiding spot and looks like the peaceful snake it's been until this episode. So, my questions:

1) What is normal snake behavior after eating? Do they become sluggish/unmoving or active? If sluggish, how long does that last?

2) Is it normal to put pressure on its belly after eating?

3) After eating, is it normal for a BP to move only its front half for awhile?

4) How long after eating should the snake not be handled? I've read 48 hours. I wouldn't have touched our little guy had it not been for concern over the UTH.

5) Now that it's freaked out so badly, how long should we hold off handling it?

Thanks for reading, I know this is a long post, but it's our first snake ever which we brought home only 2 days ago, so we don't know what's normal or not.

[mrshawt]

Sleep. Hide.

48 hours is good. But, if he was agitated, leave him alone for a few more days.
Are the back and sides of your tank covered to make it more secure?

Sorry I don't know the answers to the other questions.

[knott00]

My ball does the same thing. After eating she does not want to go back in her hide and she would crawl up the side of the enclosure.
This was my first time feeding my baby BP and she seems fine.
I'm sure you have nothing to worry about.

Is this the first feeding for your BP?

If you have not done so yet, you should take your snake to a reptile vet along with a fecal sample and get her and the sample.

[guambomb832]

My ball python always roams his cage after swallowing his meal.
Perfectly normal behavior.
And if your worried about your UTH overheating, it should be fine if your using the right size for example you have a 20 gallon tank, use a 10-20 gallon size UTH. I don't use thermostats for my UTH for my 20 gallon because the hot spot only gets about 95 degrees which is just perfect for a hot spot for a ball python.