Restless or just curious?

[ThornPython4]

For the past day or so I have noticed my male Spider ball python has been slithering around his tank often. Usually at night and early morning. I checked his temps and humidity, and they are perfectly fine. I cleaned his water dish out, but he still kept slithering around.

My concern is if there is something wrong, or a reason for his constant outings?

He just ate for me today, a medium soft fur rat, and he was back out slithering around right after. Is he just restless, or just likes to explore his tank?

Thanks for looking!

[Vypyrz]

Yes, it is normal for them to be exploring at night, especially if they are hungry. Since you just fed him, once he calms down from the feeding, he should mellow out for a couple of days. Just out of curiosity, how big is your snake and how big is a medium ASF, and what size tank is he in?...

[ThornPython4]

He's in a 20 gallon long terrarium, and the soft fur was the same width of his stomach. The snake itself is almost a year old, and he's about 4-6 inches around the thickest part. But he eats great and is growing nicely.

[Vypyrz]

I forgot to ask how old is he? Maybe he's starting to get "girl on the brain", or reaching that point where he isn't a juvenile anymore and is becoming a sub-adult. Kind of a snakes version of a teenager.

It sounds like everything is the right size. Hopefully he will calm down now that he has eaten. As long as you keep his husbandry correct and he continues to eat consistently, and not be out roaming during the day, I'd just let him do his thing.

[Tyler_Royality]

The only reason for a ball python to move around ALOT if they already have a hide/burrow/feel secure., is for food! the prey your offering might be snack sized?

[Vypyrz]

The only reason for a ball python to move around ALOT if they already have a hide/burrow/feel secure., is for food! the prey your offering might be snack sized?

That's a good point. Do you check the rats girth when they are stretched out? or do you weigh them? If the rat is sitting or laying kind of hunched up, it will look bigger. One other thing to consider, if you are kind of eyeballing the girth, is the rats fur will make it appear bigger than it really is...

[ThornPython4]

The rat was slightly larger than the thickest part of his stomach.