Why does she insist on being so cold?

[TurkeyPython]

So my house is around 60-65°. My 800g female HAD a 90° hotspot and it was 80 on the other end, but she kept squishing herself up against the glass on the cold side, so I rearranged things to add more cover. She still did it. So I lowered temps. She still did it. Now it's about 65-70 on the cold side and 80 on the warm side and she's still acting like it's too hot. I've never ever had a snake insist so strongly on being cold. She wanders at night and has housing places all along the gradient but she always chooses to sit in the coldest possible area. She acts fine and I do bring it back up to normal temps after she eats just to make sure she digests, but she wants to be cold and I don't understand it. What could make a bp so insistent on being cold? There is a male, nearby but separate enclosure, and I hear they prefer cooler temps when ovulating, but that low? That doesn't seem right, though I've never bred. I have had ball pythons for literally my entire life, but I've never had any snake ever do that

[TurkeyPython]

Yes, she has three matching hides now. Was two before but I added another. All the exact same and there is fake foliage in between them. And if anything, the cold side she chooses is more exposed than the warm side is. Also, I have digital probes and two heat guns. All read the same

[Sauzo]

They're snakes. They do what they want lol. As long as you offer the same kind of hides on the hot and cool side, then the snake will go to what it needs. One of my boas almost never goes to the hot side no matter what temp you make it. I just gave up and set it the same as the other boas and let her do her thing. I do catch her over there once in a great while though but its like the second coming of the messiah if you see it lol.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Because they chose the cooler end does not mean you should lower your temps to unhealthy range, they thermo-regulate themselves or it could be a security issue as well.

Get your temperatures back to healthy range 75 80 on the cool side and 88-92 on the warm side, after that just leave he be and thermo-regulate as she wishes.

You MUST provide proper husbandry, the temps you are providing are not within proper range for the species and unless you want to start experiencing some issues I would suggest that you change your temps and make sure you measure them at the surface of the substrate with a digital thermometer.

[TurkeyPython]

Because they chose the cooler end does not mean you should lower your temps to unhealthy range, they thermo-regulate themselves or it could be a security issue as well.

Get your temperatures back to healthy range 75 80 on the cool side and 88-92 on the warm side, after that just leave he be and thermo-regulate as she wishes.

You MUST provide proper husbandry, the temps you are providing are not within proper range for the species and unless you want to start experiencing some issues I would suggest that you change your temps and make sure you measure them at the surface of the substrate with a digital thermometer.

As I said, I know my temps are what I said they are. I checked multiple times with multiple methods and she's clearly not doing so for security reasons. She wants to be colder, she's not trying to hide more or better. I can tell when a snake is tryingto get colder or trying to hide or when they're stressed. She WANTS to be cold, not hide. She feels she needs to be cold so am allowing her to thermoregulate herself by letting her be as cold as she wants, though 65 is where I draw the line no matter what she says. She avoids the warmer side and is just as active as before and acts exactly the same as before aside from wanting to be cold. She is healthy and well cared for. I just want to know if there is some biological or natural reason she would feel the need to be THAT cold. I am not worried about her at all. She wants be to cold, it must be for a reason. And I want to know what that reason is. She is fine. She is well cared for. I do NOT need to raise my temps if she is the one who thinks she needs to be cooler. I am allowing her the temps she desires. I just want to know why she might want to be that cold. If it were too cold then she would be on the warm side now, trying desperately to get warmer

[montymiow]

As I said, I know my temps are what I said they are. I checked multiple times with multiple methods and she's clearly not doing so for security reasons. She wants to be colder, she's not trying to hide more or better. I can tell when a snake is tryingto get colder or trying to hide or when they're stressed. She WANTS to be cold, not hide. She feels she needs to be cold so am allowing her to thermoregulate herself by letting her be as cold as she wants, though 65 is where I draw the line no matter what she says. She avoids the warmer side and is just as active as before and acts exactly the same as before aside from wanting to be cold. She is healthy and well cared for. I just want to know if there is some biological or natural reason she would feel the need to be THAT cold. I am not worried about her at all. She wants be to cold, it must be for a reason. And I want to know what that reason is. She is fine. She is well cared for. I do NOT need to raise my temps if she is the one who thinks she needs to be cooler. I am allowing her the temps she desires. I just want to know why she might want to be that cold

Without trying to sound harsh, you don't know exactly what she wants. They require the cool side to thermoregulate which is fair enough, she's chosen that side. But you as an owner can't read that she wants the temperatures this low. It's just not healthy. If you put the temperatures back to normal she still has her choice. Some snakes just pick a favorite side, but you can't keep lowering the temperatures to try force her to the warm side.

[Sauzo]

Problem is 65 is too cold for them period. If she is willingly sitting on the spot that is 65F, there is something drastically wrong with your set up. Got any pics? Anything below 75F and you are risking an RI. Do you have a bright light on the hot side of the cage or something else that might be scaring her? I must have missed that you left it at 65-70 on the cool side. Raise the temps back to 78 on the cool side and 90 on the hot side. Maybe try and switch the hot side to the side she likes to sit on and see if she then moves to the new cool side. And also is this a glass tank? Do you have all 3 sides covered? Do you have the top covered? Like I said, a picture would help a lot more.

[CALM Pythons]

Temps that low (65-70) will cause RI no doubt... Why she wants to be cold I have no clue but I do know she will become sick eventually as they are not snakes that can servive those temps for long without health issues.

[TurkeyPython]

Without trying to sound harsh, you don't know exactly what she wants. They require the cool side to thermoregulate which is fair enough, she's chosen that side. But you as an owner can't read that she wants the temperatures this low. It's just not healthy. If you put the temperatures back to normal she still has her choice. Some snakes just pick a favorite side, but you can't keep lowering the temperatures to try force her to the warm side.

She is clearly choosing temps. I am not forcing her onto the warm side, I'm letting her choose what temperature range she wants. A healthy snake in a good temp range will use the entire enclosure and will utilize both sides. How do you think people even came up with the idea that ball pythons need a 80-90° range? They come up with that because it's the range most utilized by most ball pythons. If that's not the range she wants, then it's not the range she wants. How can you even know what is and isn't a healthy range? If you saw a snake in a tank where the snake was pressed up against the cold side, constantly there regardless of cover and hiding availability, wouldn't that just scream to you that the snake is too hot? If an animal chooses to be in an area of 100° over one if 70°, does that not say to you that the animal wishes to be warmer than 70°? Sometimes you need to learn from observation, rather than just a guideline someone decided is for everything

[TurkeyPython]

Problem is 65 is too cold for them period. If she is willingly sitting on the spot that is 65F, there is something drastically wrong with your set up. Got any pics? Anything below 75F and you are risking an RI. Do you have a bright light on the hot side of the cage or something else that might be scaring her? I must have missed that you left it at 65-70 on the cool side. Raise the temps back to 78 on the cool side and 90 on the hot side. Maybe try and switch the hot side to the side she likes to sit on and see if she then moves to the new cool side. And also is this a glass tank? Do you have all 3 sides covered? Do you have the top covered? Like I said, a picture would help a lot more.

No bright light, it's set up exactly symmetrical from side to side, all hides are the same, there is wall on the back and hot sides, cold side is exposed. She does still moveto the cold side if they're switched. It has ZERO to do with security. The top is covered with insulated foam. I know what I'm doing. I've been keeping snakes for my entire life. Even before I was born my mother had snakes. Ball pythons and boas. All I want to know is why would she suddenly feel the need to be so cold. She is fine and healthy.