EMERGENCY HELP i think julius is p**sed

[bchapman]

he was hiding in the same spot of his cage for like 2 days, i took him out today to clean his water and move his hide to a better spot and now hes just hissing at me.

he is sitting in the middle of more floor hissing at me and i think hes going to bite me if i try to move him.

if i move my hand near him he starts to move towards it as though he is stalking it or going to strike he is just staring at me

HELP

plus i think he may or may not be ready to shed, and he is due for food

what do i do?
thanks barry

[daniel1983]

Leave the snake alone. If he is going to shed, then he is in a very stressful state. I would not worry about feeding him since he seems to be very defensive at the time.

EDIT: Put him back in the enclosure first. I missed the part about him being on the floor. Next time put him in a little box or tub when you are cleaning....the open space of the floor is probably making the little one feel very open to attacks from preditors and very very nervous.

[toe_knee]

to put him back in his enclosure take a pillow case, put it over him, then grab him from the back. i did this when i brought padro to the vet. he tagged me twice then i did the pillow case trick. it worked great for me

[iceman25]

If he is in shed mode then I would advice not handling him. All snakes are different; some are okay being handled during the shed, others not very much. Double check temps and humidity and if you have to handle him for some urgent reason, wear gloves(If you are averse to animal bites).

[frankykeno]

First thing to do is take a deep breath and calm down. You being freaked and afraid is as far as I'm concerned going to key up the snake even worse. These are predators and I believe they can easily pick up the fear/tension messages humans broadcast on a level we are unaware of.

Just shove on some gloves or drop a light cloth or a spare glove over his head to confuse him for a moment while you securely hold him behind the head and down his body. Don't hesitate and give him time to work his way loose - just calmy and quickly deal with himt. Put him back in his enclosure and leave him be...he's probably scared witless and just trying to survive out there on the big open floor with some predator hanging over him (you=predator most likely in his very basic snake brain).

[bchapman]

okay i think he is happy again - i moved his hide to a more concealed spot and misted the tank a little. i picked him up with my hands and he just curled up in them, i put him in front of his hide and he climbed up to the top of his tree and is basking in the CHE

sould i offer im food tomorrow?

[iceman25]

okay i think he is happy again - i moved his hide to a more concealed spot and misted the tank a little. i picked him up with my hands and he just curled up in them, i put him in front of his hide and he climbed up to the top of his tree and is basking in the CHE

sould i offer im food tomorrow?

Some eat during shed, others don't. If his behavior seems out of ordinary, then I would not feed him till he completes the shed cycle.

[bchapman]

okay so i decided to try offering julius some food to make up for upsetting him last night

he was sleeping on his log and i picked him up and he started hissing again so i put him in a sweater box to feed him. i dropped the mouse in and was about to cover him up but he had already struck it and was squeezing it before i had a chance to cover the tank up

i guess i have a question from this, will he only eat if he is hungry? he last ate on sunday morning. i am not quite sure how often he should be fed, every time i feed him he seems to be starving. should i be feeding him more often?

plus he hasnt pooped yet, and he has eaten 3 times. is this bad?

thanks all!

[daaangconcepts]

Ok. I must first warn you, I am a beginner snake owner. These are just my opinions, and a more knowledgeable owner/breeder maybe able to help you more.

I have an adult female ball she's around 4ft- I ususally feed her a medium sized rat once a week. What is the size of your ball???[/font]


Q.
plus he hasnt pooped yet, and he has eaten 3 times. is this bad?

A.
I'm not too sure if it's actually bad, but I don't think its good. (if that makes sense) He may need more hydration. Do you ever see him drink from his water bowl.

I would try soaking him in tempid water(not hot/not cold)

thanks all!

[recycling goddess]

my ball poops every few months... some poop weekly... don't worry about at all.

pick a day... and feed on that day every single week. balls loooove routine.

when you are going into his enclosure to pick him up do the same thing every time. remove his hide and stroke him on his side a few times. i speak very gently letting him know i'm going to pick him up now. then i scoop him up quickly and put him securely on my hands.

when i feed... i place the mouse near his enclosure for 15 minutes to get him interested in the prey item. then i open his enclosure and set the mouse at the opposite end of him and close the lid. dexter (my ball) comes out and sometimes takes his sweet time and other times strikes immediately. depends on his mood i guess... no real rhyme or reason.

i always remove extra items from his enclosure before i feed (like his tree branches) so they aren't in the way when he's striking at the mouse. i do this before i set the mouse for the 15 minutes cause i don't want to put my hands in there once the feeding ritual has started! it also signals to him that the ritual is about to begin.

NEVER remove his hides though. he needs to feel safe to eat.

hope this helps
aleesha