Being the new BP owner that I am, I've come across interesting behaviors that don't seem to be easy to explain with a google search.

Knowing what I do, some behaviors I might find cute/adorable might be indicative of stress or discomfort. And that worries me. I handle him quite more frequently than recommended, as I still haven't been able to properly humidify or maintain proper temperatures in his living space. I've attempted, many times, but it's difficult when my roommate keeps the air conditioner set between 65°F and 70°F at night and off completely during the day. My room temperature varies between 65°F and 90°F (it's summer. And I happen to be in the room that has the most air conditioning, but the most sun exposure, so it becomes the warmest room in the house.) My roommate hates snakes, and has a very large puppy, so I cannot move Wheatley to a better, more controlled temperate environment. So I supplement this by taking Wheatley out frequently when it's cold (I normally am up and about during the night and sleep during daylight hours) and giving him daily quick "baths" in the sink (with a little bit of water conditioner made for reptiles).



- Bracing

Occasionally, when I run my finger along his side, he will lift up his body and sort of brace against it while it travels. Almost like a cat would brace into petting. If I were running my finger along his spine, for example, he would lift that area of his back up as if he were using it to push himself along, however he would not be moving/attempting to otherwise move.

- Hitting

In lieu of striking with his teeth, when he is comfortable in a curled, but relaxed, position anywhere cozy (sometimes my hand or my chest), if I start to pet him with my finger, he will take a portion of his body, suck it in and quickly push it out. It's a curious behavior that I cannot find an explanation of why this happens other than what I could only assume. It could simply be that it tickled to him? Or he's telling me "not right now." He isn't ever showing any sign of panic when this happens, although the majority of the time when this occurs is when he's curled in any position (not hiding his head, but just curled as if to sleep.) Curiously, even when I have accidentally startled him, he hasn't struck at me since the first day.

- Kisses

While he isn't the one doing the kissing, I would think that by now he knows what part of my face is my mouth. Any wild animal would stress out if a big Godzilla monster picked it up, making noises, and touch it's mouth anywhere near them. I'd be trying to get away, to be honest. Or I'd be panicking. Wheatley is still just a baby, so I am his big Godzilla monster. Even so, he doesn't show any sign of panic (heavy breathing-no breathing, wide body, dilated pupils, balling) when I get carried away and kiss his head. Sometimes he just simply moves away, slowly, and continues whatever he was doing at the time. Other times he will receive one on the top of his head, and he will lift his head up for a moment to stare at me, then go back to whatever it was he was doing. The same can be said for when I pet his head. Neither action results in the characteristic "s" shape, and any movements are slow and smooth. Calm, even. While he may not "like" it, per say, his indifference towards it might indicate trust/comfort with his handler. And in cat language, at least, that's a characteristic of love/a bond.

- Unusual Feeding Behavior / No "Food Mode"

I've mentioned this before, but recently this morning, I experimented (dangerously) to see if the behavior was simply a coincidence, or possibly suggestive of a more domesticated intelligence. On his second feeding, I made a newbie mistake and directly after feeding Wheatley his fuzzy, I had placed my hand quite close to him while replacing his hide (I was on my way to work, was on the phone with my supervisor, and was not paying any attention.) As most snakes, as opportunistic hunters, remain in "food mode" for a while after feeding, this was a rather poorly judged move. I could have received a "food bite." But instead, he slowly approached my finger, flicked his tongue at my finger (which DID touch the mouse fuzzy) then moved on to go curl up in his hide. This morning, I dared fate and tried this again (this time intentionally), hoping for similar results. I was not disappointed. Although he did not spend any time sniffing my fingers, instead, this time, he only looked at them briefly, in passing, then proceeded to ignore them to go curl in his hide.

- Staring / Direct Eye Contact

On occasion, I will catch Wheatley gazing at me in the eyes with either one eye, or both. While before, when I first got him, he would panic. Now, he just calmly holds my eye contact, remaining completely relaxed. The majority of the time this proceeds a slow crawl to a warm spot on me (usually my chest or the crook of my arm) to curl up.

- Cobra Pose

Sometimes, when I have him out, he will lift his head up and stare forward so his head was parallel to the floor. Sometimes this is just an inch high, other times it would be almost a third of his body. There could be a tented shirt nearby on the floor, or a box, or anything hide-worthy, and he would ignore it and remain in this position for a moment. It's never in response to movement. A thread I read on this indicated a similar behavior, though it was suggested that the ball python in question was searching for a hide-spot/warmth. However, so far, the only thing that "breaks" him from this position is either to stretch (yawn), peer over at me if I have moved, or continue moving on his own. Since I am not in his head, I really don't know exactly what triggers this behavior. But, as Wheatley is pretty intelligent for a snake, I like to think that this is his "thinking' pose.



Slightly off topic... I got pooped and peed on all at once while he was curled up on my chest yesterday. I gave him a quick rinse off, dry off, then I took a shower. Snake poo STINKS. I feed him white, furred fuzzies. I heard it's normal for ball pythons to have brown poop. A friend said it should be like bird poop. It was yellow, pee colored almost. That's diarrhea color for humans, so I am unsure if this is indicative of something that's a health concern, or simply a result of having the same hole to pee and poop from.