My ball python is 8 months old, and has been a very good feeder for me since I got him about a month ago. Last night, however, he did something strange that has me concerned.

He struck at the mouse I offered him and coiled around it and held it for a couple minutes like normal. (Please no comments on how I should switch him to rats - I am already planning on getting some next time I can) He then seemed to get a bit confused because he was holding it backwards and couldn't find it's head, which was in his coil still. Then, he completely let go of it and went halfway across the tank, turned around, and zipped over the log in the middle of his tank and started striking at the heat lamp with jerky movements! He jerked at it a couple times before coming down and dunking his head in water, still moving a bit weird. He finally found his mouse again and just started eating it.

The optimistic side of me is thinking maybe I just didn't heat his mouse up enough, but the concerned-new-pet-parent side of me is worried he has some sort of neurological damage or something! His tank has been getting a little hot (90 ambient on the hot side instead of 85, which makes the ground temp under his lamp around 100) but whenever this happens I have found him in a cooler part of his tank. I have a CHE in a dimmable lamp right now, though I do plan on getting a non-dimmable lamp and a thermostat as soon as possible so this doesn't keep happening.

Should I be concerned about him, or has anyone else had their snake do this?