Ball Python acting funny?

[Whitney Scheib]

Also, Aries has the most ventilated cage out of all of them. I would think that the ones with the tubs or wooden cages would get a reaction before him, so just seems strange to me.

[mr.spooky]

could be that that snake just dont jive with the spray? i dunno, id like to hear other thoughts. does it just sit alone and do this, or does it act like this only when you feed, or touch?
thanks
spooky

[Whitney Scheib]

could be that that snake just dont jive with the spray? i dunno, id like to hear other thoughts. does it just sit alone and do this, or does it act like this only when you feed, or touch?
thanks
spooky

Well its most noticeable at feeding time, and sometimes when I hold him. But I watch him in his cage, and he has climbing branches, and sometimes he will climb up on them to investigate the top of his cage and you can see the swaying quite visibly. A bad reaction could make sense, as I cant say I noticed it before using the spray, but I just wanted to double check it wasn't serious. He still eats, drinks, and poops, so I haven't taken him to a vet yet. Plus, I have to save right now to take my boa to the vet since he hasn't eaten in 3 months and is losing weight.

[Zombie]

Do you have a way to take a video of what's going on with him? Maybe if someone saw it first hand they would be able to pinpoint it better

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

[heathers*bps]

I've used the same mite spray for years and have never had a problem, so I am wondering if he is over heating. I didn't see you respond with using a thermostat, so perhaps this is the culprit??

[Whitney Scheib]

No, I don't have a thermostat. But I have checked his temps, and his UTH is going out, so some spots are warmer then others. The hottest point in his cage, is under his branches, where he can't get to, and its 93. The rest of the warm spots, where his hide are, range from 84-89. Yes, I AM going to get a new UTH, as I just discovered this problem tonight for the first time. Its from me taking it off the tank, when I had to steam the tank to kill the mites. Its old also, as it came with the tank. So yes, I will be asking around and seeing if I can get a new UTH.

But, on another note, I doubt he is overheating, as he has spent alot of time in his water dish because of the mites. He just went into his hide for the first time in about 2 weeks that I have seen, since I put a new and bigger one in for him.

[The Serpent Merchant]

No, I don't have a thermostat. But I have checked his temps, and his UTH is going out, so some spots are warmer then others. The hottest point in his cage, is under his branches, where he can't get to, and its 93. The rest of the warm spots, where his hide are, range from 84-89. Yes, I AM going to get a new UTH, as I just discovered this problem tonight for the first time. Its from me taking it off the tank, when I had to steam the tank to kill the mites. Its old also, as it came with the tank. So yes, I will be asking around and seeing if I can get a new UTH.

But, on another note, I doubt he is overheating, as he has spent alot of time in his water dish because of the mites. He just went into his hide for the first time in about 2 weeks that I have seen, since I put a new and bigger one in for him.

The problem isn't that your UTH is broken, because it's not. They all just get too hot. Most also will have hotter spots and cooler spots. If you won't/can't get a thermostat you really should just use a heat lamp. Yes it will kill your humidity but an unregulated UTH can kill your snake.

[Whitney Scheib]

The problem isn't that your UTH is broken, because it's not. They all just get too hot. Most also will have hotter spots and cooler spots. If you won't/can't get a thermostat you really should just use a heat lamp. Yes it will kill your humidity but an unregulated UTH can kill your snake.

The reason I assumed it was broken, is because before I removed it, it had a basically even heat gradient. A few degrees across, but not that bad. All of my other snakes are hooked up on a rheostat, with frequent temp checks, but this one isn't. I have a heat lamp, but it makes even my 40 gallon breeder go 100+ degrees, I would be roasting him alive if I put it on a 20 gallon tank. I'll look around and see if I have stuff to hook up a rheostat until friday when I can get a thermostat

[RichsBallPythons]

Its not the spray,

Any snake can exhibit the spider wobble regardless. If could of been chemical exposure like air freshner,bleach,pesticide,hair spray,cologne, over heated, egg rolled during incubation causing neurological disorder when stressed or in feeding mode.


If snake is eating, shedding and pooping, I suspect a environmental change and nothing abnormal about it.

[Whitney Scheib]

Its not the spray,

Any snake can exhibit the spider wobble regardless. If could of been chemical exposure like air freshner,bleach,pesticide,hair spray,cologne, over heated, egg rolled during incubation causing neurological disorder when stressed or in feeding mode.


If snake is eating, shedding and pooping, I suspect a environmental change and nothing abnormal about it.

When I cleaned the cages after the mite infestation, I had limited chemical supplies. So what I did was turn the water the hottest it would go, then filled them about halfway, sprayed windex in the water and scrubbed them down. Then, I rinsed them out with the hot water, shaking them around to cover all sides and cracks, about 3 times. Then, fill with hot water, put lid on, and cover holes and steamed it for about 45 minutes. Then rinsed a few more times. Put everythign back in, and sprayed with the spray. I haven't cleaned them like that in about 3 weeks though. Have only used teh spray twice, including tonights time. So I'm not sure what could have caused it. I didn't notice it when we first got him, so idk. Im at a loss. But he's still acting healthy and eating, so no worry