Ball Python Pushing Me Away?

[RaskaNeil]

1. How long have you had your ball python?
About two years, little over


2. How old (or how big) is your snake?
1247 grams, around four feet


3. Does it eat on a regular schedule?
Yes, every two weeks


4. How long since its last meal?
Mhmm, it's that season again so it's been a while. Log says last successful feeding was January 7th and time before that was Thanksgiving.


5. What type/size prey is being offered?
Large Rats, readily takes and munches down quickly with no problem (is proportional size for Trouser).


6. How often do you offer food?
Every two weeks


7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in?
75 gallon tank, black bed sheet on top to give security (started this in January with all animals to help humidity and heat be retained).


8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it?
Aspen, two-four inches.


9. What type of heating do you use?
UTH, FLexwatt Panel since I've had Trouser.


10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures?
No sadly, I've never been able to get one to work with me well, I had one for a while but It shorted out in a storm and financial status I can't afford one again yet.


11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures?
Heat Probe


12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure?
Ambient is ~80 Degress Farenheight all around, cool side just below 78 and hot side is 90.


13. What is the average humidity level?
50-60%


14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have?
Two hides, one on each end. A ceramic turtle shell and a natural grass hut (made sure it was safe for Trouser).


15. Is water readily available at all times?
All times,


16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else?
Lives alone.


17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled?
Usually once a week for about ten or fifteen minutes, when Trouser doesn't eat I leave alone however.


18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)?
That's one of the things I'm here for.


19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently?
I have several others, recently no.


20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of?
Not really, It's winter and I've read some BPs fast around this time (mine has both winters we've gone through). Hasn't lost any significant weight.

THE QUESTION!
So I wasn't to worried about this in the past, but one of his recent actions made me nervous... He has always had this "glass cracked" eye I'm going to call it whether or not he is shedding and sometimes he will shed one after another (Trouser shed three times in less than two months a little less than a year back). He has always been a good eater and passive and active when handling. Tonight I was spotting cleaning his cage when I accidently touched he felt like he was literally pushing my hand away (a few times) and he turned around kind of quickly to look at my hand. He has never done that or been aggressive to me before (even during sheds he's my easiest snake). Normally when i touch him hell just move a bit like a worm would and lay there.

With his eye as such, his demeanor and attitude, and I don't believe he is shedding it just seems like something is wrong. I might be going crazy but this is the first time he has ever worried me.

Here are the best pictures I could get of the eye, I don't think he wanted me to take him out to get a better one but his right eye looks kind of like cracked glass, not dented or sagging.

[Trackstrong83]

With the UTH you DEFINITELY need a thermostat

[tsy72001]

Hard to tell, but it looks like stuck eye caps.


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[Capray]

That is most likely a stuck eye cap. If he doesn't shed it off next time he sheds, then get help removing it, a vet is best. Until then he should be fine. It just impairs his vision a bit.

[RaskaNeil]

Alright guys thanks, I'm hoping he is just agitated today (checked temps he is all fine there) by not eating or something because he was not very happy today. I'm changing jobs to something that pays a lot better so I'll be able to get one that works again. I think I just freaked out today!

[Pythonfriend]

i agree, might be a stuck eyecap.

when the snake sheds next time, inspect the shed to see if the eyecaps came off and are visible in the shed. If the old skin has holes where the eyecaps should be, then its clear and you need to have a vet remove the stuck eyecaps. Some people do it themselves by first soaking the snake and then carefully and gently rubbing over the problematic eye with latex gloves or silicone gloves or a cotton swab. But its risky, someone experienced should do it.

but from the pictures it looks like one of the eyes retained a cap.

EDIT: i think i also noticed stuck shed covering the front of the nose, that piece of stuck shed may be connected to the retained eyecap. over the nose you can see the edge of the stuck shed as something like a white line.

[RaskaNeil]

Think he has some shed left one him? I might just not be seeing it somehow, I think I see what you're talking about though. I'm hoping he sheds soon, last one was January 15th.

[Kaorte]

Dented eye caps is an indication of low humidity. It happens from time to time. Not necessarily stuck eye caps.


As for the pushing you away, that sounds pretty normal. Its not "aggressive" its just the snake reacting to some big animal coming in and messing around with them. If anything its afraid. No worries though, completely normal. It is, after all, just a snake

[RaskaNeil]

Added a pretty good Humid Hide in my opinion! Made one for all my other snakes too, hopefully it comes off next time he shed or actually when I put it in he crawled into it to explore. Thank you guys!

[SinCityBPs]

x2 all of the above. I like keeping a bottle of Mineral Oil around for stuck eye caps. Here in the desert with no humidity, it can be difficult to keep humidity up, so they happen from time to time. With a couple drops on the eye twice a day (allow drops to gently roll off a qtip onto the eye), and they almost always work them off within a day or two.

Mineral Oil is very inexpensive and can be found at any Walgreens or drugstore.