Python not as active as she used to be

[Sandaconda]

Hello everyone!
I've had some concerns recently over my snake and I was hoping I might be able to put them to rest with your help. She ate fine last Friday but I had to do a big clean in her cage since she pooped on her walls and hide. Seeing that she needed bigger hides, I made a new hide out of an old food container just like her other hide that she loves and place it in her cage along with her washed everything. However, it's been a week since and she has not shown much activity. Usually 4 days after eating, she's moving around her cage at night, switching between her hides and everything. Now, all she does is stat inside her one favorite hide in the cool side, never moving or exiting or going to the other hide. I'm considering feeding her tonight but she's shown no signs of hunger like normal and just stays in the cool side. She likes her head out occasionally at night to peek around but never leaves the hide. Does anyone have any idea what's going on? I've rearranged her cage before and she never did this and I'm just worried I did something wrong. I will say that I did clean everything with a bleach mixture with 5 parts water to 1 part bleach but I've done this before with no problems. Advice and guidance is greatly appreciated cause I'm worried about my noodle. She's maybe 10 months old bit uncertain since I do not know her hatch date, only thatbi hot her Last february.

[Caitlin]

When you notice a change in behavior, it's always good to double-check husbandry: are temps and humidity stable? Are temp probes properly placed and heating elements and thermostats operating properly?

But from what you describe here, I'd say try not to worry. Snakes go through activity/inactivity cycles just like the rest of us. It's possible that she's going into a shed cycle and just wants to be left alone till she's done with it.

If husbandry parameters are correct, there's likely no reason for concern unless you notice unusual bowel movements or symptoms associated with scale rot or a respiratory infection (labored breathing, open-mouthed breathing, excess saliva, holding her head up in an awkward way to help with breathing, clicking or wheezing sounds).

My BP is going through a cycle like this right now. When he does this, I'll do a quick wellness check by just lifting his hide, but otherwise I leave him alone. If I don't see him at all for a solid week (including late-night checks since that's when they are active), I'll pull him out for a closer look. But you're probably just experiencing normal BP behaviors.

Editing to add: cleaning/disinfecting with a dilute bleach solution is fine, but I tend to prefer something just a tad less harsh. Chlorhexidine solution (also called Hibiclens) is what we always used in my family's veterinary practice and I use it now for all of my snake enclosures. It's so biologically neutral that it is used as a mouthwash for human dental patients, and can be used to clean wounds in both humans and animals - but it's also a very effective disinfectant. It's inexpensive; you can get a bottle of the concentrate on Amazon that will last a couple of years.

[Bogertophis]

Sounds like your snake is just going into a shed cycle...they tend to lay low & usually prefer the cool side.

But I'm very concerned about your disinfection with so much bleach! Bleach is TOXIC to snakes (& us, but it takes more for us to get sick...we're bigger). If & when you
use bleach to disinfect any snake things, there must be NO smell remaining, & usually when you use such a high concentration, it's very hard to remove. I hope that's not
been the case & that you haven't exposed your snake to any lingering fumes? I prefer to use generic* & well-diluted chlorhexidine to wipe my snake's tanks & things; *it's
available from most feed stores or online suppliers of pet & farm products. You can just dry it off without rinsing it off, UNLIKE bleach solutions. Bleach is a last resort for
me to use...like if I had to disinfect a used tank or had a snake die from suspicious symptoms (of something contagious), & happily neither one of these happens here.

[Sandaconda]

I will have to look into that stuff! Idk if she's in shed cause she just shed maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago and she doesn't have a shed feel. Plus I see nothing in her eyes like I normally would. It just was really sudden, temps have been good, humidity could be a bit higher but I wouldn't think that's the cause. It's just weird and sudden. I haven't seen anything else that indicates unhealthiness. That's why I'm a bit worried.

[Sandaconda]

Sounds like your snake is just going into a shed cycle...they tend to lay low & usually prefer the cool side.

But I'm very concerned about your disinfection with so much bleach! Bleach is TOXIC to snakes (& us, but it takes more for us to get sick...we're bigger). If & when you
use bleach to disinfect any snake things, there must be NO smell remaining, & usually when you use such a high concentration, it's very hard to remove. I hope that's not
been the case & that you haven't exposed your snake to any lingering fumes? I prefer to use generic* & well-diluted chlorhexidine to wipe my snake's tanks & things; *it's
available from most feed stores or online suppliers of pet & farm products. You can just dry it off without rinsing it off, UNLIKE bleach solutions. Bleach is a last resort for
me to use...like if I had to disinfect a used tank or had a snake die from suspicious symptoms (of something contagious), & happily neither one of these happens here.

I understand your concern but I had nothing else to use in that immediate situation. I say 6 to 1 but Idk I'm bad at measurements. We had a big bucket that I poured some bleach into and the tons of water. Either way, I was extremely careful where after i washed the stuff in the solutiom, I immediately rinsed them in another bucket filled with water followed by a rinse in the sink. I smell absolutely nothing on them and made certain nothing had any smell. Like I mention previously, i don't think it's a shed cycle either.

[Bogertophis]

I understand your concern but I had nothing else to use in that immediate situation....

Plain old water & a dab of mild dish soap -if you need it to remove feces- would have been just fine. If you only keep a pet (or several), it wasn't any sort of "emergency" as you're trying to make it sound. There is a lot of talk on forums like this about F10 & other disinfectants, but keep in mind that some people breed or keep lots more than the average pet keeper, & for many others, it's just over-kill. Just as plain old hand-washing (not hand sanitizer) is the best thing for cleaning your hands to protect from COVID, it's plain old washing that does the most for your animal cages too. FYI, disinfectants are rendered mostly useless if combined with contamination (dirt &/or feces)...they work best on clean surfaces, & then when given about 20 undisturbed minutes to kill germs. Washing is the MOST important thing, NOT the disinfectant... (I have some medical background, btw.)

[Sandaconda]

Plain old water & a dab of mild dish soap -if you need it to remove feces- would have been just fine. If you only keep a pet (or several), it wasn't any sort of "emergency" as you're trying to make it sound. There is a lot of talk on forums like this about F10 & other disinfectants, but keep in mind that some people breed or keep lots more than the average pet keeper, & for many others, it's just over-kill. Just as plain old hand-washing (not hand sanitizer) is the best thing for cleaning your hands to protect from COVID, it's plain old washing that does the most for your animal cages too. FYI, disinfectants are rendered mostly useless if combined with contamination (dirt &/or feces)...they work best on clean surfaces, & then when given about 20 undisturbed minutes to kill germs. Washing is the MOST important thing, NOT the disinfectant... (I have some medical background, btw.)

It is tough to explain why it was an emergency but I needed to clean her tank right away and I didn't have anything to use except the bleach. I didn't think about dish soap I will admit but is that still good for snakes? Like if I washed her her hide with it, would it have been okay for a snake? Just curious since everything is different for eveything. I just want to keep her in a clean environment and healthy, which I why I was asking since this is new behavior for her.

[Bogertophis]

It is tough to explain why it was an emergency but I needed to clean her tank right away and I didn't have anything to use except the bleach. I didn't think about dish soap I will admit but is that still good for snakes? Like if I washed her her hide with it, would it have been okay for a snake? Just curious since everything is different for eveything. I just want to keep her in a clean environment and healthy, which I why I was asking since this is new behavior for her.

A little soap* & water to wash their hides, cage, & water bowls with is just fine, then rinse well. It's sure a whole lot safer than bleach...

(*And to be clear, I'm talking about the mild liquid dish soap, like Ivory or Dawn, & NOT anything you'd use in a dishwasher.)

White vinegar is also mildly germicidal & dissolves hard water mineral deposits, so it's very good (AND SAFE) for their water bowls...just rinse it out (& it rinses easily).