Quote Originally Posted by Armiyana View Post
A couple questions first....
What are the temps in the enclosure? you list the humidity range but not the hot and cool spots. Textbook isn't always that clear.

Does she have a gene related to neurological issues in her parentage like spider, champagne, or woma? I wouldn't quite say BELs are free of defects, but that's more for a long term breeding standpoint not a casual ownership. Typically related to eye issues when the wrong genes are crossed.

When you say wobble, is it just the little bit of shaking when she lifts her head and is exploring? Because that can just be normal behavior. There's a lot of muscle action and thinking going on. A lot of people are very quick to judge on any little movement of the head as a neurological issue. Yes, it can happen in incubation issues. Yes, extreme temps can cause them. But for it to happen for an isolated 10 minute time span I think is a bit strange unless your animal is under extreme stress.

That said...It sounds like she's just exploring and getting used to the new digs. The smell of the substrate can definitely be a factor. I honestly just think she's excited to explore. They'll push and try to find a crack or a seam and think they can escape. it happens. Sure it looks a bit weird at first. A lot of times we worry and expect the worst. It happens. If she was my girl, I would make note of times I see this sort of behavior and see if there maybe is a cause. Like an airborne irritant as Argentum said.

I hope it's something that just happens a few more times and that's that because she's figured out her safe place.

90° warm side, 79° cool side.

No, she’s just a Mojave Lesser.


Yeah, only happens when she first gets put into that particular enclosure and she goes to explore it for about 5 to 10 minutes. Never happened in the tub or even when being handled whenever she goes to explore. What could cause that kind of stress?


Would you recommend I wait about a month and see if the behavior continues and then if it does switch her back to paper towels or something? Or do you think maybe the heat panel could be causing a smell from the fake plants?