BP twitching?

[snakelover88]

Ok I have a ball python that hatched June 9, 2008. He is approximately two feet in length and a good eater, shedder, etc. He gets out everyday for some slither time and some love. Well last night he was stretched out on my stomach with his face in my neck. I was rubbing his back lightly like i always do and he started almost like shuddering or shivering. Then he arched his back almost as if he was stretching with a shiver. Has this happened to anyone else and should I be concerned. I put him on the floor to observe his movements and he seemed fine and then when put back in tank he just climbed in his water bowl for a swim. He just ate on Monday two adult mice and is getting close shedding time. Thanks in advance for the advice! Morgan

[anendeloflorien]

Ok I have a ball python that hatched June 9, 2008. He is approximately two feet in length and a good eater, shedder, etc. He gets out everyday for some slither time and some love. Well last night he was stretched out on my stomach with his face in my neck. I was rubbing his back lightly like i always do and he started almost like shuddering or shivering. Then he arched his back almost as if he was stretching with a shiver. Has this happened to anyone else and should I be concerned. I put him on the floor to observe his movements and he seemed fine and then when put back in tank he just climbed in his water bowl for a swim. He just ate on Monday two adult mice and is getting close shedding time. Thanks in advance for the advice! Morgan

First off !

That almost sounds to me like he was trying to clear mucus out of his throat which can be a sign of a respiratory infection which requires veterinary care and medication. What type of setup is he housed in? What are the ambient and cool/warm side temperatures? What is the humidity level in the enclosure?

I would check him over for mites also as sometimes when they spend a lot of time in the water bowl it can be a sign that they're trying to drown off mites. That could even explain the shivering you noticed, if there are mites present he would be extremely uncomfortable because they get to the skin in between the scales and bite and suck constantly. Mites appear as very very small black dots and you can usually find them in the water dish after the snake has soaked or crawling on your hands after you handle the snake.

[snakelover88]

First off !

That almost sounds to me like he was trying to clear mucus out of his throat which can be a sign of a respiratory infection which requires veterinary care and medication. What type of setup is he housed in? What are the ambient and cool/warm side temperatures? What is the humidity level in the enclosure?

I would check him over for mites also as sometimes when they spend a lot of time in the water bowl it can be a sign that they're trying to drown off mites. That could even explain the shivering you noticed, if there are mites present he would be extremely uncomfortable because they get to the skin in between the scales and bite and suck constantly. Mites appear as very very small black dots and you can usually find them in the water dish after the snake has soaked or crawling on your hands after you handle the snake.

Thank you for the welcome. His warmer side stays approximately about 86 and cooler side is around 79-80. His humidity is always at 40% until I spray a mist to bring it up to about 55%. I just put some mite spray on him because I did fine one mite. We have been treating our RTB for mites this past week and so far have been successful. The mite spray I bought was online and is an all natural mite spray with rosemary, thyme etc. It seemed almost as if he was stretching and when I stopped rubbing his back he stopped the stretching. Could it be also because he is coming close to shed? He has shown no signs of gasping or mucus. He des not soak constantly in his bowl. He just likes to go for a swim and soak for a few minutes and then is off wrapping around his tree branches.

[Hapa_Haole]

Maybe you just startled him? I've never seen that before so I'll let the veterans help ya with that one but I do know that you should bump up your warm side temps to 90-94F. 86F is a bit low for a hot side temp.

[snakelover88]

Maybe you just startled him? I've never seen that before so I'll let the veterans help ya with that one but I do know that you should bump up your warm side temps to 90-94F. 86F is a bit low for a hot side temp.

I don't think he was startled since i was doing it for so long. Usually when I'm rubbing him like I did last night he ends up taking a crap on me. So maybe he was trying to work it out on me. LOL! I talked to my old man today and he said that the snake seems to be fine, said he is active so I'm just gonna keep my fingers crossed. I know the temp is a little to low. We upgraded him to a larger aquarium so his 50 watt isn't keeping it warm enough. Just gotta go to petsmart and get a 75 or 100. Thank you all for the help. I will keep everyone updated. I'm hoping he will have a steamy pile for me when I get home. I will get him out tonight and investigate him further for mites. It is so hard to see them on him since he has alot of black on him and dark colors. Here is a pic of him about 2 months ago.

[Hapa_Haole]

Instead of doing another overhead light you might want to look into a UTH. They don't kill the humidity like lights do and your BP will enjoy the belly heat. As BPs are nocturnal, they don't require "basking spots" provided by overhead lighting like many lizards do.