ok can the temperature outside affect they way a Bp acts? Argo has not eaten in three weeks and she is squirming around all over her cage. it is the way she acts when she is hungry. well i was only able to get a small rat this time and she is up to med rats. but if she was hungry enough wouldnt she eat anyway? do i need to start feeding her in a bigger container. she has never had a prob. eating in it before. i just cleaned the tank totally and wiped it down with mite remover as a precaution( i noticed small bugs but i think they baby german roaches.) i am at my wits end. she is only semi still when i hold her and even then she wiggles a bit. the other Bp that is with her isnt acting like this and he also just ate. we have had some hot days the last few weeks but she is inside and we have the ac on most of the time she has her heat pad and lamp on so i do not know what to do. i am also looking for a bigger hide. any ideas? the pet stores around here dont have anything bigger and i may have to make one out of a clay pot or something. i could buy a plasic rabbit house but i had one before and she hated it. so any ideas would be very helpful.
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weird behavior
Replies (11)
what are the temps in side the cage? If its to hot it may cause problems too.
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Dave
i know its bad to say this but i dont know what the temp is. they keep pulling the thermometer down and now it wont stick. i am geting one this week tho. but wouldnt the other one be wiggling around too? she does it even when the light is off.and she is not doing it now tho. maybe it was the bedding.
what are you using as a heat source? What/how do you have them set up? Using heat tape? do you have a thermostat or something to regulate the temps?
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Dave
also are htey babies/juvies/adults? my babies are always more active than the adults. always crusing the cages and trying to get out. My adults lay there and eat and drink and make a HUGE mess here and there 
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Dave
to answer both questions, they are both adults and i am actulally going to try to breed them the next seson which i think is in oct. the only mess she makes is when she poops and dumps her water bowl.. i have a heat lamp hooked to a pole by the cage and a heating pad under the bottom of the tank which she never sits on much anymore. i have the lamp on a timer. its on from 11 am to 8 pm if that is too much let me know. as i said my thermostat wont stay on and i wil get a new one. she hasnt been squirming around all day so i think it was the bedding. maybe too wet or the bugs were bothering her. still havent answered my ? about if the outisde weather affects her or not and no ideas about a new hide.
First things first - You probably need to consider separating the snakes until you are ready to breed them.
Next - what size tank are they in?
A bare minimum for an adult ball python (just one) would be a 20gal long tank, with a 30 gal long being better. (I'm probably going to get some flack for saying 20gal).
What bedding were you using? Aspen is good, and so is newspaper. Never, never, ever use pine or cedar (or any other softwood (evergreen). They have oils in them that are irritants to reptiles.
Next - Since you are having difficulties with heating, you may have difficulties cycling your female for breeding. Temps need to be pretty stable until you're ready to cycle, then dropping them somewhat (someone more experienced will have to chime in on how much).
Don't really know about the outside weather, but I'll say this. Last night, it was storming outside as I was attempting to feed my bps. Several snakes that normally have a good feeding response refused. I HAVE noticed this before. Perhaps the change in air pressure, or the vibrations from the thunder had an effect.
Finally, I highly recommend clay pots for hides. I chip an entrance into the lip of the pot using a pair of pliers, and then file/sand the sharp edges away. The snakes love them. Another great advantage is that when the snakes go into shed, I can soak the pot in water giving the snake a humid hide. I haven't had a bad shed since I started doing that.
Hope this helps-
Steve
ok they are in a 50 gal tank and i have already been fussed at for having them together but there is no possible way to sepatate them because of the conditions here at home and dont ask about those. i did try once for a day or two and not only did i get grief here neither of the snakes were happy. the bedding is called jungle earth or bark i cant remember which and was approved by my local snake breeder who also told me it was ok for them to be in the same tank. and i trust him. did say i was having trouble with heating. i am having trouble with the thermometer staying on. and how big a pot to use? there is a space issure here. i simply asked if the hot weather would make them act strange. and if she would eat if the rat was a size smaller then what she is used to and if space was an issue for her to eat.
Sorry if I offended you, just trying to help.
As to the size of the clay pot, simply choose a size that the snake fits into "snugly", or maybe just a little larger. I'm using 4" for my babies, graduated up to 10" for my 2kg females.
Steve
oh no you didnt offend me at all. i have just gotten a lot of flak for having them in the same cage. but the situation is that it it nescessary to have them in the same cage. and some people dont get that. i appriciate all the advice thAt is given.
I'm not sure why you're using a 'stick on' thermometer at all. Snakes don't live on the sides of tanks. They live on the bottom (or in the column, for arboreal species, just to be technical). Get a quality thermometer (I use a digital laser thermometer, but you should definately have something better than those stick on spiral ones), lay it on the bottom for 20 minutes, and then read it.
If she's not using the heat pad, it's probably too hot.
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1.3.0 Triturus karelinii
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5.0.0 Ambystoma mexicanum
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nice to know you can afford such an expensive thermometer. and before you say its not expensive the only digital ones i have seen are at least 30 bucks and i consider that expensive. what i have is not one of those strip thermometers. and i didnt she doesnt use her heating pad, she is laying on it now. i dont know what kind of spiral thermometer you are talking about but the one i am talking about was reccomended by the local snake breeder here. all i asked was if the outside weather would affect her behavior. and something about a bigger hide. which i do thank those who answered those questions.
