Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, so my Albino has always been really mellow. Everytime I came into the room to take a look, spray him down, or take him out, I could always count on him being in the same spot and coiled up. I had always wanted him to be more active. I moved into a new place, started feeding him more frequently and I'm able to take better care of him in general. I'm even able to let him soak for a little while in the tub every once in a while. Since then (which was about 3 weeks ago) his disposition has totally changed. He's moving around the enclosure and climbing and such. Now here's where it gets strange. He's trying to get out! I have a few vents around the enclosure that are covered with chicken wire. He tries to push his way out! Now he's trying to squeeze his way between the plexi-glass sliding door and the front of the enclosure! I'm 99% sure that he'll never be able to get out by himself, but I'm afraid that he'll hurt himself in his quest to escape.

Is this normal?

Will he, in fact, hurt himself?
-----
George
1.0.0. Albino Burmese Python (Tyranus)
1.0.0. Columbian Red Tail Boa (Madmartigan)

That is pretty normal behavior for a burm...they are always trying to find ways out...I suggest you get him out of the cage more often and let him crawl around and excercise more. this might help a little...also make sure your cage is not to hot or to cold...low 80's on the cool side up to low 90s on the hotside...if the temps are off he might just be looking for a better temp. Good luck, Todd

Just make sure there are no sharp points at the top of the cage (or anywhere for that matter). I had a male that also started climbing in his attempts to get free and I had him in a rubbermaid that had a plastic lip running on the inside of the cage. He scarred himself up from rubbing against it trying to get out, so make sure your cage has all smooth points because they can hurts themselves pretty bad.

My burms always get super active when they are hungry. After they poop, they just do circles till I feed em again,(once a week/or every two, depending on size of snake). Maybe try feeding bigger prey or more often. Moving them to new enclousures will make them restless sometimes too, but should settle down. Hope that helps, maybe not.

Thank you three so much! I fed my big guy and he calmed down.
-----
George
1.0.0. Albino Burmese Python (Tyranus)
1.0.0. Columbian Red Tail Boa (Madmartigan)

If the temps and humidity in your cage are correct, and has a proper hide box, this behavior is probably normal. Sometimes the snake is hungry, restless, bored, or just wants to check out whatever new smells might be drifting by the ventilation screen.
Just be absolutely sure there is no way the snake can hurt itself. This may sound mean, but never, never underestimate the stupidity of an animal in captivity. If there is a way they can escape or injure themselves, however unlikely, it will happen.
even rather stout pythons can squeeze through ridicuously small gaps and holes. Plug up all the gaps, remove or cover up anything sharp or abrasive...even smooth welded wire can scrape a nose to the bone if the snake rubs on it long enough. Snakes don't seem to experience pain the same way mammals do--even if the snake is seriously injuring itself it may not realise it needs to stop what it is doing, and may continue indefinitely...the best advise I can give is 'baby-proof' the entire cage, and then enjoy the python cruizing!

Just a side note, and in agreement with the person saying to baby-proof the cage, make sure that he cannot touch the chickenwire. As the previous person said, they will rub themselves raw on it (especially thinking that they can work their way through eventually) and it can leave permanent scars, as well as become infected and serious. I was also told by a breeder when I lived in AZ that a snake can get some sort of bacterial infection from being exposed to wires, I am unsure of this fact... but at the time we were also discussing boas, not burmese pythons.
It sounds like you have a happy snake, I wish you the best and good luck 'safe-proofing' your cage for him.
Stephanie S.