Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I usually prefer to buy snakes from a breeder but there wasn't any shows I was able to go to in my area nor were there any nearby breeders. But in any case...

I saw a cali king (a baby, less than 2 feet) in a pet store a month back. Looked pretty normal. I went to buy that same snake today. The worker even fed it to assure it is healthy. One thing I noticed is that while it was crawling before it ate it rolled over and then got back up and started crawling again. Now I buy the snake thinking it just "slipped" for a lack of a better term. I have it in the box and I found part of its body rolled over again. And when I took it to its new tank it rolls on its side while crawling. I am doubting this is normal but just in case, is it normal for a young snake to OCCASIONALLY to that because it doesn't do it all the time and besides that the snake seems very healthy.

Sounds like it's trying to itch it's self. It probably has mites, that's what my Cal kings do when they have mites. If he does it constantly then it might be something else.

Yeah I didn't get enough time today to really give it a second look. I will tomorrow. The snake doesn't live with me unfortunately. If it is indeed mites I do have something for that.

Definately not normal! What do the stools look like? How many times has it eaten? Does it regurge?

Haven't seen its stool yet.
It has eaten once, in fact right before I bought it. I wanted to make sure it does indeed feed.
It has not regurgitated, even during the trip to its home from the pet store so digestive system-wise it seems fine.

could be a neurological problem. I have seen that on baby snakes and they grew out of it. Hopefully yous will.

Most breeders will not want to breed s snake like that for fear of passing down the problem to future generations.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

So it is best to wait it out huh? If this is the case I might wind up returning the animal back to the store and purchasing another. I rather not start off with a problem like that. Just in case it is more serious than what you have described. I will have a better look at him tomorrow and assess the situation.

That would be the best bet to return it and get your money back or another snake!

This is weird. I come in the next day and the snake is perfectly fine now. I think the snake may have been stressed and fatigued. its enclosure at the store didn't have any hiding spots. Kingsnake of course love to hide. Not to mention it was VERY hungry. Now that I have him in my possession in my tank he seems to be crawling fine, very placid for the most part, and otherwise healthy.

I just think it was stress as he didn't do it often and he seems okay now. But I will continue to monitor his situation just in case.

yep,i have seen this;i agree it can be a neurological issue from birth,or simply brain damage obtained after contact with harmful vapors from chemicals for cleaning,or for that matter wreckless attempts for treating ectoparasites(mites,etc.)........better keep an eye on it;good news is it can be temporary,make sure the snake's enclosure is well ventilated for one,good luck.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

He seems to be doing better now that I have him. He responds to being picked up as if he was normal, crawls normally, and you can feel the vigor in his body (which is a good sign). But I will continue to watch him just in case.