Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
My new baby burmese (got him a week ago) has been rubbing agaisnt any surface he can find since yesterday, be it glass, plants or branches...even the substrate. I considered its a shed or mites possibility but....Micro-Mites is not likely cause i sprayed him and his cage (while in cuarentine sp?) like 3 days ago, and yesterday when i placed him in his new enclosure, he started rubbing. Also didnt find any shed symptons. Skin is quite bright too. Cant see any mites neither...and all my mates are clueless XP Anyways, today he seemed to have stopped...could it be marking new territory? that would be a first i ever heard in pythons O_O
Any ideas or facts will be appreciated.
Cheers,
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2.0.0 Cats (Garfield, Oddie)
2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 Varanus Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.1.0 Zonosaurus Quadrilineatus (Yago, Becca)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Malk, Anep)
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getulus floridana (Tora)
1.0.0 Python Molurus Bivittatus (Outlaw)
Sheriyar Bokhari

There's a few issues that I can think may be the problem:

1) no hide box. Baby reptiles of any species NEED a hide box they can access at all times, and many older ones need them too. It helps them destress.

2) Cage is WAY too small. I'm not sure your cage size compared to snake size, but when the cage is too small they'll go bezerk trying to find a way out. Also, if you have a heat source that's too hot for the snake and the cage is too small for him, he'll freak out trying to get away from the heat.

3) Too much interaction. YOu might be around him too much and handling too much at first, and stressing him out.

4) maybe he's really really hungry? Feeding babies should be 10% or more of their body weight every 4-7 days. If he's ultra hungry he'll be out hunting all the time, and especially if the cage is too small he'd likely be rubbing to find a way go find food. I have not had a baby burm before, so I'm just guessing by what some other baby boids do if not fed right.

Get him checked by a vet soon if the cage is not the problem and he's got an appropriate sized hide. Either way, it might be good to get him checked just in case to make sure everything is AOK. Just make sure he's got a good hide and has enough room to be comfortable. Have fun! Burms are a big commitment, but worth it.

~Krystie

ps - there are many others who know MUCH MUCH MUCH more than I do on these guys, so they'll correct any of my mistakes hopefully!

that post pretty much sums it up.
too hot or super hungry is what i was thinking.

When our stuff starts cruising around exploring more than normal- i know its time to feed again- and its about the same time every week or month too....

check you temps and feed the little guy and congrats- burms are my favorites- we have several and we get tons in.
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

Thanks to boths posts...im afraid its the cage size... since im spanish, im not familiar with feets or inches, buts its a 50x50x50 cms enclosure and the snakes probably around the 70cms. You may tell me that the burm needs a double it lengths enclosure, if thats the case, ill get him a humoungous plastic container they sell in the malls as a temporary until i make a permanent enclosure (gonna be probably occupying half the room). Reason why i placed him in the empty 50x50x50 was because with my ball python, they assured me (5 years ago that is ) that a python will rarely need to stretch, for which a 1 meter long enclosure was good enough for the ball...same mind placed on the burm excuse me for any mistakes here. Eating wise...he may be hungry...ill see if i can get some mice tomorrow since im short of it (only chicks and rats...till the lil burm came hehe).
Since its freezing winter here, im managing to keep a 20ºC at night in the room and 25ºC room at day. The air temps of the burms enclosure follows the room's but the floor temps on the hot side ranges 25-30ºC and the cold side 20-25ºC. he has a cave in the hot side and at the cold side is just a bunch of bushes placed there...he shouldnt have a prob getting unseen there.
Anyways, ill check out and keep an eye for any progresses.
Once again, Thanks
Cheers
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2.0.0 Cats (Garfield, Oddie)
2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 Varanus Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.1.0 Zonosaurus Quadrilineatus (Yago, Becca)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Malk, Anep)
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getulus floridana (Tora)
1.0.0 Python Molurus Bivittatus (Outlaw)
Sheriyar Bokhari

Your temperatures are too low. You need to get those temps up to an acceptable range. Your cage size is OK for now but you'll need a bigger one within a few months.

And as for a hide box, it needs something that it can crawl completely into or underneath, not simply behind (out of line of sight).

Would you please clarify as to what kind of "rubbing" it's doing? Nose rubbing or body rubbing?

Later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

As for the temps, ive set a heater for the night so now room temps are around 25-30ºC..guess thats much better Glad the cage is OK for now, but ill get a big plastic tub for the following months
As for rubbing, he seems to be only rubbing his nose (less frequently now) but not only against objects but against his own body too...
Cheers,
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2.0.0 Cats (Garfield, Oddie)
2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 Varanus Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.1.0 Zonosaurus Quadrilineatus (Yago, Becca)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Malk, Anep)
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getulus floridana (Tora)
1.0.0 Python Molurus Bivittatus (Outlaw)
Sheriyar Bokhari

Everyone, please, keep in mind that I mean for this post to be purely educational and not degrading, sarcastic, haughty, or any other negative form.

You didn't clarify whether it's rubbing it's nose or it's body. Based on what you said about it rubbing against various things I'm inclined to think that it's rubbing it's body, as if to relieve an itch. I also base that on your suspecting mites as mites can cause a snake to itch.

You say there are no signs of shed symptoms, which would be another thing I'd look for if I saw no mites. However, you said "Skin is quite bright too." Most likely a fresh shed.

I feel that this is most likely the problem: Fresh sheds can cause some itching, especially when humidity is too low. For young burmese pythons I like keeping humidity at about 75%. 70 - 80% is good for them. Check your humidity at various times of the day and make sure you aren't losing a lot thru the cage top.

Now, remember my disclaimer in my opening sentence.

I believe that the first two replies could be applicable if the burmese is in fact "nose-rubbing". There are a few of those things that might not apply to nose-rubbing but any debate is minimal and not worth diving into here at the moment.

Ya'll have a great day!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American