Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i gave my male albino cal king to my friend and and recently he wont stop biting himself, he bit himself a couple times in my care but nowits almost constantly, notsure if it mattersbut he also had a bad shed a few days ago (very wierd for this individual) he also tellsme that the bitesareinthe sameplace every time, ive heard that they will bite at internal painsand im worried that might be the case.

also i dont know how old the snake is, he was given to me as an adult about 3 years ago and has never seemed very strong or smart

any body seen this before?
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Jake Barney and Brandon O'Dell
eight02exotics

current (small) collection
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns
1.0 cal king
0.0.1 wc garter

I have known this to occur for any of three reasons. You stated the first, which is internal pain of some type. The second is from an overdose of medication. The third is from CNS damage due to overheating. That's as much as I can tell you on that one. Good luck with him.

Kelly

well chris just told me that the biting is always on the tail (so its probably not a vital organ)

the snake has never been medicated under my care or his

tellmemore about the cns?
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Jake Barney and Brandon O'Dell
eight02exotics

current (small) collection
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns
1.0 cal king
0.0.1 wc garter

Exposure to excessive heat can cause brain and CNS damage in reptiles. The resulting damage can manifest itself in unusual behaviors, one of which has been reported to be biting of the body with some snakes.

Kelly

There was a similar post not too long ago. In that case, I think more frequent feedings seemed to have stopped the behavior, no joke. At least that is something you can try. Hopefully it is not the nerve condition mentioned.
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Mark

I'll agree with Mark - maybe he's hungry and needs to be fed more; it sounds silly but may be true. I have a brooks that when he's hungry bites anything, including himself! He seems to react to the movement of his tail, thinks its something to eat and goes for his backend. Anyway - the behaviour stops once he has a full stomach.

Jim