Reptile & Amphibian Forums

today i transfered my copper to a new tank and he is acting very weird. he is rubbing his head all over him self and shoving his head in the substrate as if he was itching or trying to shed but he is not due for a shed he never went milky..does anyone have any idea y he would be doing this..i am afraid he might have contracted mites somehow or i have this weird feeling its the new substrate..i am using hardwood mulch ontop of a layer of soil..i have the temp steady at 85 now . the only thing new besides the substrate is a log i got from the outside but i washed it good with hot water..does this sound familiar or does anyone see any probs with my setup that can be causing this?thanks and please let me know asap

95F is much too hot for a copperhead. In fact it's hot enough that neurological damage can't be ruled out entirely if the animal was forced to stay at 95 for a prolonged period of time. In the wild when temperatures climb that high, these animals perform thermoregulating behaviors and seek microhabitats that help them stay cooler. They can't do that in a cage.

External or internal parasites are also a possible cause, or an irritant problem from the substrate you are using. I advise putting this animal on a substrate of white paper towels initially so that you can better see if it has external parasites. Then switch to newspaper. If you are really dead set on using mulch, make sure it is from a type of wood known to be safe for reptiles, and bake it in the oven first to kill off anything that shouldn't be living there like fungal spores, bacteria and bugs.

If the symptoms continue, you will need to seek veterinary attention for your pet. This can be a difficult proposition, but if you are keeping this animal in captivity, it's something you need to be making some very serious effort to find in order to maintain ethically acceptable standards of husbandry. You may find some help at www.snakegetters.com/demo/vet/
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