Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all...
I have a question about my corn's odd behavior. Every once in a while she'll do this routine where she'll spend a few minutes opening her mouth REALLY wide (like, mouse-eating width) and stick her tongue out, then proceed to thrash around in her tank for a few seconds, like she's trying to headf-bang or something. About 6 months ago she did this hard enough to make herself bleed from somewhere; I didn't see any wounds but the glass had drops of blood on it. Is this a normal thing for snakes to do?? It doesn't seem to be connected to when she eats, and her tank is how it's supposed to be (dirt substrate, not-very-old UV bulb, heat, etc.)...should I be worried here?

First of all, the UV light isn't necessary and its said it can cause blindness. If you are just using the uv light for better viewing you can use a normal fourescent tube. As far as this odd behavior goes...it sounds like it suffered brain damage or something like that, possible from overheating or an unknown cause but i would get it to the vet ASAP especially if you say it was bleeding.
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Judge me all you want...just don't share the verdict

That's definitely not normal. You've described a Corn having a fit. That usually indicates some sort of neurological problem which can be caused by a number of things including overheating, exposure to harmful chemicals, chronic vitamin or calcium deficiency.

A trip to the vet for a checkup is in order.

And I agree that UV is completely unnecessary for Corns and can be positively harmful. In your position, I'd take it out as soon as possible. There's some discussion over whether Corns need any kind of artificial light, but I keep mine without (in a room with natural sunlight) and they're fine.