Lethargy?

[Tiny Boidae]

My male went into shed about 3-4 days ago (I haven't kept track to be honest), and when I went to go check on him he acted strangely. I would pick them up for a few minutes every few days when they go into shed to make sure they're okay and to monitor when they actually start shedding, and this guy is usually "to infinity and beyond" when I pick him up. Very active and curious, difficult to manipulate, and he displayed none of those traits when I was checking on him. He seemed almost limp, although I could feel him smelling my palm at regular intervals and he'd move a little bit if I disturbed him too much. He's only six, so I don't expect age to be a problem. I also haven't added any new animals in a few years so I doubt any infectious disease/parasite had gotten hold of him. His temp is at an exact 90.3* and he was resting on the heat mat against the glass when I went to get him (it's his favorite spot in the whole enclosure, and it's usually where I find him). No wheezing or bubbles or mucus, so I doubt he has RI. He's still able to dig just fine and he smells around, but he seemed limp and was very easy to manipulate. It's hard for me to describe the exact problem with him, but it was really alarming when I went and picked him up. I checked on him a few days ago and he was his same-old self, and he's never been this wibbly-woobly with me before, even during a shed, so of course I'm worried about my little worm.

He'll eat during a shed no problem, I just choose not to feed although I'm thawing a pinky out now to see if he'll take it. Fingers crossed he does so it puts my mind at ease.

So to sum up my question in a nice bow: Do you think it's because of his shedding, or do you think there is there an underlying problem?

[Andy_G]

I'd wait until he sheds before jumping to any conclusions (not that you really have). Every individual can be a bit quirky sometimes.

[Tiny Boidae]

I've had these animals for a while and I still panic at the first sign of trouble. He didn't skip a beat with the pinky. I fed him the mouse snout-to-snout and he struck at it once (and hit the tongs), but calmly took it the second time. He didn't throw any coils around it and I was worried he would spit it out, but it was down the hatch in a few minutes. I'll keep a close eye on him until he sheds and report back if it gets worse or he just doesn't improve by then. I've had a moment to calm down and think about it, so he probably just feels icky. Crisis averted (hopefully). Thank you Andy for being the voice of reason here and you'll know if something changes with him :)

[Oleman]

As stated above I would wait for post shed behavior.
Since he ate I wouldn't worry. They can be lethargic for number of reasons really. Illness, stomach filled, shedding. I had a cali king that during shed would lay on his back while basking. A few times it sent the old heart into my throat.

[EL Ziggy]

Did I read correctly that he's 6 and eating pinkys?

[Tiny Boidae]

That is correct. I've tried fuzzies but they were still too big for him. He's a really small male, about 13" long and, again, I don't have a scale but he's not a chubby chunkster like the females. My other male chows down on fuzzies, but he's sitting in that sweet spot between pinks and fuzzies. He's been strong as an ox up until now though so I haven't questioned it really.

Edit: Thought this should be included. He usually eats one pinky on a seven day interval, as opposed to the usual nine day interval of my other male. Never misses a meal, and while I know without actual numbers this isn't solid evidence, but he's always seemed to have a relatively healthy weight and never seemed thin.

[macandchz]

oleman, do you mean he would actually lay on his back to bask? never have i heard of any snake doing that!

[chairman]

El Ziggy, I think that Tiny Boidae only keeps sand boas, so a full grown adult male eating pinks is somewhat normal.

Macandchz, it is somewhat common for snakes to rotate portions of their body to bask. Or just warm one part of their body instead of their whole body.

Tiny, I wouldn't worry about it. We're having weird weather locally, my barometer has been moving back and forth quite a bit. It is probably affecting him.

[Tiny Boidae]

I haven't been messing with him much today, but he seems to have gotten better when I checked on him. He responded to me prodding him gently and was not limp like a chubby shoe string. He was actually being a little on the squirmy side, which is a huge relief to me. I had picked him up last night and he wasn't moving much at all, and I could probably dangle him in the air and he wouldn't have moved a muscle. I had panicked, and I apologize for rushing to make a post for a false alarm. He still hasn't shed yet, but if I had to guess it will be sometime tomorrow night or in the early morning Monday.

[tastybeets]

... chubby shoe string ...

*dies from cute*

Glad he's doing better!