HELP PLEASE!!! I think my king has brain damage

[trailblazer295]

So I'm seriously thinking my kingsnake has brain damage. I went to feed her tonight, dangled her FT an asf for the first time on my tongs she was interested and struck at her own tail and coiled. She stayed that way biting tight to her own tail and coiled her whole body. Something she never does on other prey. I even tried tapping her body with her food and she was having none of it. the prey is now wrapped among her body and she is still biting her own tail. The fact she can't register she is trying to kill herself has me worried. I'm not very experienced with herps but this seems like a bad sign. I was told she was 10yrs old when I got her. All I know for sure is the previous owner didn't know how to keep reptiles don't know how long she had her.

[sattva]

My little JCP will bite his own tail but he's just a bad shot.:wacky:

[trailblazer295]

My little JCP will bite his own tail but he's just a bad shot.:wacky:

She is a full grown adult and has never missed that much. She has missed but never her own tail. It wasn't even close to the prey.

[EL Ziggy]

She'll figure it out Blaze. My Cal King will strike and thrash about pretty violently when he's hungry. He's bitten himself before too but never coiled. I'd just leave her alone for a few and let her settle down. It sounds like she was pretty hungry :).

[trailblazer295]

She'll figure it out Blaze. My Cal King will strike and thrash about pretty violently when he's hungry. He's bitten himself before too but never coiled. I'd just leave her alone for a few and let her settle down. It sounds like she was pretty hungry :).

She has been eating weans weekly for months, she ate less than a week ago. She ate last weekend, she eventually did eat her asf.

[sattva]

She is a full grown adult and has never missed that much. She has missed but never her own tail. It wasn't even close to the prey.
I wonder if she thinks she in a fight?

[trailblazer295]

I wonder if she thinks she in a fight?

It's possible, her sight is impaired as she goes through long shed cycles. Her eyes crust over long before she sheds then after they clear up. During that time she is twitchy and jumpy and her aim sucks and it's not great at the best of times.

[Minkness]

I think she isbjust severely impared from the many years of what is basically abusive neglect. She may never recover and will probably always be a bit 'off'.

[macandchz]

maybe sticking her under the water fawcett would break her hold. mac hates water. mac bit himself going after prey when he was a baby. you can still see the mark.

[Andy_G]

I've had lots of kings bite themselves...some try to eat themselves. They aren't smart. All normal.

[chairman]

Many years ago my mom had a male eastern chain kingsnake that could not catch live prey. This was back before the internet when "everyone" fed live and offering f/t or prekilled was considered cruel because it deprived snakes of "the hunt." Anyway, back then it was just an annoyance because I had to dangle his mice by their tails so he could grab them. But our understanding is that his issue was a result of a breeding accident in which he escaped with his life but not fully "there" anymore.

Any chance that your female had a breeding incident that deprived her of oxygen for a bit?

Or, as others have said, could just be an odd but normal behavior. Might recommend changing your feeding strategy, make her stalk the mouse a bit so her body is completely out of the way.

[trailblazer295]

Many years ago my mom had a male eastern chain kingsnake that could not catch live prey. This was back before the internet when "everyone" fed live and offering f/t or prekilled was considered cruel because it deprived snakes of "the hunt." Anyway, back then it was just an annoyance because I had to dangle his mice by their tails so he could grab them. But our understanding is that his issue was a result of a breeding accident in which he escaped with his life but not fully "there" anymore.

Any chance that your female had a breeding incident that deprived her of oxygen for a bit?

Or, as others have said, could just be an odd but normal behavior. Might recommend changing your feeding strategy, make her stalk the mouse a bit so her body is completely out of the way.

I've only had her since February. Previous owner admitted to her not having heat for years. Even the "heat" when she eventually got it was a 25w halogen bulb hanging in the corner of her cage, no hides and a very dirty cage.

She was fed live at first and is now on FT. I dangle it on the tongs and usually she has no issue. She has missed a few times and lunges mouth open.