Adult corn snake suddenly very hyper

[T3rrortoff33]

So a few months ago I got a second 13 year old cornsnake. After figuring she might want to dig a bit more I swapped her from humus bedding to wood shavings (I wanna buy aspen bedding soon) but since I've made that change to her tank about a week ago she's been hyper. I tried to feed her the day I swapped her bedding but she refused. And I'm out of mice rn (gonna buy some tomorrow)

She seems rather anxious, constantly moving around and moving her head quite franticly, running her face against the glass walls of her tank. I took her out a few minutes ago and I'm not sure if she just peed on me or musked everywhere out of defence. Usually I can handle her properly but she's always been a bit skittish always trying to move away from me

I just think my snake is anxious because of some bad decision I made and it's making me anxious as well. I appreciate any advice

Ps- I'm especially anxious about this because my first consnake kicked the bucket due to unknown reasons two months ago. We suspect constipation which is why I make sure that my current snake poops regularily- because between all the mouth rots and scale rots i researched about before getting snakes, we never considered the constipations

[T3rrortoff33]

This is driving me crazy, every time I hear her bedding rustle I get prepared to open the terrarium door to prevent her from climbing up into her heat lamp. She's only digging around the edges of the tank.

[T3rrortoff33]

Update I took out a big branch from her tank k suspecting it might be bothering her in some way (one of the new additions when I updated her tank) so I'll just see what happens......

[ClockwerkBonnet]

What kind of wood shavings are you using? Aspen shavings are safe enough, but others can be very dusty or oily and thus unhealthy for your snake. Also make sure to check your temps and humidity levels because these can also play a role in the pet's behavior.

[T3rrortoff33]

I use those that are very common in guinea pig keeping, I used those as bedding when I first got my first snake and she was dine with it, digging away without a care. My snake just keeps doing her laps pressing all the bedding to a solid block basically and then smashing her face into it like she's gone mad. Hee temps are at 26 degrees Celsius currently because she seemed even more aggrivated and stressed at 29 degrees (which is what I've read is the recommended temperature)

I can't really judge the humidity because my mother has control of all our finances and thinks a hydrometer is a waste of money since my snake is shedding well (bs tbh) but I spray it every few days

I'm very hesitant to turn her ceramic bulb back on because all night she's been climbing up to it vertically. She's also started wrapping around the wire cage of her regular light bulb. And the wire cage of the ceramic gets hot. Not as hot as the bulb itself but it could burn her if she wrapped herself around it

[Albert Clark]

Do you have any hides in the enclosure? I would start with two hides in opposite corners of the enclosure and see if that does anything to remedy the behavior. Of course you need to triple check the husbandry, temps, humidity, etc.

[T3rrortoff33]

I have one of those rodent bridge things that's at the wall of the tank to provide shelter from three sides, it's fairly close to the ground and usually my snake spends the day rolled up in there, I also have two big piece's of bark in the middle and the other side of the tank whereally she comfortably fits under. She uses the middle piece as her shedding hide because I have moss under it since shes too big for the wet box I had used up until recently. The temps of the tank are up again because sun shines on the wall of my room all day pretty much (gonna have to figure out a cooling system if Germany rises to 40 degrees Celsius again this year)

I also provide several smaller things she can hide under if she wants to. There's a big blanket of moss that she moves around sometimes which she rolls up under as well when she feels like it. + I have two water dishes on each side of the tank for both humidity and hydration. I switch it out evey day but I don't treat it with reprise because. ... most stores around me just don't have it. Or anything similar. Here in Germany we usually just give them tab water or bottled water.

I also went out for a few hours with a blanket up against the glass wall she kept smashing her face against and she's actually ****ing chilling now.... hasn't sat still in about four days but it seems she's tired now.

[Albert Clark]

Consider putting in boxed hides that the animal can crawl into and curl the whole body into. Offer a meal after two or three days. Don't handle the animal or change anything once the secure hides are in place. Consider decreasing the lighting until a meal is taken.

[T3rrortoff33]

finally an update- I'm currently working on getting a bit of a DIY box hide, aka imma buy a basket, cut a hole in it (and sandpaper it down of course). the typical plastic box hides you see with breeders aren't really sold in my area and the naturalistic cave hides are filthy expensive and not even big enough for my snake. Its like pet store owners don't think snakes get to adulthood or something.

We had a cork tunnel delivered too so I put the two halves of it in her tank and she's appreciating it! they're a bit big so I don't really count them as hides but she's curled up under one right now sleeping.

[T3rrortoff33]

OK wow. I really don't know what I'm doing wron rn. The temps are all right the humidity is great and I have a box hide, a wet box, and two extra hides scattered in the enclosure and this snake still seems stressed and unhappy. I'm actually really sad because when I got her she was an incredibly calm snake. I kept her together with another cornsnake and it almost seems like that's how she's been kept her whole life because I've noticed her acting weird since my older cornsnake died.... do corn snakes form bonds? Can it be that my snake had become this flighty and weird because she's alone?

I tried handling her again today because since she started acting this way I've been very hesitant to take her out as she flails around and musks whenever I handle her even though i changed nothing about how I handle her. She's also rejecting food now. Has skipped three feedings and km starting to fear she might do the same "don't eat for months, eat a few meals, die" thing my other cornsnake did....

She's also starting to damage her head scales by rubbing on stuff like the lamp cage of her heating bulb. I'm very worried about what might be going on with her......

[Andy_G]

No, they do not form bonds. It's a shame that they were housed together to begin with, and also that you never found out what caused the death of your other snake because if it was caused by disease, the one still alive with you may have contracted something. One of many reasons to not practice cohabitation with solitary species.

Are you 100% certain your snake is female? This sounds like pretty normal breeding behaviour of males, and the season would support that.

[Aaron_S]

I'd also go with what Andy said. Sounds like breeding behaviour from a male.

For hides, since they would be temporary I would use cardboard from like cereal boxes. Keep these hides really snug and if it's a female it should settle down.

[Scubadiver59]

Several of my snakes got antsy when I had mites...



OK wow. I really don't know what I'm doing wron rn. The temps are all right the humidity is great and I have a box hide, a wet box, and two extra hides scattered in the enclosure and this snake still seems stressed and unhappy. I'm actually really sad because when I got her she was an incredibly calm snake. I kept her together with another cornsnake and it almost seems like that's how she's been kept her whole life because I've noticed her acting weird since my older cornsnake died.... do corn snakes form bonds? Can it be that my snake had become this flighty and weird because she's alone?

I tried handling her again today because since she started acting this way I've been very hesitant to take her out as she flails around and musks whenever I handle her even though i changed nothing about how I handle her. She's also rejecting food now. Has skipped three feedings and km starting to fear she might do the same "don't eat for months, eat a few meals, die" thing my other cornsnake did....

She's also starting to damage her head scales by rubbing on stuff like the lamp cage of her heating bulb. I'm very worried about what might be going on with her......

[Aaron_S]

I'd like to say to the OP good for you for trying to figure this out and being open to suggestions. Not many people do that.

[T3rrortoff33]

OK GUYS!!! first of all sorry for suddenly being gone from the forum for so long. as it turns out..... the thing making my snake this skittish was rodent smell in the room shes in! my cat is an outside cat (despite me being against it) and she keeps eating the mice she catches around the enclosure. so before going off to england for a week I deep cleaned the room first with vinegar then with plain water to neutralize the smell. my mom updated me on how she was doing and she already stopped rubbing her face all over the place after the clean. when I got back she was just active at night, sometimes slithering around on her branches during day time but mostly chilling on her hot spot. so i attempted to feed her again and after a bit of tongue flicking, she grabbed her meal!

the guy i got her from is the only reptile "expert" in my area so I trusted his judgment about housing my snakes together, despite me wanting to separate them. I'm gonna wait until she poops (which she usually does when shedding) to offer her a new meal to prevent another constipation going unnoticed.

I will also deep clean her enclosure and buy the bedding on goHerping's corn snake care guide (or at least an equivalent that's available in Germany) and probably add a bunch more fake plants and cork stuff to her enclosure for ultimate climbing and hiding action :> I still will be having her checked by a vet but at the moment there seem to be no issues aside from the one scale stuck on her head from the last shed at the moment. I check her regularly for mites too, her chin and belly are super white so i would have no issues spotting mites there. she did lose a bit of weight and her scales are a bit... wrinkly i guess... probably from her being so active all the time during her last shed and crinkling up her fresh scales right after getting the old ones off. i will increase the humidity in her tank a bit just to be sure though

also about the male/female thing, i do have a strong suspicion "she" might be a he. on the other hand, she's very large so I'm also on the side of her being a female. When I take her to the vet ill make sure to get that checked as well. I don't plan to cohab snakes ever again so it doesn't really matter in a sense of accidental eggs, it'd just be nice to know so I'll be able to predict breeding behavior during spring.

thank you again for your tips!!! i also tried briefly handling her and she just laid herself around my shoulders and explored my hair and sleeves curiously like when I just got her. Im very happy to have the old Narti back. right now shes just lazily slithering over her cork tubes while digesting her meal instead of frantically going around the glass walls and rubbing her head on everything. it's so relaxing to see her act normal again