Strange Behaviour...Comments? Opinions?

[rattekonigin]

Hello all,
My large (4ft+; CB01) corn has been acting strangely the past month or so...she (and I use the term "she" very lightly as I am not 100% sure of the sex, sold to me as a female) has been trucking around her enclosure almost non-stop ALL day, and well into the evening...she seems to be trying very hard to find a way out, as she spends the majority of her time trying to squeeze her nose through the ventilation holes...she's also shown a reduced appetite, she still feeds but has begun to refuse the odd meal and will take fewer prey items than she would normally (she will usually down 2-3 "adult-mouse-sized" F/T rat pups, but now she'll only take one and leave any others sitting around)

I'm kind of perplexed by this, seemingly, sudden change in her behaviour...I don't recall her ever acting like this before...Could it be a mating thing?
I'm not worried at all, she's in very good shape physically (probably even a little fat)...it's just curious...I'd like to hear other people's takes on the situation.

Thanks!

[Tim_Cranwill]

My guess would be that she's a he. Have someone probe "her" for you. That sounds like a breeding male's behavior to me. :)

[vanderkm]

I agree with Tim, but don't want to rule out that she is a female and is carrying infertile eggs. Our first corn was given to us as a male and showed similar searching behaviour, restless, not eating and didn't settle down. She proceeded to lay a bunch of slugs even though she had never been with another male. Egg binding is a real issue with females that lay slugs (our cal king took about 2 weeks to get them all out last year) and I would give the snake a lay box (rubbermaid filled with damp spagnum moss) just in case - at least until you can get someone to probe her. Letting her slide across your open palm can sometimes allow you to feel the bumps of eggs in the belly, but slugs are harder to feel.

mary v.

[gonesnakee]

I agree with both Tim & Mary's posts. Could be a horny male looking for something to breed or could be a restless female looking for a spot to lay some eggs. If husbandry is all the same & good one of the above reasons could be very likely. Good Luck Mark

[rattekonigin]

Thanks guys!
I was thinking she might be a he, as Tim said, but it hadn't even occurred to me that she may be carrying eggs. I will definitely put a lay-box in there to be safe. The only sexing she's received to date was a popping by the vendor when I bought her as a hatchling, although I'm sure she was a few months old at the time (I bought her in November). I've read that popping is only accurate if done within a couple of weeks of hatching, after which the males develop better hemipenal control and some can keep the hemipenes retracted despite the pressure...is this true?

Another question...as I stated in my original post, she's a 2001 baby...she's been well over 3 ft and plenty hefty for the past two years...now, I've heard it said that females can be bred once they are longer than 3ft (weight permitting)...

So, what exactly controls fertility? Size? Age? If it turns out "she" actually IS a female, why wouldn't she have produced slugs last year as well? I'm more than certain she was large enough...I'm just curious...

Thanks again, guys. I'm really glad I asked, I don't want to chance losing this snake to egg-binding as she was my first snake and I'm quite attached.

[vanderkm]

Wish I knew more about what influences egg development in female snakes - whether it is species dependent, maternal genetics or environment. I think that is where some of the people who come to the hobby through biology - as many of the earlier herptologists did - have such an advantage over those of us who come to is as pet owners first.

I can only relate some experiences we have had - one with a mature, 4 foot cal king placed with us as a male that we kept through 3 years with no egg laying, then we brumated and she produced slugs the following spring (always housed along but we had also gotten a male cal king who was in the same room with her that fall - males of other species had been in the same room before.

The other was the corn I mentioned above - she was about 3 feet when we got her in the fall - was supposed to be 3 years old - never a strong feeder and produced slugs the following spring without any contact with a male (but we did have male corns in the same room - never in direct contact - I wonder about contact with pheromones - could that induce ovulation?)

We have had other females (corns, kings and hondurans) that have been through brumation and have not produced slugs - so not sure that it has any influence. I sort of wonder if it is not a genetic predisposition in some maternal lines - as some females seem to be prone to double clutch no matter what you do.

sorry I can't be more help.

mary v.