umm... BP shakes when he eats???????

[wiseman001]

Its kinda weird,, but recently i noticed that my BP.. ( about 3 ft ) starts to shake when he eats small rats .. I don't know...

theres no prob with it taken it down... i had the light turned off for 2 days because my apartment was soo dam Hot.. and couldn't take it.... ( from TORONTO )

anybody ever see this sort of thing..? ? ? ? ? ? :confused:

[CDN-Cresties]

You turned off your BPs heat source? How hot was it? Is teh rat F/T, F/K or live? Is your BP shaking when it first strikes or when he starts to swallow?That may have something to do with it but im sure youll get better answers from more experienced keepers. BTW it would have helped if you posted this in the Ball Python Forum. Best of luck.

[thunder]

about the shaking: is this when he is constricting or while he swallows? is it a jerking movement or more like a tremor? if it is a rough, jerky movement, this is normal. if it is a steady tremor, it could be cause for concern. sometimes very old snakes will develope a tremor which is no cause for concern, but on a younger individual it could be an early sign of a neurological problem.

[mykee]

You had your light turned off? Are you using a heat lamp as your source of heat for your BP?

[wiseman001]

im using a red nonturnal light, about 80 degrees on the hot side, 50 gal tank.. BP is about 3 feet.. still young... Fresh kill... and shakes when he's eating it.. i hold the ( SMALL) rat over the snake and make it look like its still alive... it will constrict it anyways.. for a lil while 2-3 mins.. the start to eat... food ISN'T too big...as its eating the rat its head will start to shake ??????

[thunder]

if it only shakes while eating, i would not be concerned. just watch it a little more to make sure that its movements are normal the rest of the time. also, bump up the temps a bit. 88 on the hot side is better.