hyper active BP - Page 2

mykee · 10-12-03, 01:05 PM

Invictus, you've come to this conclusion, by watching the behavior of 2 (two) bp's? Hardly a scientific approach. As for the BP manual, not everything to be learned about BP's can be found in 70 odd pages of manual. There is, in my opinion, NO published work that even begins to delve into the intricacies of BP behavior.

Linds · 10-12-03, 09:05 PM

Wow everyones gotta calm down here. Everyones got an opinion, nobody has to jump down their throats if they don't agree

There are many reasons a snake may become very active. I would guess that your snake may be hungry. If he appears to be looking for something and only eats one rat every 1-2 weeks then it could very well be the case. Although each snake is different in its appettite, I've found that babies often display signs of hunger more frequently than 1-2 weeks. Does he chill out for at least a day or so after each meal while he digests? Try offering him food whenever he is cruising and see what happens. If he still persists with his behaviour then there is another reason for it. Although it isn't as common at this age, they can become excessively active during fasting/breeding seasons as well. You never mentioned what your temps were. I don't want to come across as insulting your husbandry, but without actual temperatures we have no way of knowing if they are indeed "good". I've heard it before and often they were too high/low.

Quote:

Originally posted by Invictus
Ok, a BP wandering around as a sign of stress has got to be the most f**king ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. When ANY snake is nervous, scared, or stressed, they HIDE.

Not necessarily. If a snake is threatened it will usually hide (unless it doesn't feel it can be adequately hidden, in which case it will look for a better place), but feeling threatened isn't the only thing that can cause a snake to be stressed. Hiding isn't the only response a snake can have to any of the reasons its become stressed

Quote:

Originally posted by cranwill
They sit and wait for prey to come by. They are ambush predators.

I've always been under the impression that ball pythons are quite active hunters. They have been known to raid nests in the wild and their hunting instinct is backed up by their very active "hunt mode" when in captivity.

Invictus · 10-13-03, 10:53 AM

Mykee, I'm not just using my experience with 2 ball pythons to back up my opinion. I'm using the examples set by every single animal in the entire fricken animal kingdom. There is no animal on earth that will give up a hide in favor of wandering around in open territory if they are stressed out or scared, and this even includes humans. So please, before you go spreading myths about a snake roaming being a sign of stress, maybe you should examine the other factors of NATURE that are at work here - the snake could be hunting. The snake could be looking for an escape. The snake could be just plain curious. However, if it were scared, it would be hidden or buried. This is how animals keep themselves alive. NOWEHRE in nature does an animal's instinct tell them to wander in open territory when they are stressed. Get real.

Nic · 10-13-03, 11:10 AM

Hi folks. I am pretty sure the tempuratures are good: There is a basking spot of 31 degrees Celcius, the low is 24. He always hides for a few days after eating. He has two hides, and his enclosure measures 21x22, so I would think that is good. The only time he seems stressed (does his best impression of a soft ball) is when I take him out to feed. He relaxes a few minutes after and then eats.

It sounds to me that a curious ball is pretty par.

Thanks,
Nic

foman · 10-13-03, 01:13 PM

hi all quite the heated descussion. I have 3 ball pythons that i have had for about 8 years they all eat like champs, I have them in a large encloser and they have never missed a meal. Sometimes they're active sometime the will just chill out. But I don't believe a large cage is an issue, as they will adjust to there enviroment. Myself bigger is better for most animals being caged there maybe some exceptions out there but I think most snakes wouldn't be upset with a larger cage as long as they have a good hide.

mykee · 10-13-03, 02:44 PM

Granted, you can put a ball python in an enclosure that measures 10 feet by 20 feet, but why? If the snakes requirements are met in a small enclosure, why go bigger? ALL of the information that I've received, be it from other breeders, publications, long-time BP owners, and more importantly, personal experience, balls are very content in small environments. This is the opposite from many other species of snake, but not BP's. Now, 31 celcius is 88 farenheit. I would definitely increase thathot spot temp. to at least 90. I keep all of my balls at a steady 94 daytime. Your cool side seems a little low at 74. Personally, I would raise that a few degrees also. You'll probably notice that the higher the temp. the quicker your ball will digest it's meals. As for your ball being balled up when you handle him, that is just a defense mechanism. He is scared. I would handle him more often, to let him know that when he is out of his enclosure, no harm will be done to him. Good luck, and I apologize for my part of allowing this thread to get out of control. Good luck.