Is this normal? Pictures inside

IR_Slacker · 07-01-14, 05:49 PM

I'm brand new to snakes, and this is my 6yr old girl Bella. She was lively and active when I first brought her home, but a few days ago she ate a rat and since then she hasn't been moving around very much. She looks like she may start to shed cause of the colors of her eyes and the dullness of her color. I'm not sure if this is normal behavior of a "digesting" "shedding" snake or not. She just looks sick? She is alive for sure, I come home from work and she's usually coiled up in her log with her head poking out, but after a little while I find her like this.

I haven't handled her yet, I don't want to stress her out.

franks · 07-01-14, 05:58 PM

Can you post a full body shot picture?

IR_Slacker · 07-01-14, 06:02 PM

I would have to lift the half log from her, is there anything specific you're looking for? I'd rather not interrupt her if I don't have to

franks · 07-01-14, 06:06 PM

I do not think it looks natural but I do not want to say that and mislead you based off of seeing 1/4 of the snake. Maybe without moving the log you can take a birds eye shot for us revealing more of the enclosure?

IR_Slacker · 07-01-14, 06:12 PM

Since posting this she has gone back into her log but here is both sides of it

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-01-14, 07:37 PM

It almost looks like she's beginning to rub her shed off, but her eyes are still blue so I don't think so. >.> How long has she been doing this, does she stay in that position, or does she move around (dig her head in the bedding, across objects etc.).

IR_Slacker · 07-01-14, 07:48 PM

I did notice her rubbing her head on the glass and water dish a few days ago. The pictures make the eyes look blue but they are a dull grey. I'm not sure what she does while I'm working, but she seems to stay put in her log most of the time. Temp under the red infrared heat lamp shows 85 and humidity 70%. I mist the tank and spray her body when she comes out.

David VB · 07-02-14, 03:02 PM

It might be the picture but i find the neck part right after the head look thick, like it's swollen.

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-02-14, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David VB

It might be the picture but i find the neck part right after the head look thick, like it's swollen.

I thought it was just the skin and tissue being pushed to the side, but it could be swollen.

OP, do you have any photos of her neck without any weight on it?

IR_Slacker · 07-02-14, 07:35 PM

And here is a video to her response to me trying the "hook training" with a temporary "snake hook". I obviously never attempt to pick her up with these tongs, but I just use them to gently touch her head. I rub the tongs along her body and in certain spots she has this intense twitch like a muscle spasm that can almost quite literally knock them out of my hands. And she still hisses quite a bit. Here's a short video.

20140702_200520_zpsoitdpb3n.mp4 Video by v6slacker | Photobucket

SnoopySnake · 07-02-14, 07:40 PM

I can't give any insight to the behavior you're seeing, but I would just like to point out that in your video I see you have an analog thermometer and hygrometer. I would switch these out for a digital one with probes, as the analog ones are notorious for reading wrong.

IR_Slacker · 07-02-14, 07:43 PM

Yeah I know I have a digital temp gun, it's on the to buy list

SnoopySnake · 07-02-14, 07:44 PM

Ahh, well disregard what I said then, lol.

IR_Slacker · 07-02-14, 08:50 PM

Well I think I found out why she was acting weird. I moved her hide and added another one out of a cardboard box. Went and checked out her because she was finally moving around the tank, and I saw this. I literally said "Holy ****ing feces" haha.

and I guess she was trying to shed haha, she's successfully begun I would say?

aaron_cg · 07-02-14, 08:58 PM

Looks like you got it figured out. For the first day or so after a meal, snakes usually aren't active, because they are trying to digest there food, especially if it was a large meal.

The other thing to remember about balls, they are boring snakes. Spending a majority of there time curled up in a small dark space. Just they way they are. Nothing wrong with it, I still have my normal ball I bought when I got back into snakes.