twichy snake

[P. Novak]

One of my snakes twiches when I handle it? It does move as smoothly as my other snakes. I don't know how else to describe it, but some advice or input on this matter will be greatly appreciated!

 

[pitbulllady]

One of my snakes twiches when I handle it? It does move as smoothly as my other snakes. I don't know how else to describe it, but some advice or input on this matter will be greatly appreciated!

Snakes move in twitchy, jerky movements when they are nervous or excited. Males will move like this when courting a female, or when challenging/being challenged by another male, and I suspect that some male snakes actually are "stimulated", for lack of a better term, by being handled. It could also simply mean that the snake is nervous about being handled. I know that I've had male snakes, Kings and Rats especially, that do this if I handle them during the breeding season, but not at any other time.

pitbulllady

 

[P. Novak]

The snake moves like this all the time though, and is very use to handling; it has been handled alot. The courting possibilty is out because it is a female. It's just worrying me a bit because you could feel it's twitchyness when it moves along your hand you can't really see it though.

 

[ScorpDemon]

I have a female that twitches when she's being courted, well more like jerking than twitching, but only when the male is nearby and trying to put the moves on her. But not any other time.

 

[P. Novak]

If you don't hold her you wouldn't even know she was twitching. It's really hard to describe. Maybe species would help: 50%Diamond/50%Jungle Carpet Python.

 

[pitbulllady]

Female pythons incubate their eggs with this subtle twitching motion, also, which is not as obvious as courtship behavior. MY Morelias were either breeding or already laying at this time of year, so perhaps it's something relating to that, although I personally have never had a female python do this while I was holding her. You might really want to consider a blood test for IMDB, which is a highly contagious viral disease of boids, and one that affects a snake's nervous system, initially, and keep this snake isolated(if you haven't already).

pitbulllady

 

[Meaningless End]

one other thing... personaly ive had isuhes with a green tree python that was a fresh import. he would sit on his branch and his head would twitch randomly.. outside stimulation had nothing to do with it. after taking it to the vet and geting a sample taken i found out that parasites where the ishue and that they where shortining the suply of oxogen to the brain. after a few treatments of flagyl the twitching stoped and he hasent had a problom sence.

 

[ErinKelley]

A friend of mine had a redtail boa for 4 maybe 5 years. She never did grow as large as she should of but nothing seemed to be wrong with her. Until, she started a very slight, consistant twitching. All over her body, and you couldnt see it.
She ended up taking Jules to a vet for an Xray after finding a hardening area of bone in the length of the body she used to kill her prey. I dont remember what the disease was called but it ended up fusing her backbone in random areas and making the tissue and muscle surrounding those areas shrink. The areas were very hard.
She died a year or more after the diagnosis.

The twitch as you describe it reminded me of this, and it happened for quite some time before she noticed the hardening areas.

 

[boidaddic]

I too have seen this happen in snakes in all instances stated above. Honestly to me it sounds more a neurological issue. Has the snake been treated for mites or ticks recently? Or been exposed to any kind of odd chemical possibly? I've personally had this happen and some of the symptoms are "star gazing", twitching and just an overall odd appearance when trying to move. I'd look into the neurological thing and see if that is a possibility...
Peace,
Eric