ball python advice?

[teeks]

ive had my girl noodle for 7 years now. she has been happy and healthy up until now. she is a very calm, curious snake. thats why her change in attitude lately has been so jarring? she's been living in her current tank i don't know the exact size but it's big, just not big enough for her to be "comfortable". is she just getting tired of it maybe? ive been trying to urge my dad to help me build a bigger tank (unfortunately i'm disabled and not self sustaining completely yet otherwise i'd do it myself) . she allows head pets, kisses (ik you shouldnt kiss your snake but i dont care she deserves kisses) and is not very flinchy. lately she's been antsy and flinchy, sort of staying in a more curled position when i hold her instead of exploring. she's been living in the tank for a few years now. it just worries me a lot. i took her to the vet a little while ago last year and the vet said she was healthy. it's just a sudden change of behavior and i'm worried about her and i love her a lot. what do you guys think? she just seems really sad and it hurts my heart.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

So.... There are a lot of variables you haven't mentioned (eating, drinking, temperature, bowel movements, last shed, etc), & I'm sure you already know you're going to hear about how inappropriate that enclosure is for him, but I'll throw something at you that may or may not help, considering the lack of info. Ball pythons, in my experience, are prone to getting bored with the same old meal. This usually results in the question being "why won't it eat?" The easiest possible remedy for that has also resulted in noticably "happier" snakes afterwards, & that is to try a different food item. And to that end, Ball pythons seem to have a particular affinity for gerbils. Without knowing anything else about your situation, & just because I've seen it result in seemingly miraculous turnarounds in Ball pythons particularly, I suggest trying a gerbil. The step above that would be to obtain a chick, fresh enough out of the egg to be an appropriate size, as a live food item can be especially effective at snapping them out of a funk (assuming you feed pre-killed), but the problem there is that you kiss your snake despite knowing you shouldn't, & feeding it live poultry would DEFINITELY increase that risk... though you'd both be getting what you "deserve" with that one...
I'm joking, but you know full well that you shouldn't be kissing your snake, either

 

[viper69]

I can’t say, neither of my 2 have changed their behavior at any point, and nothing changed for them.

Maybe your snake has detected something in the air?



Was your snake tested for salmonella?

Maybe you have given an infection to your snake?

Kissing reptiles is bad, like really bad.

 

[MoranDisciple]

ive had my girl noodle for 7 years now. she has been happy and healthy up until now. she is a very calm, curious snake. thats why her change in attitude lately has been so jarring? she's been living in her current tank i don't know the exact size but it's big, just not big enough for her to be "comfortable". is she just getting tired of it maybe? ive been trying to urge my dad to help me build a bigger tank (unfortunately i'm disabled and not self sustaining completely yet otherwise i'd do it myself) . she allows head pets, kisses (ik you shouldnt kiss your snake but i dont care she deserves kisses) and is not very flinchy. lately she's been antsy and flinchy, sort of staying in a more curled position when i hold her instead of exploring. she's been living in the tank for a few years now. it just worries me a lot. i took her to the vet a little while ago last year and the vet said she was healthy. it's just a sudden change of behavior and i'm worried about her and i love her a lot. what do you guys think? she just seems really sad and it hurts my heart. View attachment 495353

Not to be a dick, but aspen shavings do not provide enough humidity to shed. They like around 60% humidity with a slight increase when in blue. The substrate itself should be dry on top with a moist layer underneath. (To avoid scale rot) I achieve this by adding crushed leaves on top of a mix of coco fiber and wood chips. My female is very arboreal and loves hanging out on her branch

 

[viper69]

but aspen shavings do not provide enough humidity to shed

This is not a guarantee at all. Nice BP!

 

[teeks]

Not to be a dick, but aspen shavings do not provide enough humidity to shed. They like around 60% humidity with a slight increase when in blue. The substrate itself should be dry on top with a moist layer underneath. (To avoid scale rot) I achieve this by adding crushed leaves on top of a mix of coco fiber and wood chips. My female is very arboreal and loves hanging out on her branch

noodle normally sheds perfectly fine! full shed, and i have a humidity gauge in her tank too. i dont think shedding is the issue, but thank you for the advice! your girl is so cute.

 

[teeks]

I can’t say, neither of my 2 have changed their behavior at any point, and nothing changed for them.

Maybe your snake has detected something in the air?



Was your snake tested for salmonella?

Maybe you have given an infection to your snake?

Kissing reptiles is bad, like really bad.

are there infections i can transmit to her??? oh gosh i feel so terrible for not even considering that. i don't kiss anyone else or anything, all i do is eat.

 

[teeks]

So.... There are a lot of variables you haven't mentioned (eating, drinking, temperature, bowel movements, last shed, etc), & I'm sure you already know you're going to hear about how inappropriate that enclosure is for him, but I'll throw something at you that may or may not help, considering the lack of info. Ball pythons, in my experience, are prone to getting bored with the same old meal. This usually results in the question being "why won't it eat?" The easiest possible remedy for that has also resulted in noticably "happier" snakes afterwards, & that is to try a different food item. And to that end, Ball pythons seem to have a particular affinity for gerbils. Without knowing anything else about your situation, & just because I've seen it result in seemingly miraculous turnarounds in Ball pythons particularly, I suggest trying a gerbil. The step above that would be to obtain a chick, fresh enough out of the egg to be an appropriate size, as a live food item can be especially effective at snapping them out of a funk (assuming you feed pre-killed), but the problem there is that you kiss your snake despite knowing you shouldn't, & feeding it live poultry would DEFINITELY increase that risk... though you'd both be getting what you "deserve" with that one...
I'm joking, but you know full well that you shouldn't be kissing your snake, either

my girl does really well with eating. i feed her two large rats every month. should she be eating more than that??? her humidity sits at around 50% to 60% sometimes higher, and her hot side is 90 and her cool side is ~77 . i'm not sure so i figure I'd ask, but what size of tank should i move her into?? i will stop giving her kisses. i didn't think it was so looked down on (for good reason)

 

[teeks]

ive had my girl noodle for 7 years now. she has been happy and healthy up until now. she is a very calm, curious snake. thats why her change in attitude lately has been so jarring? she's been living in her current tank i don't know the exact size but it's big, just not big enough for her to be "comfortable". is she just getting tired of it maybe? ive been trying to urge my dad to help me build a bigger tank (unfortunately i'm disabled and not self sustaining completely yet otherwise i'd do it myself) . she allows head pets, kisses (ik you shouldnt kiss your snake but i dont care she deserves kisses) and is not very flinchy. lately she's been antsy and flinchy, sort of staying in a more curled position when i hold her instead of exploring. she's been living in the tank for a few years now. it just worries me a lot. i took her to the vet a little while ago last year and the vet said she was healthy. it's just a sudden change of behavior and i'm worried about her and i love her a lot. what do you guys think? she just seems really sad and it hurts my heart. View attachment 495353

i absolutely failed to mention she's around 4-6 feet long. im very sorry for leaving that out, i was so tired when i wrote that . id also love suggestions on what to put in her new tank when it's done, regarding plants, how much should be in it etc. please give me all the tips and advice you guys have!!

 

[viper69]

are there infections i can transmit to her??? oh gosh i feel so terrible for not even considering that. i don't kiss anyone else or anything, all i do is eat.

You can't rule anything out, it's normally from snake to owner- which by the way is absolutely damn crazy of you to kiss a snake.. People get infections if all they do is eat, things are airborne, you do know this right?

 

[teeks]

You can't rule anything out, it's normally from snake to owner- which by the way is absolutely damn crazy of you to kiss a snake.. People get infections if all they do is eat, things are airborne, you do know this right?

i guess i didn't really care much if i got an infection from her. i do know things are airborne but i guess i hadn't thought about it in that way. i dont know where my common sense went

 

[viper69]

i guess i didn't really care much if i got an infection from her. i do know things are airborne but i guess i hadn't thought about it in that way. i dont know where my common sense went

agreed