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Self Mutalation? My Balls A Crazy

B

BallPythonLuvin

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MY BALL PYTHON CHARLOTTE KEEPS MASHING HER SNOUT UP AGAINST THE GLASS OF HER AQUARIUM....NOT STRIKING BUT JUST PRESSING UP AGAINST IT HARD AND IM AFRAID IF THIS CONTINUES SORES WILL DEVELOP....CAN SUM 1 PLEASE GIVE ME SUM ADVICE ON WHATS WRONG WITH HER OR TELL ME HOW TO GET HER TO STOP.....
SHE ALSO MASHES HER MOUTH AGAINST THE SCREEN AT THE TOP OF HER AQUARIUM..... CAN AND WILL SHE DEVELOP SORES :(.....IM REALLY WORRIED

SHES ABOUT A 22 INCHER NOW AND SHES IN A 10 GALLON TANK....ITS IT THAT SHE NEEDS MORE SPACE?:(
 
As long as there are no sharp edges, I doubt she'll really hurt herself. To stop her from roaming, make sure she has an adequate heat source, hide and feed her. A well-fed and happy python rarely wants to leave. ;)
 
somebody who knows more than me

might be able to answer this question for you (us)....

Is it possible to make a significant thermal graident in a ten gallon tank?
Is it possible for 22 inch snake to be able to hide in such a small space?

I'm not a big time snake keeper but I often wonder why it is considered acceptable to keep snakes in such small cages.
Could this person's snake be suffering from being in cramped quarters?
 
I agree

A baby ball python at around 18 inches may be able to be in a 10 gallon but not for long. Atleast put her/him in a 30 wide. Also it could be hungry. The last post brings up all good possibilities. Try those and if you still have issues post again.
Hope it helps. Good luck!

-Bill
 
Many Thanks to you all

im just 14 with no job so money is hard to come by but i do have enough to buy a 30 gallon but i might go broke any way she ate a mouse last thursday and it has passed already.... should i feed her another mouse or a pinky?

maybe my snake is suffering from the small tank shes in ......i'll go get a 30 gallon today and see how she likes that .....

yes she has a hide box and fits it well

and yes the heating graident is to her likeing.....
 
most baby ball pythons don't need a pinky mouse as they are two small. You can try to offer her two in the same feeding session if the snake doesn't want the second one it won't eat it.
 
Ball Pythons Can Cost some money

Rolon,
I am 27 with a great job and few money problems and I sometimes find myself overspending on these snakes. I'm not saying not to own a Ball Python because I love them sooooo much. I just got into the whole BP thing about 8 months ago and have 7 now. I have tore through thousands of dollars on them because I have gotten carried away. But even the necessaties will run you hundreds in a year span. God forbid if you have to go to the vet. The only thing I am trying to tell you is not to do what I did and spend your limited money on what one person tells you to do on these posts. Its just there opinion. Read up on and decision and ask a whole lot of questions. I found a breeder named Nigel with Renaissance reptiles that I trust totally and admire as a BP expert. He has no problem helping people even if they are not buying a 10 thousand dollar snake from him. Find someone that you trust that is experienced in this field. Good luck buddy and stick with it. Post a pic if you can of your snake. I'd love to see her.

-Bill
 
Things I would check immediately upon seeing such behaviour:


  1. ~ Temperature (warm & cool areas both?)
    ~ Hides (is there a hide in both temp. zones?)
    ~ Hide Sizes (Are they big enough? Too small? Too large?)
    ~ Light Source (dark & bright areas/bright times&dark times?)
    ~ Substrate (Is it sufficient, or is it too dry/too moist?)
    ~ Humidity (Are the snakes scales dry? Are the too wet?)
    ~ Feeding (Is it eating okay, has it been fed recently?)
    ~ Location of Tank (Too close to activity? Too far away?)
    ~ Tank Size (Too big? Too small?)
    [/list=1]

    I always take the behaviour you posted as a sign that the animal is in one way or another unhappy about it's environment. Could be any of the above in the list. Generally, in my experience, a snake will not demonstrate this behaviour UNLESS they are displeased with something in their environment.

    A 22 inch ball python, well they CAN live in a 10-gallon, really you should be looking for a 20 or a 30 gallon tank. A 10 gallon is very cramped quarters, I usually get mine into a 20 or 30 once they've hit about 15 inches in length.

    Also, BPs don't like a LOT of light; if it's too bright too much of the time, they'll go hunting for a dark place to hide in. They DO need a basking spot, but they also like to have a darker spot where they can go that doesn't have a lot of light in it.

    They also need either something keeping the air in the tank humid (not TOO humid!!), or else a moister substrate. Don't use aspen, they'll dry out VERY quickly. You can find repti-bark and stuff like that, it's larger chips of wood that is a bit more moist on it's own, that helps too. If you are using newspaper, paper towels, or aspen and can't change the substrate, get yourself a little spray bottle and mist the tank down about once a day. Be CAREFUL with this - you don't want the water running down the sides in big rivers. *LOL* Just enough to put a little 'sheen' on the glass. Screen tops tend to create drier environments and BP's seem to like their environments a little more humid than boas and some other pythons.

    In addition to that, BP's like their hides to be somewhat snug. Make sure the hide is large enough for the snake to go into and curl up, but not so large that there's a lot of 'extra' space inside with the snake in there. Mine always seem to like their hides to be brushing against their coils when they go in.

    And make sure your BP has a warm side and a cool side with a hide on each. Don't use an on-glass temp. gauge to determine it's temperature. Get yourself a temp gun when you have the money. The on-glass stuff is only going to give you the temperature of the glass - not the air inside of the tank at the ground level with the snake.

    Hope this helps.
 
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP FROM EVERY ONE....I GOT IN LUCK AND BROUGHT A 40 WIDE GALLON TANK FOR 20 DOLLARS FROM A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE MY SNAKE STOPPED SMASHING HER FACE IN THE GLASS AND I FOUND OUT FROM THE PET STORE THAT SHE EATS 2 MICE A WEEK I ALSO BROUGHT 20 MICE FOR A DOLLAR A PIECE AND FOOD FOR THEM SO I CAN BREAD THEM IN THAT OLD 10 GALLON TANK.....THANKS A LOT EVERY1

-PEACE
 
Good to hear. May I suggest, though, if you plan to be breeding the mice, you will need a minimum of three tanks...

It is not wise to keep the males in with the females and the babies... the males will kill the babies... sometiems the females will kill the males or vice versa as well... males are very territorial... and if the female has babies from a different male.. well... they go bye-bye very quickly ...

Once you are sure you've got little pinkies on the way... best to get mom into her own tank of some sort, doesn't have to be big. BPs will eventually graduate up to larger mice, then eventually small and medium rats once they get big enough, so you will not be breeding the mice for too long.

Good luck with it. Glad to hear the update. =)
 
It's unfortunate that you can't tell who's advice is legitimately good, and who's is garbage. I'll do my best. An 18 inch ball python, (couple months old) are usually kept in an 11.3 liter rubbermaid. Few reasons, transluscent so the snake isn't stressed, small enough for the snake to feel secure, easy to clean and great enclosure to maintain proper husbandry. A 10 gallon is a perfectly good size for at least a few more months. Don't go out and buy a 30. If you're going to keep your ball in the 10, keep it in a low-traffic area, make sure you have proper airflow, humidity, only one hide is necessary, the tighter the better (on the warm side) and get your warm side temps up to 95. Minimize handling as this may also stress out a baby ball. Feed him rat fuzzies (20-25g), mice are not a complete food source, and can be a hassle when your ball reaches 2000g. A rat every 4-5 days should be a good feeding schedule, until you figure out his schedule. I would also suggest you pick up a book if you haven't already on the captive husbandry of ball pythons. Good luck.

Michael James
 
My BP is about 24 inches and I keep it in a rubbermaid that has maybe twice the floor space as a 10 gallon. And I don't plan on moving him for a while. He sleeps most the time and hides. The only time I see him is when he's looking for food and then I feed him a rat pup and back in he goes for another week. I think buying a 30 gallon is a waste of money. They suck for humidity and it will be too small for an adult. I'm planning on letting him grow in there till he is going to burst then put him in an adult enclosure. My snakes see one or two rubbermaids before they are but into a permanent home. Any aquarium to house reptiles is a waste of money in my opinion. Aquariums are for fish, and terrarium aquariums are just modified to house rodents. Not reptiles. Reptiles need very specific husbandry and rubbermaids are universal, they can house any herp as long as their size allows this. After that a custom enclosure should be built to meet that animals specific needs.

Mike
 
MY BALL HAS GROWN RAPIDLY SINCE I POSTED THIS SHES IN A 40 GAL NOW AND 3 FEET LONG

THE MOUSE BREEDING WENT WELL NOW I GIVE HER SMALL RABBITS OR GERBILS
 
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