Odd behavior???

[Pinepusher]

Well I recently aquired my ball(2 mon. ago) and ever since, she's been acting up. When ever I get close to the glass or go to pick her up she strikes. She even strikes at the lights when I move them. I recently put my lights on a timer(they used to be on full time, I know that's bad:( but it's fixed now) so maybe that'll help. Why is she so defensive? BTW she isn't like this when I handle her and she is captive bred. I bought her at about 3 ft, she was the last of her litter and was housed w/ wild caughts. I got the impression when I bought her that she wasn't handled very much at all. I usually handle her once a week before I feed her.

One thing I forgot to mention is that she has somethoing that looks to be a tick on her skin, I will tak care of it as soon as I am absolutly positive it's a tick, but that may be causing iritation or stress as well.

[Linds]

Are you sure that she is a true CBB baby? I find it quite odd that a CBB baby would be housed with WC animals knowingly. Regardless, even if she is CBB she is now going to have inherited all the problems the WC balls had such as internal parasites, ticks, mites, etc. Her behaviour also seems more typical of a stressed out WC. I suggest you carefully remove any ticks and apply polysporin to areas as needed, treat her for mites, and have her treated for internal parasites. Make sure she has ample hiding spots in her enclosure to make her feel secure. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Pinepusher]

Most of the day she is in her water dish(prob. because of the tick, and alot of the time because, she's shedding.) I haven't noticed any mites yet But I'm going to do a full check next time. Anyone know how much an exam for internal parasites at a local vet will cost? The times she isn't in her dish she is under her bark cove thing. She used to try and climb the plants I had in there and try to find a way out but since then I removed all the plants and I haven't caught her trying anymore(the tank is only about 12" tall) She still has a limb for climbing, basking or rubbing on during shedding and the back wall is an artifical rock like foam. I'm using reptile safe red wood chips as bedding and the water dish is the largest one I could find.(about the diameter of a dinner plate). The cage has 4 40 watt bulbs and usually holds steady at about 80-85 degrees, but I never find her basking. I also have a large cobra brand under tank heat pad under the 1/3 of bedding.

BTW I'm positive she was housed w/ WC balls. I would venture to say she is a CBB cause she was less tense then the rest of the balls, she also had a lighter coloration than the rest of them. The shop only had them seperated from large and small. All the small were CBB but the large were all WC Balls with the exception of her.

[Pinepusher]

I'm also pretty sure she is a CBB cause she has no beefs w/ eating. I always put her in a paper bag when I feed her but I can sit there and watch her kill and eat her prey no problems, she's fully aware I am watching too. That's not typical of a WC ball.

[Big Mike]

Sounds like mites...the nasty behavior and the constant soaking. Clean the enclosure and change the bedding. Use news paper or paper towels for a while. Check very carefully for mites, they are very small. Clean and disinfect the entire enclosure and get something to eliminate the mites, there are a few diferent options. If she is bothered my mites, she should calm down once they are gone for good.

[Linds]

Nothing you have said indicates still that she is CBB, especially since she was purchased at a store. YOu will be hard-pressed to find a CBB ball in a store. The fact that she is feeding on live is not very convincing since many WC balls will. I suggest trying to wean her on to prekilled or f/t for her own safety as well. Soaking and frequent sheds are indicative of a mite infestation. The best place to spot mites on a snake are around the eyes and head area. You can see them under her head on her chin and throat area where it is white, they are easier to spot on a light background. You can also look for little black specks floating around in her dish. As for the cost of a vet visit + treatment, you didn't mention where you were located. The costs varies from vet to vet, you can call in to get an estimate. Try and get a fecal sample if you can to take to the vet. If you can't get it in right away, just put it in a plastic baggy in the refrigerator until you can.
To get rid of mites, you need to take everything out of her enclsosure and disinfect it and its contents thoroughly. Just put papertowel substrate and crumpled up paper as a hide (easier this way unless you have a plastic hide that you can thoroughly disinfect or dispose of). Go to the drug store and pick up a bottle of Nix lice shampoo. Mix one bottle with 1 gallon of water and put in a sprayer bottle. Spray all over enclsoure and snake (NOT water bowl), and then put water dish back in the enclosure. Repeat weekly for 5-6 weeks

Good luck and keep us posted~

[Pinepusher]

I also noticed she hasn't been going to the bathroom for the past 2-3 weeks, maybe longer. I go to her cage, and find nothing. It sounds like she has mites too. she just finihsed shedding about 2 weeks ago and now she is shedding again(last toiem it wasn't a clean shed either, alot of pieces). Thanks for all teh help guys. I'll check for mites on her body and clean out her cage. I'm almost 100% sure it's a tick behind her head but should I wait until I take her to the vet to have it removed? or remove it myself? BTW I have a dog too. Will the mites spread to my dog? It's taking me so long to realize somthing is wrong cause I'm unsure as to what to expect from my snake behavior wise, but thanks for assure my suspisions that something wasn't right. I'll take her soon.

[Linds]

Your dog will be fine. Snake mites are host specific, meaning that unless you are a snake the mites aren't going to bother with you. I wouldn't be concerned with her not going to the bathroom for several weeks. Older balls don't tend to defecate as frequently. If you are sure it is a tick, then by all means you can remove it carefully with a pair of tweezers. Just make sure to put some antibiotic ointment on afterwards :).

[Pinepusher]

well I accidentaly knocked teh tick loose while I was handleing her and when i went to get her to remove it teh thing was gone. I couldn't find any trace of teh head either. But when I was looking for the head I noticed a mite crawl right by, so I'm def. taking her to the vet soon. Having trouble finding one that takes reptiles.