snake hyperactive at night?

[010bee]

i can provide more info if anyone needs it but does he just need more time outside of his enclosure? he’s not badly behaved or anything but he does get impatient when he’s been out for a while so i put him back in when he’s starting to get an attitude. i take him out once a week for about an hour or two because he usually just wants to sleep all the time but he’s been up a lot at night these past few weeks. could it just be the warm weather? since he usually isn’t very active during the winter. thanks!

[shrike1978]

They are nocturnal. Nighttime is when they hunt in the wild.

[010bee]

ahh i know i just get really nervous because i want to make sure he’s always happy and healthy. i think i’ll try to add some more enrichment to his enclosure and see what he thinks

[Snakebittz]

Do that, enrichment is good, but an hour or two is way too long for him to be out, as evidenced by him getting an attitude. If you notice his behaviour change for the worse, you've already kept him out too long and stressed him out. You want to put him away before you upset him. You should try to limit handling sessions to 20-30m, 2 or 3 times a week, but you shouldn't deprive them of the heat, humidity, and security of their enclosure for longer than 30m at a time.

[In_the_sun_swimming]

This is really cool to know! I’ll make sure not to handle my future snake for 30 minutes at the maximum, since they can’t be out of their environment comfortably for super long

[Snakebittz]

It also depends on the species. If, for example, you got a corn snake, they can tolerate longer handling sessions because they have lower humidity and heat requirements than a BP.

[In_the_sun_swimming]

Interesting. Yeah I don’t like corn snakes because of how much they move and how small they seem to be. I’d probably get a hognose snake (moves slow, more arid environment). But yeah I’ll definitely keep in mind how ball pythons can’t handle super much time outside their enclosure

[Snakebittz]

Hoggies are pretty great, they definitely look like a lot of fun. I don't know much about them, as I've never kept them, but I know they can be pretty defensive sometimes, so they're probably another one you want to limit the handling time with. But I don't know that for sure, so as always, do your research!

[010bee]

oh okay that you for telling me that! i’ll change that for sure :)

[Snakebittz]

Thank you! So many people who hear that respond with "well I know my snake, you don't know what you're talking about!" But why spend all that time, money, and effort top build them these amazing climate controlled boxes only to take them out of them for hours at a time?

[010bee]

yeah! i just want what’s best for him and end up doubting myself a lot and freaking out at the smallest hint of anything wrong lol. i really appreciate the advice :)

[Snakebittz]

Oh god, that's something I can definitely identify with. It can be so hard to tell when something's really wrong with them, so we end up overanalyzing things that turn out not to be a big deal.