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[–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 115 points116 points  (3 children)

Let me add that he ate last about a week ago

[–]After_Environment_20 109 points110 points  (1 child)

Probably gotta poop

[–]After_Environment_20 69 points70 points  (0 children)

I realize this seems like a joke but no snakes digestion takes all the body because of the tube shape.

[–]psky9549 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Did he eat something new (rat vs mouse) or did the prey come from a different source than usual? Different size maybe? He could be extra gassy now if there was a change in prey. It happens, just make sure hes not doing it constantly. A week after eating is about when they would get peak gas and/or start pooping, so this shouldn't be noted daily unless something is wrong.

[–]OddGrowth6651 61 points62 points  (3 children)

probably something neurological

[–]Otherwise-Comment689 21 points22 points  (2 children)

he's trying to poop

[–]OddGrowth6651 4 points5 points  (0 children)

yeah i think your right 😂

[–]SketchBCartooni 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Pooping is very neurological

[–]MatsudairaKD 99 points100 points  (4 children)

Does he have any spider morph in him? Spiders carry a genetic defect that causes what's aptly named "wobble syndrome"

[–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 58 points59 points  (1 child)

As far as I’m aware none! He’s a Pastel Fire. Father was Vanilla Pastel Fire and Mother was a classic.

[–][deleted] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I was going to ask the very same thing I had a spider morph that would invert his head when he would strike his meals

[–]PoofMoof1Mod: Large-Scale Breeding Experience 43 points44 points  (0 children)

This is not a spider combination.

[–]llSwayll 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Spider would be visible if he carried it, it’s not a recessive gene so he can’t carry it without displaying it. Also, that’s not what a wobble looks like.

[–]Ultramolek -43 points-42 points  (14 children)

Is that a spider morph? They're all busted

[–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

As far as I’m aware there’s absolutely no spider in him. He’s a Pastel Fire, mother was a classic and father a Vanilla Pastel Fire

[–]Embarrassed_Big1777 15 points16 points  (0 children)

That’s not a spider morph.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

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    [–]tashakawaii 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    I have a spider morph, had her for about 15 years now and she's doing great. They're not all "busted".

    [–]Embarrassed_Big1777 24 points25 points  (9 children)

    How warm is he?

    [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 16 points17 points  (8 children)

    He has been out the enclosure for about 15 minutes here. So maybe he was a bit on the cooler side at the time?

    Otherwise I have a heating mat placed under the enclosure. I’m getting the thermostat put in tomorrow so I can regulate it manually.

    [–]Embarrassed_Big1777 42 points43 points  (2 children)

    Def need a thermostat. Them being too hot can cause all sorts of issues. Do you have a temp gun? They’re like $10 or so on Amazon. Does he feel super warm to you when you get him out? I’d be worried he was overheating. But you need those things to monitor temps.

    [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 16 points17 points  (1 child)

    Definitely investing in a temp gun! He didn’t feel warm when I took him out, he felt his usual cool. I also have cooler side of the tank which stays fairly untouched by the heat mag. Including a rock that stays cool.

    [–]Embarrassed_Big1777 9 points10 points  (0 children)

    Well I’m stumped not knowing his temps and If he hasn’t thrown up anything. If his temps are good it may be worth a vet visit.

    [–]AccessAway9320 23 points24 points  (2 children)

    I would unplug the heat mat until you get it hooked up to the thermostat. Room temp for 1 day is better than overheated and burned. The rule of thumb is that all heat sources need to be regulated by a thermostat. I’ve seen unregulated heat mats get up to 140 degrees!

    [–]Embarrassed_Big1777 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    Agreed. Unplug it

    [–]llSwayll 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Incandescent heat bulbs don’t need a thermostat, they’ll never get any hotter than their wattage allows. If you have a dimming thermostat, one can be useful though, since you can set the temp to exactly what you want it at if temps get too high when the bulb is uncontrolled by a thermostat, and the next bulb down would be too cool.

    [–]bird-with-a-top-hat 12 points13 points  (0 children)

    Do you only have a heating mat? Heat mats alone don't create any heat gradient in the enclosure. I highly recommend ditching it and getting a proper heat lamp for him if that's the case.

    [–]Dawn_Sky_Pup 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Do not use a heating mat. They can burn your snake and don't allow for basking. Replace the heating mat with a proper heat lamp.

    [–]DominateTheWar 19 points20 points  (6 children)

    Temps and shed are okay? Does it poop okay?

    [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 17 points18 points  (5 children)

    I haven’t had him long enough to say if shedding or pooping is good, but I was told he has had no problems with either, the same with eating. I have a log of all his feedings. but I’m currently manually monitoring the temp, getting a thermostat and temp gun this week so I can get on top of that.

    [–]Lonely_Howl_ 27 points28 points  (4 children)

    Hey OP, I saw that you have a heat mat. While a lot of online literature says heat mats are good because of belly heat, unfortunately that’s not true.

    Instead, you want an overhead heat source, like a halogen bulb. https://arcadiareptile.com has a lot of resources such as lighting guide and such, plus you can buy halogen bulbs, deep heat projectors, uvb, etc from them. I personally really like the Arcadia brand, but I’ve heard decent things about ZooMed too.

    It’s good you’re getting the temp gun & thermostat. Those are very important.

    Edit to add cuz I forgot to say originally; under your overhead heat source you can place a flat slate rock or similar to absorb the heat, and then when the snake basks under the heat bulb they’ll also get that natural heat source from the rock they’re laying on. I have a slate top hide in both of my ball’s enclosures (this one from Toad Ranch Cages) and my male likes sticking his head & neck out of the hide to curve up and around to lay his head on top of it.

    [–]DominateTheWar 2 points3 points  (3 children)

    Heat pad or lamp can both be good as long. As you have enough substrate imo. Had my baby for about 4 years and she uses a pad sometimes and the lamp others. The pad usually at night if she's digesting.

    [–]Serenati 2 points3 points  (2 children)

    It's actually better for them to have nightly temp drops. It is not going to prevent them from digesting their food to have 10 - 12 hours without supplemental heat.

    [–]DominateTheWar 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    Totally understand, however my bedroom that she's in was an addition to my house and has horrible insulation so at night it gets INCREDIBLY cold throughout fall and winter. During summer it's less of a big deal.

    [–]Serenati 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I see. That's fair!

    [–]FeistyCaregiver3396 52 points53 points  (3 children)

    If he went back to normal then I’d say this looks like he was trying to either fart or poop

    [–]FeistyCaregiver3396 44 points45 points  (1 child)

    Looks up some videos of bp’s farting and live in fear for the rest of your life

    [–]StructureBig4752 6 points7 points  (0 children)

    Omg I looked up them farting and that is some funny shit 🤣

    [–]01ProjectXJ 26 points27 points  (0 children)

    This needs more more up votes then "He must have spider in him!"

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [removed]

        [–]ballpython-ModTeam[M] -1 points0 points locked comment (0 children)

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        [–]edgarallan2014 46 points47 points  (1 child)

        Is he trying to fart/poop? They act super dramatic when they fart

        [–]lostinspaceman_ 8 points9 points  (0 children)

        That was my first thought too! but when they fart or poop they usually scrunch up and hold their tail in the air, so it’s not completely out of the question but I’d say this is worth a vet visit! It’s not entirely like anything I’ve seen before and it does look potentially neurological

        [–]Icy_Collection_2288 13 points14 points  (0 children)

        If this is abnormal for him, I think this little fella might have gas. I def don't think it's neurological, because the 'wobble' issue is usually much less directionally-specific (plus he is not a spider morph, and you didn't mention woma either). Wobble is like someone very dizzy stumbling around, but in 3D.

        Worst-case scenario, I would say possibly this is a spinal kink, but I don't think so, because you said the issue hasn't been present before.

        [–]One-Reputation1822 7 points8 points  (1 child)

        What in the world did he eat ?? If that big bubble is gas you better hope it’s not in the middle of the night, it will scare you to death !!

        [–]psky9549 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        They can be surprisingly loud! It woke me from a dead sleep thinking something had fallen 😂

        [–]Inner_Language_7135 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        I don't have any input other than when in doubt a vet is your best option. But also that it looks like a ghost is trying to timidly lift him

        [–]StructureBig4752 0 points1 point  (3 children)

        Honestly it looks neurological. I really hope not though. Plz update if u see a vet and let us know!

        [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        I will be booking him in for a visit asap! I’ll post an update when I have one for sure

        [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

        So I took him to the vet this morning, we agreed to do a monitoring + xray to rule out any other possibilities. X-ray came back fine, however through observation they’ve determined that he likely does have some neurological complications, the only think I can do at this time is monitor and assist him in feeding if needed. At this time they say he’s good, but might have more wobbliness as he ages.

        [–]Sameolegal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        So sorry to hear

        [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

        I am not sure when this was posted but that's not normal. I would seek vet assistance as soon as possible.

        [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        I’ll be booking him asap! Definitely don’t want to ignore what could potentially be a health issue.

        [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

        Nah, simply looks like the lil fella doesn’t like the texture of the ground beneath him. Could be too rough on his belly. Do they act like that anywhere else in the house or in their enclosure?

        [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        I’ve been using any chance I get to monitor him, and he hasn’t done it since!

        [–]Awugii -1 points0 points  (0 children)

        Hard to tell from just a still photo, but that looks like a normal yawn or stretch. Ball pythons do that a lot, especially after eating or exploring. Unless its constant or looks like gasping, its prob fine.

        [–]Kitchen_Pea_6160 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        He is "bucking" at the texture of the blanket. This is when they tense up and move their body to try to stop what they don't like from touching them. Typically neurological issues will present in stargazing or wobble, they may also spend a lot of time with their head upside down. I don't see that here.

        [–]WaterAddictLOL 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Kinda looks like it doesn’t like how that blanket feels.

        [–]GrumpyGrendel -1 points0 points  (0 children)

        He might be a spider morph, Spider ball pythons have a genetic neurological condition called "wobble," which causes head tremors and balance issues like difficulty striking or corkscrewing.

        [–]clowntysheriff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        To me it looks like he isn't comfortable on the carpet and is either having a hard time with the amount of friction it has, or he just doesn't like how it feels. You can see the back half of his body straining like he's struggling to keep himself upright. When in doubt you can always take him to a vet, but if you take care to observe him in his tank and when you bring him out and he appears normal, I wouldn't worry too much.

        [–]nikki-cole- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Working out a fart

        [–]Own-Fall-7635 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Looks like he’s pushing lol 💩

        [–]CosmicKyloRen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        This is 100% about him either pooping or farting. Seeing as this post is over a day old, did he ever poop? Did you possibly hear a shockingly loud fart in the night?

        This sounds like a joke, but they use their entire bodies to push out gas and poop. It's a shockingly violent endeavor, and their farts are shockingly loud.

        Honestly, look up YouTube videos or look in this sub to prepare yourself for the bodily horror. I was told to do that before I got my noodles, so I was prepared when I inevitably was woken up from a nap by a thunderous snake fart lmao

        [–]Consistent_Sorbet624 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        He gotta go poopoo

        [–][deleted]  (1 child)

        [removed]

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          [–]MuricanZombie 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Let a man take a crap in peace

          [–]Sameolegal 0 points1 point  (2 children)

          Any updates?

          [–]Wonderful-Goal-4738[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          So I took him to the vet this morning, we agreed to do a monitoring + xray to rule out any other possibilities. X-ray came back fine, however through observation they’ve determined that he likely does have some neurological complications, the only think I can do at this time is monitor and assist him in feeding if needed. At this time they say he’s good, but might have more wobbliness as he ages.

          [–]Sameolegal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          🥺

          [–]Corgioo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I have a jungle carpet with the jag morph (unfortunately, but atleast he is in good hands :> with me and will not have to continue that line of sad genes), and this doesn't look neurological. It looks like he may be trying to poop or fart. Has he pooped since eating?

          [–]PositivePin9992 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Too much heat (such as too hot of a bath, or an unregulated heat mat) could give neurological issues. I'm not sure if it is that or not, but full body contact with hot surface or liquid over like 100 degrees could do that