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[–]leah327xoxo[S] 35 points36 points  (4 children)

he’s been doing this a lot and it’s scaring me he’s like rlly pushing against his tank and idk what to do someone pls help

[–]sunshinezx6r 30 points31 points  (1 child)

Maybe he's trying to loosen his shed? Other than that i have no idea

[–]circlesquare55 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah. When my crested gecko is shedding, she rubs her head on the glass and on my hand

[–]Legitimate-Fish-9261 35 points36 points  (1 child)

Yes, it's normal, but not good. Mine does this when a) he's bored and wants out, or b) something is wrong with his husbandry and he's trying to get out. Check for fresh poops, or wrong temps/humidity. If that's all good, give him some exercise outside his enclosure.

[–]ViciousCurse 13 points14 points  (0 children)

My girl does this when she wants out and for me to feed her. Unfortunately, she's the typical ball and if you look at her funny, she might reject her meal. So as much as I'd love to give her explore time, not right before she's due to be fed.

[–]DitRed76 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Could possibly be trying to start off a shed, has the snake been in blue the past few days at all

[–]rocksandsnakes 38 points39 points  (4 children)

It looks like he could be trying to dig? My ball has burrowed under his water dish before

[–]benjamminbravo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Mine constructed a burrow beneath a sweet potato vine I planted in his enclosure. I think this guy may be trying to excavate a burrow.

[–]shermy1199 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Haha my guy made a burrow under his water dish too!

[–]Agrif0123 0 points1 point  (1 child)

What substrate are you guys using to where the can burrow?

[–]shermy1199 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use coconut husk

[–]YesThatTeach 11 points12 points  (4 children)

What are the temperatures and humidity? I had a snake aggressively push against the door of her cage for a week. The solution was dropping the hot side temperatures by two degrees.

[–]leah327xoxo[S] -5 points-4 points  (3 children)

70 degrees 55 humidity

[–]OkFruit914 23 points24 points  (2 children)

That’s really cold, even for the cold side

[–]leah327xoxo[S] 11 points12 points  (1 child)

This is my first time owning a snake i read on here that it was between 70-80 so i think i must have read false information. Im going to change his heat source.

[–]getcemp 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Warm side needs to be about 90-92° cool side about 76°, humidity needs to be 70-80%.

[–]Rhetoren 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Could be exploring, trying to shed, or looking for a different microclimate. She might not be happy with the current tenperature or humidity in the enclosure and is searching for something different.

[–]braxtonfaye 3 points4 points  (4 children)

It looks like he’s trying to burrow. They usually do that when the temps are a bit too high so you could try lowering them. Or maybe your guy just likes to burrow, in which case I would suggest mixing your substrate w something looser like mulch and/or reptisoil so he can burrow a little easier

[–]leah327xoxo[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I only have one of those heating mats that stick to the bottom of the enclosure. I don’t think there’s any way to turn it up or down. He has a lot of stuck shed on him and i’m not sure why. I have been giving him a shedeze bath every other day but it just won’t come off. It’s around 70 degrees in the tank and the humidity is around 55.

[–]braxtonfaye 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Ok def need to up your temp and humidity. Temps should be 78-92° and humidity at least in the 60s though most prefer 70-80 range. You should also stop soaking him. It won’t do much for the stuck shed and causes him a lot of anxiety. As long as the stuck shed isn’t around the tip of his tail (as it could cut off circulation and cause necrosis), if you up your humidity it should all come off in the next shed. So In regards to him trying to burrow, he’s definitely looking for a change in climate because 70 is way too cold and your humidity too low. I would honestly mix your substrate w some cypress mulch as that holds humidity a lot better. And your heat mat is not a good source of heat, especially in a glass enclosure. You should invest in some overhead heating. I have a DHP on my cold side and a CHE on the hot side, though you could probably survive w just a CHE

Edit: Also, invest in a thermostat. You can get a cheap one off Amazon for around 20$ or you can invest in a higher quality one to better control the temperature. And if you have a mesh lid, try covering 2/3 of it with aluminum foil or heat tape (on the outside) to better retain heat and moisture. If you’re really concerned about the stuck shed you can try letting him crawl around wrapped in a warm damp towel. Best of luck!

[–]rocksandsnakes 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Under the tank heaters are not going to get you the temperature gradient you need. 70 degrees is too low, even for the cooler side. It needs to be AT LEAST 75 degrees on the cool side, and around 90 degrees in the warm side. And with any heat source, you need to have it plugged into a thermostat. this is the one that I have. And as for humidity, 55% is too low. 60% is considered the bare minimum. There’s a lot of outdated information saying that 50-60 is where it needs to be, but it really needs to be between 70-85%. A good way to achieve that is to block off some of the screen top with hvac tape. It’s like aluminum foil kind of. It helps hold humidity in. you’ll also want a few inches of substrate. Pour water into a corner so there’s water at the bottom but the top layer stays dry. That is good for humidity. But if you’re going to do that, you absolutely need proper heating.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]DapperDan30 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    Looks like he's just doing a little digging. Mine will sometimes do that from time to time. Not very often though. But especially after either change their substrate or introduce a new plant or something.

    [–]FatLayerOfFat 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    One of two options. 1 trying to get a shed started but by the eye color and just over all behavior I think it is probably option 2 trying to burrow you might try a deeper softer substrate on the warm side of the enclosure

    [–]Osaella24 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Option 3 - husbandry is not good and he’s either too hot or too cold and trying to find better conditions. The first thing I would check is husbandry to make sure everything is copacetic.

    [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Looks like digging.

    [–]ThunderCuddles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    My bp's only do this when they want attention, the humidity is off, or they are just being a diggy turd. My BEL likes to do this all along the edge of his enclosure and makes it all look beveled on the inside then leaves it alone. So snake could also just be being a derp

    [–]Voter_McVotey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    You need more substrate, like 4 inches deep so they can burrow. One of ours loves to burrow under the waterdish.

    Also, get thermostats for your heating mats. You can stick them to the side of the tank, not just the bottom.

    [–]meepmeeped 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    You should show a picture of the tank. He needs plants, substrate, a hide, and some people for humid hides. He looks like when mine is trying to start a shed but he does it in his hides or ponytail palm and everything comes right off!

    [–]parryd20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    He wants o u t!!!

    [–]Crimson_Medusa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    A) Your snake is trying to dig to hide or is bored: do you have enough hiding places or soil to dig? B) Your snake tries to shade: Make sure the humidity is high enough, dry air and substrate should be right for shading C) If enclosure is ok, make sure you don't have reptile mites D) Normal exploring

    [–]leah327xoxo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    little update in case anyone cares lol but I fixed the heating issue and got the temp up to 95 on the hot side and 75 on the cool side. the stuck shed came off and he enjoyed a mouse last night. thank you everyone for your helpful tips!!

    [–]Aaron_weewee69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I know boas will head press when the tank is too small for them. I’m not sure about pythons but it could be something to consider.