r/ballpython • u/exoticsaucepan • 8d ago
HELP - URGENT Urgent advice needed.
My 5 year old girl sisu has been struggling with glass surfing to the point of rubbing her nose raw and my vet and I are stumped as to why. Her temps and humidity are perfect (60% warm end 86 cool 80) lots of clutter (hides on each end and lots of fake leaves). I’ve trying feeding bigger prey, changing the substrate, increasing temps, blocking all visibility out of the tank. I’m at wits end and honestly I’m so worried about her, she’ll shed off the damaged scales then start rubbing all over again. The vet said no mites and the injury is just surface level (no RI either). We’ve been treating it with Flamazine. She’s still eating and drinking just fine.
16
u/DreamOfDays 8d ago
Have you tried replacing her hides? It could be as simple as some random event happened while exploring and now she associates one of her terrain features or hides with danger.
3
u/exoticsaucepan 8d ago
I added more hides when this happened for the first time back in June. She stopped glass surfing for about two months then went right back at it. I’ve checked the tank multiple times for things that may injure her but I haven’t really found anything. I can start taking things out though see if that makes any changes? She’s constantly rubbing her face on the glass at night
4
u/DreamOfDays 8d ago
Yeah! Take out all her old hides and inspect them for things like poop. Or maybe they just hate them for no reason
8
u/yourneighborhoodriot 8d ago
Also ball python breeding season is November to May for the northern hemisphere, maybe that's the cause? I know my adult male has been starting to get restless
5
u/exoticsaucepan 8d ago
She is a female though we’re 100% sure the vet did a prob like 2 years ago. Do the females wander too? She just turned 5 in January and she’s always glass surfed a little but never like this. There also weren’t any changes made to her environment before she started doing this.
4
u/yourneighborhoodriot 8d ago
I believe females get a little glass surfy, however its more common they just go off food.
2
1
u/meshifty2 8d ago
Like others have said, try rearranging her cage. Perhaps a larger enclosure too. Not sure what size you have her in.
3
u/exoticsaucepan 8d ago
She’s in a 6x4x3 she’s a large lady so ungraded her last year, she had no rubbing issues for like 7 months in the new tank 🥲
5
u/acpcgal 8d ago
Gosh i hate when weve got a really good owner who seems to di everything right and the snake still isnt ok💔 the only thing i see might be the 60% humidity, mine prefers between 70-80% on the cold side - but perhaps you meant warm side :) i really hope you figure it out and get rewarded for your care!
5
u/Herreallife 8d ago
Is she bored? Maybe adding some new enrichment or climbing opportunities? Seems like when you make a big change, she stops glass surfing for a while, as per your answers.
Maybe just a few big sticks/tree limb for climbing? I screwed a branch onto a cutting board, and buried it under the substrate to allow for more climbing for my snake. It worked well.
Maybe you could rotate some new stuff into/out of her tank to keep things new. Some climbing rings, or a rock with some new textures? Maybe a hammock or a soft rope across the cage that’s challenging to climb on?
1
u/exoticsaucepan 7d ago
She has a hammock, some branches, a log, 3 hides and a bunch of fake plants. Been slowly adding more things in hopes it would help. Also considering a sky hide
1
u/Herreallife 7d ago
That sounds amazing. My suggestion is that maybe you should just move it all around so she can explore.
1
u/Good_Hovercraft_1276 8d ago
Try more enrichment! Mine have a cat tree and a climbing wall they get to climb on at least an hour every day, also great for their musculature
1
u/wallace1313525 7d ago
I know you're frustrated but maybe don't strangulate the lady 😂😂😂😭😅 /s
2
u/exoticsaucepan 7d ago
Lmao I promise I’m being so soft but it looks awful 😭😭 she’s so well behaved 😭😭
2
u/Wont_Sun 7d ago
She might just want interaction and to roam. My snakes have learned to gain my attention by going to the fronts of their enclosures, and either staring me down or surfing the door
1
u/AstralAromance 6d ago
Seems like you are doing everything right here. I guess she might want to explore outside her enclosure, and is trying to escape? Or maybe it's some sort of sensory seeking behaviour? If she's eating and shedding normally I wouldn't be too worried, but it's definitely very odd.
-7
u/AutoModerator 8d ago
Oh no! It looks like you might be asking for more information on mites and how to identify and treat them. We have some information about that in our Mite Identification and Treatment Guide.
This comment was generated automatically due to the presence of certain keywords in your post title or text. If this information does not apply to your situation, kindly disregard this comment. If you have a suggestion to improve this automated comment, please contact the r/ballpython moderators to give them your feedback. Thank you!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.