SNAKE STRESS

[moosenoose]

I was talking to some APS members last night in chat about what appears to be stress with my snake over the last few days.

While I'm content with the answers to the questions I asked, I still have a few more questions, and I'm also interested in hearing what some of the other symptoms/ characteristics might be in relation to stressed snakes with other members on here. I did try to search the forums on here and just found snippets of info.

My young 4ft Darwin seems mega-edgey. She won't cling to branches when placed in them, and always wants to go to ground. The temps I've kept are similar to what I had previously with the exception of a lower ground temp of 22 degrees (which since last night I have bumped up to about 24). She is also extremely flighty and when touched will react sharply (short of having a snap at me ) and moving as far away as she can, or, wants to squish herself tightly in a corner and cover her head with her coils reacting again sharply if touched.

I thought I'd see if a feed might bring her around, but for the first time ever, wants to keep away from her prey and pays no attention to it. She was not due for feeding anyway but thought it was worth a try.

My question now is, due to the size of the new enclosure (a little over double the size of the last one), which I'm sure is what has her stressed, will she get used to it? Should I leave her alone for an extended period of time without handling? Should I cover the glass to an extent to create more privacy for her?

She has been in the new tank for about 2 weeks, and in & out of that about 2 weeks prior to me moving her in there fully . I'd placed a hide from her old home in there with the thought that a familiar smell might make her feel more at home, but it appears that this has done nothing to help.

Any input or similar experiences will be much appreciated to help put my mind at rest

Cheers,
Luke

See, I do use something other than Chit Chat :wink:

[instar]

Id leave her alone for a week or two, no handling, dont offer food. is the new tank in the same room/aspect as the last? new surround might compound the stress. Maybe hang a sheet over the front for a week (visual barrier/security) then gradually lessen the sheets coverage, exposing more glass a little each day till you remove it entirely. An area of high traffic (walking past) loungeroom? might be disturbing. If temps etc are the same and it has its fav hides it'll get over it, dont worry.
Make sure there are no signs of illness, or respitory infection or anything. Has humidity altered due to larger cage? Thats all I can think of, good luck, over to the experts!................

[Magpie]

Has she been "stressed" for the whole two weeks?
Could she be coming up to a shed as well?

[moosenoose]

No Mags, only over the last two days, and it's very noticable. She had a slight retained shed under the neck from her last slough, I was wondering if that might have been bothering her?? It's only a small amount but I suppose they gradually tighten don't they? She's not due for a shed for at least another 4 weeks at a guess.

Thanks also for the input Inny The new enclosure is in the same room as the last one. The notable difference is the change in size. I suppose the humidity levels are lessened also due to the size - I have been spraying it at random intervals, but not going overboard with maintaining it.

I'll give covering the glass up a go and stop handling her. I'll lay off her food also until she comes looking for it again.

[farmdog]

luke don't fret mate just try and keep her calm and just give her time, Does she move around or hangs in one position until you disturb her, does she change spot during the night.
Maybe you can use a cloth to divide the cage and gradually move the cloth so the cage gets bigger until you remove the cloth all together??

[keelow]

Moose, fix a hide up in the warmer part of the enclosure, i found a similar problem with my MD when i got him.

and now he spends most of the time in there... its always around 29-30 on top of it and he pretty much lives in there. hardly ever touches the bottom these days

[Magpie]

I'd suggest that if she has only been stressing for two days after being in there for two weeks, something else is the cause.
Maybe something 'scared' her at some stage?
I'd just make sure she has plenty of cover available, make sure there is no new noises or animals around and leave her be for a few days.

[moosenoose]

Thanks Farmy, over the last 4 days she has remained totally in her hide. I had been taking her out and handling her, as I always have done, and when I've put her back it's been in the limbs of the branches I have in there. She'll stay there for a little while but always seems to return pretty abruptly to the confines of her hide.

The funny thing is, after about 15 minutes of handling seems to relax a little and doesn't seem as flighty. She feels really super tense after initially getting her out and doesn't want to hang on me. She doesn't seem to have any breathing dramas (so I don't think it's a respitory prob) and seems her usual alert self, if anything, overly alert. I can't see any indication of mites either and have given her a pretty good going over.

Someone I think had told me a snakes tongue is often a reasonable indication to their health?? Is this correct?? Because this also seems to be doing what it normally does - flickering

[moosenoose]

Originally Posted by keelow

Moose, fix a hide up in the warmer part of the enclosure, i found a similar problem with my MD when i got him.

I've also thought maybe another hide wouldn't hurt up high, thanks Keelow.

Originally Posted by Magpie

I'd suggest that if she has only been stressing for two days after being in there for two weeks, something else is the cause.
Maybe something 'scared' her at some stage?
I'd just make sure she has plenty of cover available, make sure there is no new noises or animals around and leave her be for a few days.

Yeah it just seems weird. I didn't just toss her in there either She seemed happy initally, and I tried to ease her into the new enclosure before putting her in there full time, even before I had the glass in there I used to have her in while I was doing stuff around the house. Perhaps something has spooked her?

I think I'm just going to have to cover most of the glass and give her a break for a week or so, keep an eye on her, and see what happens.

Thanks all, much appreciated.

Luke

[soulweaver]

Well with the time you got home on sunday, i think it will be quite a few days still to come before the stress in 'your' snake goes away

[moosenoose]

ahhhh that one's always stressed. It's been in its hide for weeks & weeks and rarely gets handled :wink:

[rodentrancher]

[Jonny]

This exact thing happened to my childrens after i moved her to a bigger enclosure. It didn't happen right away, prob a week or two in conjunction with a bad shed. She would thrash around and rear up like a brown snake whenever she detected any movement.

I found mites in her waterbowl and sprayed with TOD and also provided a darker hide.

This fixed the problem within a couple of days.

hope this helps

Jonny

[Hix]

Moosey:

She seemed happy for a time, but then got stressed.
She's 'mega-edgey'.
You offer her food but she's not interested.
New home, and not happy.
Nothing you do seems to make her happy.
She won't let on what's wrong.

The answer is bloody obvious.


PMS






Hix

[moosenoose]

lol females.... I should have known! :wink: