Personality change over last few days

[Amynickid]

Hey guys, My jungle is almost a year and a half and hardly ever bites unless i do something wrong. I got him out yesterday and noticed he was mid shed (dull colour and slightly blind) usually he doesn't mind a hold while he was like this and I have never had a problem before. My shirt, I'm assuming I scared him ( he bit my nipple xD) and i noticed heavy breathing. Today I took him out to quickly give him a hold and rinse in shower to see if his behaviour was a once off. while holding him like normal he tried to bite me again and his heavy breathing was also their today. But less heavy and when I let him chill around my neck their was little to no heavy breathing. He has never been sick before and has no visible signs of mites, his temperature in hot spot is 33 degrees and usually cold spot is 24-26 degrees as its a open aired mesh top enclosure and the rest is wood (sides and back) and glass front doors. I hold him at least once a week to every two weeks. feed him 1 medium adult rat every two weeks and i hold him every other day i am home. Why has his personality changed a bit? he never cared when i use to hold him while he was shedding? come to think of it also a couple weeks ago i tried getting him out of enclosure like i usually do and he refused to come out, tried biting me a few times (strikes that didnt get me). I'm worried -.- I mean i understand sometimes they have bad days. But yeah seems to be worse...

 

[Newhere]

He doesn't have a personality and in that moment he felt threatened so he bit you. The heavy breathing is from stress, it's him getting ready to fight or run away from the threat.

 

[Amynickid]

All animals in alot of peples opinions have a personality. I know when i make mistakes, i understand they feel threatened. but he had no reason to this is what i am getting at. but ill leave him till he sheds, he usually doesnt do this at all.. is my point.

 

[Rainbow-Serpent]

I think snakes have personalities, there are a lot of people that would argue otherwise, but to a certain degree I think all animals have personalities, this would explain why some snakes, even with plenty of handling, remain aggressive and others, even with no handling, can be perfectly placid from the moment they hatch. Keepers are forever saying that "every snake is different" - and why is that? Because they have personalities.

Rant over. Now, he could be getting a bit grumpy because he's having a stressful time shedding and being held during this period is making him agitated. Have you tried spraying the inside of the enclosure with a bit of water? This will create some humidity for him which will help him shed. It used to work like a charm for my jungle (although he was pretty grumpy all the time, it got worse during shedding)
Huffing, wheezing etc. can be caused by other things, but it sounds like he's just a bit stressed out. Especially because you're in Brisbane (me too!) it's very hot and dry here at the moment, so he might just need the extra humidity and some time to calm down

 

[Newhere]

Well I wouldn't take it personally, I'm sure it's just because he couldn't see very well and felt a little bit threatened.

 

[Dr-Zoidberg]

Whether or not they have a personality I can't say, but they deffinately can think. If they think your a threat or food they may bite, if it's after a mate and can't traverse past the cage walls it'll be stressed and may bite.

There are to many factors that cause snakes to change behaviour, you may as well accept the fact that snakes bite, sometimes for no apparent reason. Cheers.

 

[Amynickid]

cheers rainbow serpent, anarchy has seriously never been so grumpy -.- he has a bigger water bowl also now

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks everyone yeah i know snakes are snakes. just like a dog nibbles and a cat scratches.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks everyone yeah i know snakes are snakes. just like a dog nibbles and a cat scratches.

 

[Riffherper]

All behavior described can be put down to the animal being in shed. I do not hold any of mine during shed if I can help it. Not only is this the time snakes feel most vulnerable and therefore more likely to be aggressive and bite but holding a snake that is in shed can adversely affect their ability to have a nice clean shed without issue. All a snake in shed wants to do is hide away and be left alone.

 

[bredli]

Do you have any pics of the bite area lol.

 

[critterguy]

Well worded Riffherper, that's pretty much the impression I'd got as well, I don't try to handle mine in the lead up to and just after a shed due to hearing they can be fairly tempermental and seeing the change in behaviour leading up to and just after a shed, same when close to and just after a feed but for a different reason.

 

[Riffherper]

What I got told - and it makes sense - is that the milky eyes of a shedding snake can be likened to us looking through scratched glasses. They may see movement and objects - but not very well. This impairment may cause them to feel overly vulnerable.

 

[Amynickid]

I understand that, my snake has never been aggressive during shed. Also his sheds are always clean (In one or two pieces max). My worry is why now. Why not 7 sheds go?

 

[Stuart]

Because its a snake and doesn't act according to perceived ideas from humans on how it should or shouldn't act even based on past history. Best you leave him be until he has completed shedding.

 

[Amynickid]

He shed last night it came off in one whole piece. Defrosting a rat for him now, he was hungry and shedding I'll give him a break. Held him today his colour is amazing, was a bit skittish still but he should be right after a feed. Ill hold him or at least look at him again on Wednesday afternoon give him at least 24 hours of peace for digestion to start. I generally leave him for a couple days. Seems already to have improved just because he has shed, already looking for food XD it's still defrosting! Thanks SniperCap. I really thought he was quite placid their for would stay that way. I hand raised him well as a hatchy.He only bites when I have done something wrong by accident, he usually lets me hold and feed him while he's shedding without complaint. I understand your'e saying it doesnt matter how placid a snake generally it is it can still have off days. But why is it he has never been that much of a grumpy bum in the history of his life...ever?

 

[Piscineidiot]

It's a scientifically proven fact that even fish have 'personalities', and I've no doubt snakes do, but it's a mistake to think they relate to things the same we humans do. All the 'personality' entails is a pattern to an animal's reaction to something. Of course, it does change sometimes.

My jungle, which I've had for a few years now, was puppy dog tame as a young one. You could literally toss it at a child, and it wouldn't bite (not that I ever did that). People who weren't snake savvy could handle it without threat and it never arced up and bit me - EVER. Two years and a new enclosure later, he became very cage defensive, and now, is genuinely cranky if you try to handle him. I think a big part of it is that he likes the new cage too much, and so would rather be left alone in there than come out. He used to actively leave his click-clack when I opened the lid, and all he does in this naturalistic enclosure is tense up, and wrap his tail around the one immovable branch.

Just remember, a snake doesn't bond with people, they don't socialise. They just tolerate you. I suspect the 'cranky' change happens with age as they just become less willing to tolerate being put out of their comfort zone. You're not doing anything wrong, it's just a snake being what it is, and sometimes, they're just cranky for no conceivable reason.

 

[Amynickid]

The only thing that has changed in his enclosure (its been big for a while) is he has more plants and a suspended log triangle thing with fake plants on it. Looks better than ever. He has a tall enclosure with mesh top. He has a water bowl at the front, his heat source at the far left (heat cord wrappend up neatly between tiles under his hide and some repti-bark. In the right corner he hs a decent sized standing hollow log he can enter through the top and hide in. with some vines and sticks round for climbing. then at the top of his enclosure he has a suspended log triangle perch. and plants throughout enclosure. it is very "realistic" to a jungle. He shed perfectly fine last night and ate today. He wasnt snappy at me today, just skittish. I hope he doesnt become bitey bcos i worked so hard on hand taming the beast he was such a rebel when he was a hatchy hence his name Anarchy. And he has since calmed down just the last few days hes been bitey and a week or two ago he refused to let me get him out of enclosure. hot spot is 33% nd cold area (top of enclosure) is around 23% im assuimng similar for cold spot near bottom. but hes either, in his hide, in the branches or behind/in the hollow log. (his cold spot im assuming xD)

 

[GBWhite]

You can never tame a snake. They don't possess the ability to recognise or display affection. To the snake you are just an animal that annoys it and it will always consider you as a possible threat. From memory I think you've been told this before. Jungle Python is just a name given to what is currently listed as a sub species of Morelia spilota sp. They don't actually come from a jungle environment.

Cheers,

George.

 

[Madmick149]

While I'm still new to keeping snakes and no expert iv seen a few posts over the last month about snakes behavior changing. from what iv seen and read it could also be the time of year where its mating time.
I could be way off here but it could be a reason for the change as well or at least be a contributing factor

 

[Shotta]

do you have any pics of the bite area lol.

bahaha..., on another note I wouldn't worry too much about it just leave him for a day or 2, some of my jungles get like that when they just shed

 

[benjaffa]

breathing may sound different because if she is half way through shed, she'd be getiing nostral plugs,