GTP defencive ball

[Owzi]

GTP defensive ball

So I have heard people speak of this with Rough-Scaled Pythons, but not GTPs.
This is the second time I've had this happen, first time was with a hatchy.

I don't really handle my GTPs unless required or for a reason.
On the weekend I took out my 3 year old Aussie Green female to get a few up to date photos. Once I finished I put her in a bag to weigh her. Putting her in the bag & weighing her took all of 2 or 3 minutes. Then when I removed her from the bag to put her in her enclosure she was coiled up in a tight ball (see pics). If I touched her she tightened her ball more.

I left her alone & came back in 10mins, still in the same position!
I managed to gently unravel a coil & place it over a branch, as soon as she felt the branch she climbed away.

Im interested to know if anyone else has seen similar behaviour?

 

[Renenet]

Pretty snake. Other than that, I can't comment.

 

[Owzi]

Thanks Renenet.
Heres a pic of her a bit earlier in the day & a bit happier!

So has anyone heard of this with viridis?

 

[GeckoJosh]

Not with GTPs but one of my Jungles has done this a few times

 

[dickyknee]

I have had hatchling antaresia do it all the time , once or twice with hatchling / yearlings greens too but have never had an adult do it ....

 

[r3ptilian]

I have seen it in Little Whip Snakes and Childrens Pythons as a defensive mechanism.

 

[JimWetherall]

I've seen this before in a yearling Aru locality viridis. She'd just made a long journey from Croatia to Germany and then to the UK so it was obviously stress related. Took about 2 hours before she poked her head out and went to the branch, best to leave them alone when they "ball up" like that.

 

[geckoman1985]

my berdli seems to coil up like that when sleeping i handle mine all the i dond think it was scard it was just trying to get to sleep rember that all australian pythons are nocternal and a pillow case seem the best place to go for a snooze

 

[Waterrat]

They do it. This is a wild one.

 

[kawasakirider]

Heres a pic of her a bit earlier in the day & a bit happier!

Wow, I love how unblemished the green is.

 

[Flaviruthless]

One of mine does it

 

[smithson]

Wow is all I got to say