Jungle Python Behaviour Change

[Maddyb]

View media item 103Sal, our 10 month old Jungle Python, has just starting being more interactive and curious. He/she is in a glass enclosure is in our living room next to glass doors that get filtered sunlight. My daughter feeds him at the same time (evening) once a week and on the same branch each time and usually feeds him quails. 2 weeks ago he shed and since then he seems ever hungry! Every night he sits on the branch waiting with his head up! This morning (he was fed a quail last night and 2 nights before) he was on his heat rock until I came up to say good morning.. then he came straight up to the branch with his tough flickering and head up checking me out and now is just hanging on his brand waiting again.
1. Is he not being fed enough.. should we be feeding him rats or bigger food?
2. Is it normal for them to become more active (now its getting into spring/summer) or is he just getting bigger and thus more active?
3. Is this normal for them to be so responsive and curious?
4. Is his enclosure too exposed?

Thank you in advance to any help[/ATTACH]
View media item 105

 

[pinefamily]

Welcome to APS.
1. If it is still looking for food, then yes it is hungry. Without seeing the python, I would suggest weaner rats would be a good size. Quail can have a messy effect at the other end. A larger food size also means you can start to stretch out feeding times to 10 days as well.
2. It is normal for snakes to be more active as we come into the warmer months; it could also be a sign the snake is comfortable in its surroundings.
3. Yes, but don't be alarmed if it hides away at times too.
4. It's not too exposed if your snake is active, and eating well. However, if try and enclose some of the glass with polystyrene for example, you will get better results with heating. You can paint the polystyrene or even make it 3D. Have a look on the DIY section for ideas.

 

[Yellowtail]

Can't see how big he is from your photo Maddy and you don't say what size quail but assuming the temperatures have increased a little it is normal for them to become more active and they do need larger food items as they grow.
Just be careful not to overfeed as natural behaviour is to gorge when food is readily available, if you do it will shut down and stop feeding for a while until it sheds again.
Echo Pinefamilies advice about quail, they are best as a supplementary food with rodents the best regularly.

 

[Maddyb]

Can't see how big he is from your photo Maddy and you don't say what size quail but assuming the temperatures have increased a little it is normal for them to become more active and they do need larger food items as they grow.
Just be careful not to overfeed as natural behaviour is to gorge when food is readily available, if you do it will shut down and stop feeding for a while until it sheds again.
Echo Pinefamilies advice about quail, they are best as a supplementary food with rodents the best regularly.

I just added some images of Sal, and thank you so much for advice about the over feeding. My daughter was saying he is being greedy but I was concerned we are underfeeding him!

Welcome to APS.
1. If it is still looking for food, then yes it is hungry. Without seeing the python, I would suggest weaner rats would be a good size. Quail can have a messy effect at the other end. A larger food size also means you can start to stretch out feeding times to 10 days as well.
2. It is normal for snakes to be more active as we come into the warmer months; it could also be a sign the snake is comfortable in its surroundings.
3. Yes, but don't be alarmed if it hides away at times too.
4. It's not too exposed if your snake is active, and eating well. However, if try and enclose some of the glass with polystyrene for example, you will get better results with heating. You can paint the polystyrene or even make it 3D. Have a look on the DIY section for ideas.

Thank you so much for you reply, good to hear the enclosure is in a ok spot. I will def check out the DIY as I am very keen to create a natural jungle like space.

 

[Nero Egernia]

1. If it is still looking for food, then yes it is hungry. Without seeing the python, I would suggest weaner rats would be a good size. Quail can have a messy effect at the other end. A larger food size also means you can start to stretch out feeding times to 10 days as well.

Echo Pinefamilies advice about quail, they are best as a supplementary food with rodents the best regularly.

I find that quail makes little to no difference in a python's stools. The so called messiness tends to happen with chicks that still have a belly full of yolk or when there's been a recent food switch. My pythons are fed predominantly on quail and they're perfectly healthy, with normal stools. I don't see how rodents are considered to be the "best" food item as they're both nutritionally similar, with the exception that rodents tend to have a higher fat content. Both are a great food source, and neither is better than the other.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

The advice you have received thus far I agree with wholeheartedly.
However I just wanted to pass a point of view on something in your initial post.......heat rock.
In my opinion these are dangerous, they can get very very hot. Hot enough to cause burns to your animal and there have been faulty Chinese units turning up that have caused fires.
They are more of a lizard thing even if it is a high quality one and in my opinion they serve no good in any snake enclosure.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[pinefamily]

Well spotted, Pauls_Pythons. I missed the heat rock reference.
Oshkii, fair point about the quail. In my own experience, too many birds (quail or chicks) have led to looser stools. But I agree that both birds and rodents are equally good food sources. I was pointing more towards a larger food item to satisfy the MaddyB's python.

 

[Maddyb]

The advice you have received thus far I agree with wholeheartedly.
However I just wanted to pass a point of view on something in your initial post.......heat rock.
In my opinion these are dangerous, they can get very very hot. Hot enough to cause burns to your animal and there have been faulty Chinese units turning up that have caused fires.
They are more of a lizard thing even if it is a high quality one and in my opinion they serve no good in any snake enclosure.

Just my opinion of course.

Thank you for your advice on the heat rock. They are for Lizards! I have no idea! What is the best set up for pythons? Heat lamp? Sal loves his rock and is on there most mornings (until I get up) but we did have a rock that malfunctioned and it wouldn’t regulate and turn off. So I can see the issue.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Plenty of options for snakes....heat lamps, ceramic heat emitters, heat cord, heat mats, reptile radiators.
I use a combination of lamps, radiators & cords depending on the set up.

In the set up you posted I would just use a lamp.

 

[pinefamily]

Heat rocks are dangerous even for lizards. A terrible and dangerous idea.

 

[Bl69aze]

Heat rocks are dangerous even for lizards. A terrible and dangerous idea.

The advice you have received thus far I agree with wholeheartedly.
However I just wanted to pass a point of view on something in your initial post.......heat rock.
In my opinion these are dangerous, they can get very very hot. Hot enough to cause burns to your animal and there have been faulty Chinese units turning up that have caused fires.
They are more of a lizard thing even if it is a high quality one and in my opinion they serve no good in any snake enclosure.

Just my opinion of course.

Not disagreeing with you guys, but a reptile guy i know (he doesn’t use them) told me they are meant to be used with rheostat, not even a thermostat.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Dangerous piece of s#$% that has no place in any home.
Just my opinion of course.

 

[pythoninfinite]

Dangerous piece of s#$% that has no place in any home.
Just my opinion of course.

Same with heat mats imo...

Jamie

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Same with heat mats imo...

Agree Jamie.....hate the things