My coastal carpet python is trying to escape and not eating

[bckspc]

Hi all, I've had my first and only (so far) snake. He's a coastal carpet python. He's 2 years old and about 1.5 meters (5 feet). He never gave any kind of problems: he eats well, he's never snappy. He's a little shy but friendly. In the last weeks he started to ignore food. I gave the same rats I usually give him but the simply ignores the rat or starts to eat him very slowly (not attacking and grabbing the rat but simply slowly opening the mouth and grabbing it). He shedded two weeks from now and I gave him food afterwards and everything went well. This week it was time to give him food again, I've removed him from the enclousure to clean it during the day as I always do and left him in my bed exploring. Afterwards he went to the his hide and stayed there. At night when he was awake I gave him the food and he actively refused the rat and the only thing he wanted was to get out. I left him out and tried to feed him outside but he seem the be afraid of the dead rat... I eventually quit. He spent that night bang on the glass trying to escape. I've read it's normal for them but I have him for 2 years now and he never, ever did anything like this. I tried to feed him the next day but the same behavior. I even tried to dip it in chicken soup and to leave the rat on the enclousure but it was there the next day. He still keeps trying to escape every night. I've checked the temps of the enclousure and they are the same as before: Ambient Temp of 23º C (73º F), Cold: 27º C (80º F), Hot: 33º C (91º F). I've used a temp gun to measure the temperatures. I don't know what to do. The feeding part I know that I can wait a little longer because he's last feed was 2 weeks ago but the escape part got me worried since he never did that before.Any comments?One more thing... I think he's enclousure is not big enought for him anymore, I don't have the measures here with me but what's the correct measures for a snake his size and age?Thank you all

 

[TrueBlue]

Its mating season for coastals.
He wants some poo-tang.

 

[RedFox]

By the Fahrenheit conversions I'm guessing you are in the northern hemisphere, where it is mid autumn. When you are measuring the temps is that during the day? Any chance the ambient room temp could drop overnight causing him to go into brumation. At 2yrs old this would possibly be his first breeding season in the wild. He could be looking for a mate.

 

[bckspc]

You're right, I'm from Portugal and it's mid autumn here. This last time I measured the temp during the day but the temp in my room doesn't change much but other measures I made some other times but I'll be sure to check this out. By it's radical behavior I'm believe you're both right and it's is first mating season... But if so, is there anything I can do (besides get him laid) to calm him a bit? And about him not eating, is that normal too?

He is quite active during the night banging on the glass so do you still think it might be brumation?

By the Fahrenheit conversions I'm guessing you are in the northern hemisphere, where it is mid autumn. When you are measuring the temps is that during the day? Any chance the ambient room temp could drop overnight causing him to go into brumation. At 2yrs old this would possibly be his first breeding season in the wild. He could be looking for a mate.

 

[RedFox]

Leave him how he is. It is much more natural for them to brumate until spring and he will probably live longer and benefit from the break. I put my one into brumation the last few winters even though I don't plan on breeding him any time soon.

When they are in brumation I wouldn't handle him as much as they are more open to getting viruses, etc.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

It's quite normal for male Carpets to lose appetite and start pacing their cages when the cooler weather arrives. Don't offer food until spring (Feb-March) and reduce the temperatures in the enclosure and leave him alone for the next few months. The lack of appetite is biologically programmed and there is nothing you can, or need to, do about it. He will be fine.

Jamie

 

[bckspc]

Hum... ok... but should I reduce the cage temp?

 

[RedFox]

Just reduce the amount of hrs you have the heating on. The drop in night time temps should keep them in brumation. I tend to during summer have my heat on for 12hrs and off for 12hrs. During winter I drop the amount of time to only 8hrs on.

 

[bckspc]

The heating on my enclousure is just a flexwatt cable zig zag on the floor of half the enclousure (on the outside)... should I buy a timer to turn it on and off? Doesn't the temp go down much in the period I have the flexiwatt disconnected?

Note: Yesterday I arrived and the snake is quiet, on top of one of his hiding places and being very still all the time so I believe that he went in brumation like you told me. Besides the temp is there anything more I have to look after?

Thank you all

Just reduce the amount of hrs you have the heating on. The drop in night time temps should keep them in brumation. I tend to during summer have my heat on for 12hrs and off for 12hrs. During winter I drop the amount of time to only 8hrs on.

 

[andynic07]

Just be careful that your night time temperatures don't get too cold, RedFox lives in Cairns in northern Queensland where they don't get very cold even in the middle of winter. I try to make sure my overnight temperatures don't get below 12 degrees but others keep them a little warmer maybe 15 degrees. If they get too cold they can get sick RI.

 

[bckspc]

The ambient temperature of the enclousure is 23ºC at night and during the day. The cold side is at 26ºC and the warm side is at 33ºC.

- - - Updated - - -

Okay... last update...

I really don't know how figure this.
So, on the weekend, like I said he was agitated and trying to escape.
On monday and tuesday he spent the day and night outside his hides on the cold side on top of the hide. He barely moved at all, just small movements from time to time. I opened the cage both days to touch him just to check if he moved at all and it did, barely.
Yesterday (wednesday), when I got home he was on a different place and went I opened the cage he immediately tried to get out and spent all night at it like he did on sunday...

Some say he will be slower because of the season change, others say he will be agitated because is mating season and I got "solutions" for both problems but he is doing both... some days is slow as a snail, barely moving and staying outside his hide and others he is trying to escape like a maniac.

I don't know if I have to reduce the temp, to don't feed him for a while, to try to feed him at the scheduled time...

I'm sorry asking all this questions but he never been like this and I'm just worried that something is not right.

 

[andynic07]

You really don't have any problems in my opinion and therefore don't need a solution. Just leave your snake be for a while and don't feed it. If you notice it is losing weight then you either try to feed it or turn the temperature down a little. If the temperature is too low for it to eat your snake will usually reject the food.

 

[bckspc]

Ok...

Thank you all for your help