he's a weirdo

[zoe]

allo everyone
my little guy lately seems to be rubbing his head on his branches and even himself every now and then. not ALL the time but occasionally it happens and i'm wondering what the hell he's doing? he almost looks like he would if he was shedding but he's not.
any ideas?
do snakes get behavioural problems?

 

[ReptileRascals]

If he isn't due for a shed it could be mites...

 

[zoe]

oh my god u said the M-word!
what are the other signs again? white dots on ur hands? soaking a lot...

 

[Guest]

i reakon mabey mites to does he soak himslef could be itchy

 

[ReptileRascals]

Soaking alot white dots on the snake (actual mite turds lol) scratching along branches or rocks etc...

 

[zoe]

i've never seen him soak at all but the other day i saw him dip his head under and that was it. would he scratch more often that every 5 days or even longer?

 

[Magpie]

I thought this thread must have been about me

 

[africancichlidau]

Me too Magpie Thought it was about you that is
Hehehe, sorry mate, just couldn't leave that opportunity to go by

 

[NCHERPS]

Zoe,
Usually snake mites start out white and then drink blood and turn black as they get bigger, about the size of a pin head, they multiply at an amzing rate, so find out if your snake has got them and knock it on the head ASAP, also monitor your others just in case(if you have others).
Good luck.
Neil

 

[NoOne]

When did it last eat?
Sometimes after a meal(even a couple of days) they will wash their heads through water and then run it along branches etc to clean up. Snakes are like any other animal they get itchy spots that need rubbing. If it were mites you should see other signs.

 

[Greebo]

If it was mites I reckon you would already know as it sounds like you keep a close eye on the little fella.I reckon he is just having a bit of a scratch or he may even be coming up to a shed sooner than you think.

 

[zoe]

he last ate on the 13th of this month and he shed on the 11th. i've seen him do the washing face thing once when he got mouse guts all over him lol but i don't think it's that. and i really don't think it's mites cos i can't see any other signs of it - the newspaper under the rocks in the tank is spotless, not a black dot anywhere! and we only have the one little guy - don't they catch em from other snakes? or can they still get them if the tank isn't cleaned properly? i did see something in his water bowl yesterday when i cleaned it that could have passed for a piece of shed skin - maybe a little piece off his mouth didn't come off in the last shed?

 

[NCHERPS]

Zoe,
Sounds like you may have hit the nail on the head if it's not mites(Thanks God!), probably a peice of left over skin.
I always make sure that I check that at the very least the head area has shed off when I take out the old skin, can lead to real probs if the eye sheilds remain.
Hopefully , it is a simple as that and your little fella will be 100% again soon.
Neil

 

[zoe]

i always check the spectacles have come off but it's sometimes hard to tell the very first bit around the mouth cos it's all rolled up so i think that's where it might have come from
thanx everyone!