Male snake sleeping upside down?

[Em1986]

Hey guys, i just went and checked the snakes and got freaked out because the male spotted python was asleep upside down even his head was upside down.
I know that females can show this type of behaviour (or similar) when gravid but this is supposed to be a male so it has me a bit concerned.
I turned him up the right way and he seemed fine and isn't wheazing or anything and seems alert and active enough.
I was just wondering if anyone else's snake does this and if it may be a symptom of something serious?
Thanks in advance for any help given.
Em

 

[Nighthawk]

As long as he's not displaying any really odd behaviour like twitching, sluggishness, wheezing etc I shouldn't be too concerned. Some of ours have been in the most random positions sometimes. I freaked out once thinking my mother-in-law's olive was dead once when I found him asleep on his back, (we were looking after him and the rest of their animals while they were away for a while) but as soon as I opened the door he flipped right way up and it was a fight to get him back in, he just wanted to be out and about as per usual lol.
If you're really worried just keep an eye on him. If anything else odd crops up then I'd take him to a vet, but that's just me. Go by your own instincts, as you know your snake better than anyone else.

 

[Em1986]

Thanks, i am more worried because he is 1 of the 2 snakes we got my dad for Father's Day so it makes me stress a little more i guess.
When i opened his tub and lifted the paper he tongue flicked but didn't roll over so i turned him over.
I will keep a good eye on him overnight and hope it isn't serious.
There are no vets around here that deal with reptiles but the local vet may be able to help in some way if anything else happens.
Thanks for the quick reply too

 

[Nighthawk]

If you let us know your general area heaps of people on here would have some good recommendations for vets, they're hard to find and I've been to a general vet before for a snake of mine. Ended up paying the guy for him to look up random possibilities in a textbook, then he scoured myself and my husband for info.
Tongue flicking and having to be rolled over is a little too random for me, Gizmo went back over on his own immediately after I opened the door, so I'd definitely keep an eye out and make sure he's back to normal in the morning.
No worries on the reply, I'm being a bit of an insomniac at the moment

 

[Em1986]

I am in country NSW near Bathurst. The vet here either puts reptiles (rescued or injured) to sleep or calls a wires carer (who also happens to own reptiles as well) so if i have any other wierd stuff happen with him i will have to call the vet here first or try to contact the reptile owning wires people.

With the tongue flicking, it wasn't wierd or excessive tongue flicking but more like when they are checking something out or when they are out being handled and exploring.
So i think he was just checking me out when i lifted the paper.
I checked him about 30 mins ago and he was right side up still.

The other day (i think it was thursday) he was nice and active in his tub and cruising around so i think he may have been looking for his female or for food. They were in the same tub together (large tub) until a week ago because they weren't feeding and i think she may have been mated by him, it was also hard to try to feed them because as soon as i moved 1 into a different tub to feed neither was interested and were just trying to get out of the tubs.

I fed the female on thrsday and she ate but he still hasn't eaten yet, had them for just over a month and they hadn't been fed by the old owner (because he didn't have any food and had them for sale so didn't bother) for about 2 months.

I am usually up until about 6am so it's not unusual for me to be checking on the reptiles, feeding them or cleaning them at this type of hour :lol:
I'll continue checking him.

Thanks again, it has relieved me because these things are always a do i or don't i take them to the vet but my gut said to monitor him and ask in this forum if it was strange so it's good to know that that is what you suggested

 

[Squinty]

I have male womas that regularly lay in an inverted position. I don't think it's anything to be cconcerned about.

 

[kat2005dodi]

Both my olives do it on occasion!

 

[Nighthawk]

Stupid question, and I'm not questioning your knowledge here because it's happened to me before early on, but are you sure it's him and not her? One season we replaced the 'male' maccie in his tub in a hurry, only to find out it was the female, subsequently gravid, and displaying the same behaviour.

 

[slide]

Nighthawk I was thinking the same thing!
Also my male woma (who has proven himself as a male) can sometimes be seen inverted, but i've only seen him do this in the warmer months. I just laugh at him... silly boy!
Aaron

 

[Jay84]

My male stimmies lay inverted too! I thought it was a bit strange but they all seem fine lol

 

[slide]

When vets check them over they lay your snake on its back and look for it to right itself. If its not able to right itself i would stress out and quarrantine immediately. But im sure its fine

 

[Renenet]

When my stimmie was about four months old I saw her lying upside down a couple of times under her paper substrate. Like you I panicked, running through all the horrible diseases she might have, but she was fine. My theory is that the paper and everything on top of it made it hard for her to sit right side up, but, wanting to be under there nonetheless, she made the best of it.

 

[Em1986]

Ok guys, he seems quite fine today. He has moved from where i left him early this morning (as in he moved position in his tub).
They were sold to us as a pair and when we got them the female was either in the stages of follicular development or ovulation. The guy and his dad seemed worried about her because it was sudden swelling and they didn't know what it was from lol. When they were in together they happily snuggled up together and 1 day when i checked them it looked like they were mating or trying to.
The thought that he may be a female occured to me as well but the other mac is deffinately female by the signs she has shown (quite swollen when we picked them up considering they hadn't been fed) and there is no other males in the house that either have had contact with so i doubt it is gravid lol.

Being new to this and them being the first snakes on the licence as well as being my dad's had me a little worried especially not really knowing their background. I know where they originally came from and that the guy we got them off had no other snakes in his posession and that they were only fed monthly for their entire lives but other than that we don't know much more about them (as in if they bred in the past or if they have been confirmed to be an actual pair).
I know the female is probably at least 1.5m+ long and the male is probably about 1m-1.2m long but don't even know their locality or what type of macs they are.

This is the first time i have seen any snake do it but i am glad that others have snakes that do it as well Having had them for only a short time i haven't really gotten to know them much or seen their real personalities yet (which isn't a bad thing because i don't want to get too attatched to them lol).

Nighthawk, that would have been quite a shock lol. Sorry but i had to laugh
You have been fantastic help and reassurance and i am glad you were still awake

Thanks so much guys, i will still keep an eye on him though.

 

[pythonmum]

Glad he seems fine, Em. You mentioned that you tend to feed him early in the day - perhaps this is making feeding a bit more difficult. My Antaresia have only just started feeding again after their winter fast (even though kept warm). I feed at night when they get active, as pythons tend to hunt at night. You might have a bit better luck then. Fortnightly feeds should do the trick for adults and let them fast over winter for a while. How is the definite female doing? Is she holding her abdomen curled and does it feel hard (definite ovulation)? Has she shed lately? You may enjoy Simon Stone's articles on the SXR website about breeding ("Doc Rock" articles) and you will get a better idea of what to look for if she may be gravid. Don't worry too much, my male mac lies in funny positions occasionally, too.