Snake acting out of character/ erratic

[Antonia]

Hi all,
I’m new to reptile keeping and have some concerns about my 2 1/2 yr old male children’s python. I got him 1 1/2 years ago but for the past 6 months he’s been acting quite erraric, getting up as soon as the sun sets and pushing at the roof all night. He moves his head around kind of frantically like he can’t chose where to go next and he has a weird look to his eyes— pupils almost always expanded and when he looks at me it’s like he’s not really there. Kind of like when snakes get into feeding mode but without the aggression (he’s actually even more cuddly for some reason?)

Anyways, I’m worried because he isn’t acting like himself. Usually he’s very chill and will happily sit by my side for hours but now it’s like he’s searching for something constantly and i don't know what. He's always been very outgoing and energetic but this is on a completely new level to the point he won’t even look at my family because he’s too busy inspecting his surroundings.

I took him to the vet for a checkup two months ago and they went through my setup, husbandry, checked his bloodwork, weight, etc but said he was all good and not to worry about his behaviour.

I could just be worrying myself over nothing but I can’t find any information about this side of snake behaviour and just the thought of something being wrong weighs quite heavily on me. If anyone has any idea what could cause him to act so out of character I’d greatly appreciate any recommendations.
also, my apologies for any poorly worded sentence, I’m only 16 and never had to write anything like this before.

Regards,
Antonia

 

[Delilah]

Hey Antonia, good on you for reaching out and your sentences aren’t poorly worded! Your spelling and grammar are way better than the majority of adults these days

About your snakey….it sounds like he is looking for a little lady friend. The cooler weather can send snakes (especially males) into breeding mode. It’s likely he wasn’t sexually mature last autumn/winter, so you wouldn’t have seen the behaviour. There are a lot of threads on here from people who have had similar concerns. I commented on one a few months ago. I’ll see if I can find it for you

Here are two but there are many more:

https://www.aussiepythons.com/threads/odd-behaviour-from-my-stimson.108104/
https://www.aussiepythons.com/threads/hyperactive-childrens-python.220659/

 

[dragonlover1]

Yep as Delilah says he is looking for a female. It is mating season and he is old enough now.
All my males are on the prowl.

 

[Antonia]

Hey Antonia, good on you for reaching out and your sentences aren’t poorly worded! Your spelling and grammar are way better than the majority of adults these days

About your snakey….it sounds like he is looking for a little lady friend. The cooler weather can sends snakes (especially males) into breeding mode. It’s likely he wasn’t sexually mature last autumn/winter, so you wouldn’t have seen the behaviour. There are a lot of threads on here from people who have had similar concerns. I commented on one a few months ago. I’ll see if I can find it for you

Here’s are two but there are many more:

https://www.aussiepythons.com/threads/odd-behaviour-from-my-stimson.108104/
https://www.aussiepythons.com/threads/hyperactive-childrens-python.220659/

Thank you so much for the reply and for your kind words, Delilah.

It had crossed my mind that he could just be getting to that age, though I wasn’t sure. I thought he’d only get like that around spring time, as most animals do— definitely not coming into winter— but the more you know, I guess.
I did look into snake mating behaviour a while ago just in case but couldn’t find any reports or threads that sounded similar to my little fellas behaviour. So thank you for linking those two!

 

[Delilah]

I also thought it was odd when I found out that reptiles breed in winter. Just another example of how different our cold blooded critters are from our warm blooded ones.

I’m happy to help You sound like you’re a great snake mum. Keep doing what you’re doing!