snake always ignoring food to try and escape?

[hollydaisylou]

Hey everyone, this is my first post as it’s my first snake.
I’ve got a children’s python, just over a year old who initially refused food for about 2 and a half months when I first got him. He started eating and has been eating fine, shedding fine, everything has been all good since about 2 weeks ago.
He has started acting really restless and super active all through-out the day, which is unusual as he’s only ever active at night. He races me to get to where the glass door opens to try and get out of his tank. I find him up the sides of the walls as if he’s trying to find a place to escape from. At first I thought he was hungry, but he refused to eat 2wks ago, then about 5 days ago, he refused again, so I left the rat in the tank overnight and when I saw he hadn’t eaten it, I just tried to give it to him again in the morning before throwing it away, and he ate it. Tonight he’s done the same thing, completely ignoring the food to try and race to the open door to get out.
I’ve tried putting him in a small tub but he still just pretends the rat isn’t even there. I’ll try leaving it overnight again but I’m not sure what’s going on. His humidity is fine, always around 60%, and I think his heat gradient is okay? It’s usually around 31°C on the hot end and 27/28°C on the other. However I’m not sure how to keep the cool side any colder, as it gets hot during the day. He’s got plenty of privacy and things to climb on so I’m really not sure what’s up with him.

TLDR: children’s python (1yr) is completely ignoring food and just racing me to the open door of his enclosure to try and escape. Pretty sure all of his conditions are right so not sure why he’s so active almost 24/7.

 

[GBWhite]

Hi,

By the sound of it your enclosure is too hot and that's probably why it's not interested in food and always trying to get out.

Snakes don"t need to be subject to high temperature 24/7. They need to be able to cycle their body temperature {thermoregulate} so they can warm up to their preferred body temperature and then slowly cool down before warming their body back up again and so on.

They will become uncomfortable inside an enclosure that is too hot and use up excess energy trying to find relief. Extended periods of too high a temperature can be fatal.

Pics of the enclosure would help but in the meantime you could try this and see how you go.

Adjust the top temp down to 30 deg C and the cool end to 21-22 deg C. I presume you're using a thermostat so if that is the case then adjust the on off temps on the thermostat accordingly (ie: off at 30 and back on at 21-22). In this weather you don't even need to have the heat on 24/7. Have the heat source/thermostat on a timer set to come on early in the morning (possibly around dawn) and go off a couple of hours later. Leave it off during the day and set the timer to come back on around dusk and off a couple of hours later and stay off for the rest of the night. During periods of really hot days have it on only long enough at dusk for the snake to warm up to a comfortable temp (maybe just and hour to an hour and a half).

Also make sure you have a good size water bowl for it to soak and the enclosure is adequately ventilated.

Cheers,

George.

 

[punkinhead]

How often are you feeding the snake?

 

[Bluetongue1]

If your snake room does not have any temperature control, even with the cage heating off, on particularly hot days, the cool-end temperature may still get too high. If this is the case you can place a frozen plastic bottle of water or a frozen cooler brick wrapped in light cloth, against the outside wall of the cool-end. If, for some reason, it must be put inside the enclosure, then it should be wrapped in cloth or thin toweling first, and then placed inside a tied-off pillow slip. This is to ensure the snake cannot come into too close contact with the frozen surface.