Hello all! It's been a while since I've logged in, but now I'm having an issue I'm hoping to get some advice for. A refresher - this is my first snake (not just corn snake, but first snake ever) and up until now it's been going quite well.
I've had Py almost 3 years. I'm not sure how old he is (I say he because that's what I was told, but I honestly don't know if he's male or female). He was given to me by a co-worker whose son didn't want to take care of him and she couldn't personally handle the snake. I intended to rehome him, but I kind of fell in love!
Now, my issue. He has started to cruise around the tank much more than before, even going as far as to climb up the glass and hang upside down off of the lid. When I go to pick him up he will occasionally strike and tries to flee, and has once nearly escaped. I have since bought a snake hook, which has helped immensely with my confidence in grabbing him, but he still tries to run and it can be difficult to grab him without hurting him. Once I have him in my hands he's fine.
I thought perhaps he was not getting enough to eat so I upped his feeding schedule and that seemed to calm him for about a week, but then he goes right back into climbing the tank walls. I'm scared he may get hurt by falling, or possibly even get out. I don't think he can escape as the tank lid is secured with lid locks and I can't even pull it off with my fingers. But my paranoia sometimes brings that possibility up.
I'm not going to take it personally if he ends up being a snake I can't handle often. I really enjoy watching him out and about and I think he's just the neatest creature ever. I just want to make sure he's properly taken care of and the glass climbing is a little unnerving, especially since he didn't use to do it.
He's in a 20 gallon tank, shredded aspen substrate. The tank is spot cleaned every day, all bedding changed once a week. Hot end is 80*, cool side is about 70*-75*. My apartment is very poorly insulated so sometimes it's hard to keep it consistent. Never drops below 70 though even in winter.
I was feeding him 1 small adult mouse every 7 days. This last time (5/2/17) I fed him 2 small adult mice and it seemed to keep him happier longer. No regurg, regular poop. He's not emaciated, not lethargic, bright and alert.
Thanks for any advice, even if it's just me being a paranoid snake mom! I can certainly take him to the vet, but I'm hoping it isn't an immediate need. The dog just had to have a skin tumor removed and that had a hefty price tag on it.
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