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Behavior General topics or questions concerning the way your cornsnake may be acting.

Snake in heat?
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Old 12-10-2009, 10:40 PM   #1
Frick Daddy
Snake in heat?

Hello
I have a Okeetee Corn that is just over a year old now. Recently, it has become a lot more active and climbs around the viv at all hours of the day. My question is do snakes go into heat once they mature? Could he/she be seeking a mate? Prior to this it hasn't been active that often so I wasn't sure if I should be worried or not.
 
Old 12-10-2009, 11:20 PM   #2
Suzy
As far as I know, they don't go in to heat like mammals do. I know that males do go into feeding strikes in breeding season (early spring, typically) but that is just over the duration of the breeding season.
As for the snake cruising, the first thing I thought of was that it's hungry and/or the prey you're feeding it isn't big enough. The only other thing I can think of is that the temps are off (too hot or too cold - more likely the former) and it's trying to find a comfortable temperature.

Something that could help is if you could tell us the temps on the hot and cold side, the size of the viv, how many hides you have, the weight of the snake, and the size of the food you're offering it. If you check out The Munson Plan, that is really useful as a guide of what size mice are appropriate for your snake.
 
Old 12-10-2009, 11:21 PM   #3
Shiari
Well... I was just about to type pretty much exactly was Suzy wrote. So ... uhm.... yeah. That.
 
Old 12-11-2009, 12:00 AM   #4
rolandslf
Just a quick observation, at just over a year in age , that snake is nowhere near being mature. I think your temperature gradient is non existent. The snake is looking for a cool spot and only finding heat, hence the constant roaming.

Ciao
 
Old 12-11-2009, 04:23 AM   #5
bitsy
I agree that at one year old it's a way off switching into breeding mode, plus it's the wrong season. Not to say it isn't throwing you a curve-ball of course - they love to do that!

I'd be more inclined to run a quick check on your setup - temps OK, plenty of hides at warm & cool ends, clean substrate, clean water available 24x7, not in direct sunlight, that sort of thing. If all that's OK, then have a check round the room to see if anything's changed that the snake might have noticed - other new pets, air freshener, cologne etc.

If it all looks OK, then you might just be seeing your snake maturing and becoming more confident. Many of them like to keep their heads down and stay out of sight apart from dawn/dusk/overnight, but some of them do become more active.
 
Old 12-11-2009, 05:32 AM   #6
Tracee
Just to add to Suzy's post, males can/do get more active, as though they're "in heat" frantically searching for a mate in breeding season, as well as going on food strike. If you're certain yours is only a year old, as said, this isn't what's happening here.
 
Old 12-11-2009, 01:29 PM   #7
Frick Daddy
Below is a picture of his current setup. The tank is a 20 gallons the right side is the hot side. I don't have a thermometer here in my college apartment but the last time I measured it at home it was about 80 degrees.



I measured him and he was about 229 grams give or take a gram; I couldn't get him to keep still lol. At his last shed (2 weeks ago) he was 30 inches long. He has been a little finicky eating lately but will eat a f/t mouse about 2 inches long every 7-8 days.
 
Old 12-11-2009, 01:33 PM   #8
Frick Daddy
Edit: sorry here is the image.
 
Old 12-12-2009, 05:29 AM   #9
Tracee
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frick Daddy View Post
Below is a picture of his current setup. The tank is a 20 gallons the right side is the hot side. I don't have a thermometer here in my college apartment but the last time I measured it at home it was about 80 degrees.



I measured him and he was about 229 grams give or take a gram; I couldn't get him to keep still lol. At his last shed (2 weeks ago) he was 30 inches long. He has been a little finicky eating lately but will eat a f/t mouse about 2 inches long every 7-8 days.
Bingo! If you're not measuring the temperature then the behaviour is very likely to be a result of it being too hot in there - as others have suggested.

Ideally with a probe thermometer, measure the temperature at the hottest place, which is usually at the centre of the heat mat - if you're using one? - underneath the substrate (not on top of it, where it is cooler).

Ideally the warm side should be mid-high 80s, NO higher, and the cool side mid-high 70s.
 
Old 12-12-2009, 05:33 PM   #10
Asbit
As well I noticed that water dish is very small so if he is seeking a place to cool off he can not even go and lay in his water to cool off. I may be wrong but it does not even look like there is water in the dish. If a corn can not find a temp gradient(difference in temps) to be able to cool of when to hot, they will frequently be found cooling them selves in the water bowl. For a 30 inch 200+ gm snake I really do not think he could curl up in that dish.

You really need to do as the others have suggested and get a thermometer or even an infrared temp gun and check the temps right on the surface of the glass in the middle of the UTH(if using one) on the warm side, check the temps on the cool side and then as well get him a water bowl that is large enough and heavy enough he can crawl into it and cool off if need be.

Remember ideally temps should be: warm side 83-85 and cool side 70-75 As well just so that you know those round dial thermometers are really bad for being out by at least 10 degrees or more either way, and because they are on the wall of the viv the are only taking the temps of the air up above where your snake normally would be, so they really are not helping you any at all. I had bought 8 sets of them before I got my temp gun and figured out the terrible differences in how useless they are!
 

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