My 18 month old corn has suddenly started to get hyper and although hasn't bitten me yet acts as though he might.He has managed to escape his viv within a second of my opening it and hasn't stopped chacing round for the last two days, he is also well off his food and is not due for a shed. Can anyone please shed any light on what could be going on with him.
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hyper snake
- Thread starter fluffyang
- Start date
i have owned him for 16 months and know he was only a few months old when i got him. do u know if they generally get agressive when they are at this time of their life. i have looked at so many different web sites trying to find an answer but dont seem to come up with anything definate also asked in my local reptile shop but they had no definate answers either just that puberty could be the reason.he is active all day aswell as on a night i think that he probably is looking for a bit but would be nice to have it confirmed also i keep saying he but have never had him sexed so not to sure on that either.do u know how long this could go on for
Tracee
Grrrl
Hi
I do think 18 months is a touch young for him to be sexually mature, so I wouldn't go back to that particular guy in the reptile store.. Have his temperatures changed at all? I wonder if it's got too hot in there for him for some reason...?
You are in the right place to ask questions; although I am hardly one myself, there are many experts on this site who will be able to help you.
Right..
When you say he "acts as though" he might bite you, do you mean in his movements, or has he actually struck at you?
It's not impossible that breeding season could make him suddenly more aggressive (if he is old enough), although I think it's more common just for them to be VERY active and wanting to 'check everything out' - does this sound anything like his current behaviour?
I honestly think from what you have posted so far, that he may be older than you were lead to believe and it is nothing more than the time of year causing this strange behaviour. He is showing all the signs definitely - active during the daytime and not eating for example.
To answer your final question, it could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
My advice would be to try not to over-worry. Keep a close watch on his health and the conditions in his vivarium (expecially temperature). Offer food every 2-3 weeks and expect him to refuse it, but when he goes back to normal you can return to his usual feeding regime.
I hope you can figure this out soon
I do think 18 months is a touch young for him to be sexually mature, so I wouldn't go back to that particular guy in the reptile store.. Have his temperatures changed at all? I wonder if it's got too hot in there for him for some reason...?
You are in the right place to ask questions; although I am hardly one myself, there are many experts on this site who will be able to help you.
Right..
When you say he "acts as though" he might bite you, do you mean in his movements, or has he actually struck at you?
It's not impossible that breeding season could make him suddenly more aggressive (if he is old enough), although I think it's more common just for them to be VERY active and wanting to 'check everything out' - does this sound anything like his current behaviour?
I honestly think from what you have posted so far, that he may be older than you were lead to believe and it is nothing more than the time of year causing this strange behaviour. He is showing all the signs definitely - active during the daytime and not eating for example.
To answer your final question, it could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
My advice would be to try not to over-worry. Keep a close watch on his health and the conditions in his vivarium (expecially temperature). Offer food every 2-3 weeks and expect him to refuse it, but when he goes back to normal you can return to his usual feeding regime.
I hope you can figure this out soon
thanks for replying again. the temp in the tank is pretty much constantly at 70 this is the end with the heatpad.i have gone through the little bit of record that the shop gave me when i bought him. and it works out that from the date that the shop bought him up to the date that i bought him from them was 8 wks which is why i was saying 18 months but i dont actually know how old he was when the shop bought him. he was bout 12 inches then. i managed to change his bedding today he seems a little bit calmer but very jumpy and is still very active although i dont think as active as he has been. i fed him just 1 rat pup because he only ate 1 out of the 3 i gave him on tuesday and dont want him to get hungry.his behavior is still nowhere near normal but is calming.he has not struck at me but really seems to get his back up when im anywhere near him and just seems realy desperate to get out.
tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
First of all...cornsnake maturity is judged by sized, not age. It has been documented of females reaching maturity in less than 18 months, under ideal conditions.
Second...your temps at the heat pad should be around 85*F, not 70. 70 is a good temperature on the cool end at night.
So, with those things in mind...I would say that the temperatures might be what is putting him off of his food. Without a high enough temperature, he won't be able to digest properly. They instinctively know this and often will not feed if they cannot achieve optimal digestion temperatures.
As for the "odd" behavior...how big is he? How much does he weigh? It is possible that he is just now entering his maturity, and this *could* cause some moderate aggression(rearing up when you put your hand in the viv), just as it does in human males.
Of course, he may also be moderately aggressive out of stress due to improper temperatures, not enough thermo-regulation possibilities, and general discomfort from not eating and not being able to thermo-regulate.
Second...your temps at the heat pad should be around 85*F, not 70. 70 is a good temperature on the cool end at night.
So, with those things in mind...I would say that the temperatures might be what is putting him off of his food. Without a high enough temperature, he won't be able to digest properly. They instinctively know this and often will not feed if they cannot achieve optimal digestion temperatures.
As for the "odd" behavior...how big is he? How much does he weigh? It is possible that he is just now entering his maturity, and this *could* cause some moderate aggression(rearing up when you put your hand in the viv), just as it does in human males.
Of course, he may also be moderately aggressive out of stress due to improper temperatures, not enough thermo-regulation possibilities, and general discomfort from not eating and not being able to thermo-regulate.
snakemom1961
Spring is here!
I agree with Chris on the temps. Although my adult Tiaga appears to not realize she needs the warm temps to properly digest her food. Her warm side is at a constant 83 and in the 3 years I've had her the little turd hasn't used her warm hide to digest her dinners yet. Her cool side is at at 72 and will ALWAYS use that for her digest the dinner hide.(both hides are the same, shoe boxes. same size same color.) Just hope you have luck with you guy!