I recently had an incident with my ball python.
First of all, I take her out and handle and play with her regularly. She's always been friendly and curious, and was never the least bit aggressive. However, she is starting to shed. I know enough to not handle them when they're shedding, but she needed the water in her dish changed. So as I stuck my hand in to take it out, she struck and bit my hand. I couldn't have smelled like a mouse, and I wasn't evennear her, she just lunged at me. Of course, had I been thinking I would have stayed still. But of course I panicked and shook my arm rather violently to get her off. She hissed at me afterwards, but seemed to calm down shortly after and was active and roaming ahoy her tank.
However, the last two days she has been coiled up under her log and hasn't come out. She finally did today, but stayed coiled up. Normally when I come home she comes right up to the glass and watches me until I take her out, but she's just been hiding lately. I'm very worried I may have accidentally hurt her. Help?
Hello,
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First of all I think you said it best when you stated she was going into shed and you should leave her alone. I understand that you have created a bond with your snake, but it is important to know that your snake has not necessary created the same bond with you (sorry). Your snake is still a wild animal, regardless of where it is living. In the future, do not fill up the water bowl while your snake is going to shed. Rather keep it full all the times, and once you see your snake is going to shed, leave it alone.
Now, your snake is probably hurt, but will heal fine. Given that your snake was attached to you, when you shook it you likely hurt its jaw. Snakes jaws, though, are very elastic and you don't need to worry. A wild snake who gets in a scuffle with prey would endure the same issues. It would be best to leave you snake a lone for a week or even 2. Give it time to recover.
As long as you provide your snake with the proper enclosure, it should be fine. Keep it as stress free as possible, and the snake will heal fine.
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No need to worry!
It completely normal for a snake to hide and not come out when they are in shed. I have 9 snakes and one is in shed right now. He is usually out and about his cage from about 9pm to 3am but now that he is in shed he stays in one spot his hide box.
If she is shedding then it is completely normal to hide away and become inactive.
After she sheds she should be back to normal:)
Snakes are pretty touch - as long as you didnt literally throw her across the room then i'm sure she'll be fine
When snakes are shedding, they tend to hide for days. My rainbow boa was always active every night, until last week when he started to shed. After he shed though, he returned to normal.
When snakes are in shed they tend to see very poorly, and this is why they hide. You may not have smelled like a mouse but you may have smelled like something else, and since your python can't rely on eyesight she just acted on her sense of smell.
If she was active and roaming then you didn't hurt her. If she was injured she would stay hiding instead of roaming. Snakes in the wild fall out of trees all the time and they're pretty tough:)
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Give her a few days, when she sheds you'll see that she returns to her normal, active self.
