Something happened today. I was feeding Zarina a rat, and she struck as if she were blind, missing the rat and hitting her coconut substrate instead. Maybe it was my mistake because I was holding the rat quite low, but I had it right in front of her face and didn’t expect such poor aim. A fairly large piece of coconut got stuck in her mouth, attached to her upper teeth, which suggests that her teeth sank into the coconut chip. It took her several seconds to remove the piece from her upper teeth, but after that, she ate the rat properly. However, what if her tooth got damaged? She’s now acting a bit strangely— instead of hiding in her shelter after eating, she’s wandering around and constantly standing up against the glass.
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Hmmmmm. Possibly the jolt against her head may have disoriented her for a bit? But she did eat with no problem so this is a bit odd.
The missed strike is odd as well. Is it possible that she has stuck shed on her face or eyes?
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It seems like it might be in shed… but I always have trouble recognizing it. I can identify it more by the dry skin that wrinkles around the neck than by the eyes. Right now, she’s just lying buried in the substrate and still hasn’t hidden in its hide, even though it always does that after eating. Her eyes are a bit cloudy, or maybe it’s just my imagination.
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Well maybe she is beginning her shed cycle if her eyes are cloudy?
Don’t think the worst yet. All may be well in a few days…… 
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Honestly, I’m a bit worried because she’s still lying there on the ground in the cold part of the enclosure. I’m wondering why she hasn’t moved to a warmer spot and why she chose to stay where she is. I’m also concerned if this won’t affect her digestion. I was thinking about the shedding and came to the conclusion that it’s impossible for her to be shedding now since her last shed was at most a month ago.
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Well imho I would urge you to make a vet appointment asap. I don’t want to alarm you but animals hide illnesses very well, to the point of possibly putting them over the brink. The fact that you seem to be an extremely responsible owner and given the fact your girl is not behaving as normal under your supervision I believe you definitely should take action.
That being said, if nothing is wrong then you can quit stressing but if the vet finds something you will be thankful you made the appointment. If it were me I would not hesitate to err on the side of caution……
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I wouldn’t be too worried. Both my blood python and my boa have occasionally missed with their strikes, it’s just a thing that happens sometimes, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the snake. Take a moment to consider all the variables and calculations that a snake has to make instinctually when they strike at prey. Think about the speed, power, precision, and control that’s necessary for a successful strike. Every so often, one or more of those variables gets miscalculated and they miss their target. If anything, I think it’s remarkable that they don’t miss a whole lot more often.
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I haven’t posted in a while, but everything’s all good. As usual, I freaked out over nothing!
I had another little panic recently — right after her shed, Zarina had a tiny lump under her chin. I read somewhere that it can happen after shedding, and luckily it disappeared pretty quickly. Has anyone else seen something like that?
Anyway, today’s feeding day and for the first time I’m giving her a small rabbit — it weighs about 90g. I’m so excited for her to try something new!
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@z-a-r-i-n-a your girl will be around this size in 20 months give or take on time and size. This girl is getting clost to 7ft and is at least 20lb or at least she feels it. I would not feed a rabbit to anything smaller than this.
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