Is it stargazing?

Is it normal? I got this girl from Juggernaut and did this today. None of my other pythons has ever done anything like it.
She controls her body and has been eating well.
Any comments would be appreciated.

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Welcome to the forum! Someone posted a ball python with the same problem not too long ago.

Imho, this is a sign of a respiratory issue and if I were you I would make an appointment with a reptile vet to have this checked out. Even though she eats, this position is not normal……

Btw how long have you had her? I don’t mean to alarm you and everything may be ok with her but I try to err on the side of caution.

Others may disagree here which is fine but this is my opinion……:snake:

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On the brighter side if you take her to the vet and it’s nothing, you will have established a rapport and will be on file with your reptile vet. That can be vital in urgent emergencies. So a vet check can only help. Fingers crossed for you.

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There is a lot to unpack here. This could be nothing. Poor airflow, fixating on an object, stress from shipping, etc.

But first. Reach out to Elijah immediately! As someone who owns several businesses I would expect to be the first person a customer contacts when they have an issue.

Elijah has much more experience with blood pythons than anyone on the forum as well as being the type of person who will make it right should this be an issue. Juggernaut has a stellar reputation and I’m sure will make it right should you have an issue. He’s going to have a much better idea what’s happening than us speculating. I keep them and so do some others here but Elijah is one of the top breeders of that species.

From a practical standpoint. I’ve never heard of stargazing being a common symptom in anything but boas (IBD) and cornsnakes (Stargazer gene). There are several factors that could affect the animal neurologically and cause odd behavior, but boid species often do what’s happening here just usually they do it in a corner or against a wall.

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Definitely second @ballornothing. It could be nothing…or it could be something. All I can really tell you is that I’ve never seen my blood python do this. That said, I have seen her hold her head and neck in some weird-looking positions for a moment or two here and there when she sees or smells something that interests or worries her. This could be that…or it could be a sign of a problem. Was she in this position for a long time, or does she do this often? Or was she just like this for a moment? If she’s often in this position and/or holds it for a while, I would find that more potentially concerning than if she just did it for a moment. Since you got her from a very reputable breeder, I think contacting the breeder would be the best first step. As someone with lots of experience with STPs, he’s going to be in the best position to tell you if this is something to be concerned about or not. I’m definitely not an STP expert, I’m just an idiot with a blood python. :joy:

She’s a beautiful Sumatran, I do hope that she’s just being derpy and that there’s no cause for concern.

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@shorttailpythonsmx you have gotten some advice that is a lot better than mine! So whatever you do I wish you the very best in whatever you decide going forward. I know this is not a great way to start a new forum but the people here want only the very best for you as well as your animal!

Btw your girl is a beauty! I have a Borneo with a beautiful blood coming in January! Best wishes for girl’s prognosis!

Please update when you have some answers! :pray:

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Welcome to the community, @shorttailpythonsmx . Hopefully your new snake is okay. Like the others, I encourage you to reach out to Elijah right away. I know that he’s willing and able to help, and I’m sure he’d want to know about any concerns with an animal from him. Do let us know how things go.

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Thank for your kind answers. I asked Elijah and He told me that the Python should be just curious and some of his bloods show this periscoping behavior.
It only happened once and for a few seconds.
I took this little fellow to the vet and told me that the python seemed to be ok.

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Excellent news! Merry Christmas and we all look forward to seeing that beautiful baby grow in future pictures! :pray:

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Oh what a relief to know! You have a curious baby there!

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The little Python is doing great! It seems it was just periscoping. Thanks for everything

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She’s beautiful! Those are great pictures. Glad to hear all is well with her. My blood is very curious and definitely contorts herself into some odd-looking poses when she’s inspecting things.

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Thanks for sharing. They’re quite curious indeed :blush:

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Absolutely stunning! Thank you for the picture! You are so blessed to have such a beautiful animal such as that one!

I know you will enjoy your sweet girl! :heart::pray:

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Thanks. I really love this one.

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Glad she’s doing well. Wonderful pics!! :heart:

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Thanks. She’s doing great!

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