Weird behavior?

[suklaamumina]

My snake was acting pretty weird just now. It was curled up in a ball and kept going around for maybe 5 minutes. I took some video too:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHhhvj0mz8o

It stopped doing that after a while and now seems normal again. Does anyone know what that could have been?

[guidofatherof5]

What are you feeding?

[Eddie]

Mites?

[Albert Clark]

Firstly, what are the temps, cool side, warm side and basking area and humidity, and how are you heating the enclosure? How old is the garter? Was he wild caught or captive born and bred? If you know. Have you seen this behavior before? Has he sustained any previous injuries, specifically head injuries?

[d_virginiana]

That has kind of a neurological issue look to me... Without more info on what you're feeding/how you're caring for him it's hard to tell for sure what's going on or what's causing it.

[suklaamumina]

I'm feeding mostly vendace (muikku in Finnish) which should be a safe fish, and some calsium/vitamin supplement with it, a couple of times I've given him salmon. Temps are about 23°C in the cool side and there's a heating pad under a hide (under the glass ofc) and in the hide the temperature is about 34°C.

He's captive bred, born in 2009.

I haven't seen this behavior before. Can't at least see any mites on the snake or in the enclosure. No injuries as far as I know and I just checked that there seems to be no signs of injuries either that I could see.

I don't have a humidity meter atm, but he's never had trouble shedding - and he had just shed the same day - so it shouldn't be too dry. I don't think it would be too humid either, because in the air here is pretty dry especially in the winter.

[d_virginiana]

Sometimes salmon can be iffy... Preservatives and dyes can be added even to 'fresh' fish sold for humans. Not a problem for us but they can cause issues for garters. If he'll eat anything else, like pinkies or nightcrawlers, maybe try not feeding fish of any sort for awhile. I've even heard of people having issues when they feed safe fish bought frozen from a pet store.
Not saying never feed fish again, just maybe give him mice or something till you can pinpoint what was going on.

Keep a close eye on him for the next couple weeks. It's possible what you saw was just a one-time thing, but it could also be a sign of a serious issue, so it's important to monitor in case he does that again.

[guidofatherof5]

Eddie brings up a good point. I'd first rule out mites.