Florida's

[PINJOHN]

i got some young blue sided s sirtalis last year from a site member and as expected they have grown like weeds.
one thing that puzzles me about them is the way they do wild undulations about their tank on a regular basis; what i mean is scraping them selves about the floor, over tank furniture etc on their side, partially upside down in all kinds of ways. i have of course observed this with other snakes over the years and i put this down to various reasons itches digestion and such, but none in my experience have done it with such energy or on such a regular basis, it is only the two females which indulge in this, the male is a well behaved dignified guy
is this a peculiarity of the Florida's? or is there something i am missing? :confused:

[guidofatherof5]

I would immediately check for mites! Take a wet, white paper towel and let them crawl through it a number of times. Check the paper towel for anything black. If you find something watch it for movement. Any moment would indicate mites.
Rubbing isn't a normal thing for them to be doing in my experience.

[zooplan]

...
and give them a lukewarm bath with a single drop of neutral soap
...
if you find no mites,
give them an extra portion of vitamin B1 (Thiamin)!

[PINJOHN]

have done as suggested and no sign of mites but i will keep up the recommendation over the next few days just to be certain.

[guidofatherof5]

I concur with Dr. Udo's diagnosis.:D

[gregmonsta]

I would definately agree with upping vitamin supplementation if no mites are found. If this then doesn't correct the problem the possibility of a neurological problem from inbreeding depression could be the demon.

[ConcinusMan]

I know I'm depressed. Must be from inbreeding? :p

[gregmonsta]

:rolleyes: it is a strange term, isn't it? Lets lobby for a new term - inbreeding malfunction?