Ball Python occasionally "yawns", anyone else notice this happen?

[ReptileLove18]

My 8 month old ball python will occasionally open her jaws really wide and then immediately close them and go about her business. Sometimes it happens after she's eaten(which my research has said could be her realigning her jaws), but it also happens at other times as well. Just curious what other reptile owners make of this! i've never seen my rosy boa do that so i find it slightly strange!

https://www.chameleonforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=69956&stc=1&d=1356571593

 

[ChameleonRave]

URI? Why is it on rocks for an aquarium?

 

[ReptileLove18]

URI? Why is it on rocks for an aquarium?

looked into that, doesn't appear to be a URI. she's very healthy! some other ball owners i've spoken to about it say that they will do that sometimes, for unknown reasons. they told me that if she does it multiple times in a row that it could be a URI but since she only does it occasionaly, mainly around her feeding, that its perfectly normal. she has rocks on part of her tank floor, repti-bark on the rest of it to provide multiple surfaces for her to enjoy. my rosy boa really likes the combination of sand and rocks so i thought i'd see if the ball liked it and she has.

 

[little leaf]

our ball python would also do this, if he thought he was going to get fed, and after, to put his jaws back in place

 

[ReptileLove18]

ahhh okay. i've noticed she'll do it mainly the couple days before her weekly feeding and the couple days after so this makes sense

 

[tony19]

My bp does this somtimes. If shes healthy then theres nothing to worry about its jus her re alining her jaw. As for the substrate as long as she cant eat it and get in packed then its fine.......by the way your bp has nice clean sattles vary nice lookig snake

 

[ReptileLove18]

My bp does this somtimes. If shes healthy then theres nothing to worry about its jus her re alining her jaw. As for the substrate as long as she cant eat it and get in packed then its fine.......by the way your bp has nice clean sattles vary nice lookig snake

i've made sure she can't eat the substrate and she loves laying on it during the warmer part of the day thank you very much!! she is amazing! very curious and appears to be happy. this is the first time anyone with any bp experience has seen pictures of her so its great to hear that she's good looking

 

[tony19]

Lol this is the first time ive seen anyone on with a bp...... had mine for a year just back on the 23 of dec.......but my friend breeds bps and boas thats why i know so much lol and its my second fav reptile........ mine looks quit simaller to your actually....... i would also make sure the rocks dont get to hot and if you have a lamp that its not on them snakes are dumb as cool and smart as they look.....well not dumb they just cant comprehend when there burning them sealves so they will just lay there and burn..........what kind of bp do you have loks like a normal.....must i day again though vary clean and nice loking your lucky to have him/her.........does he/she eat wel

 

[ReptileLove18]

i've had mine for a couple months, she's a total love this is the first time ive talked to other bp owners!! i love her lots and my rosy boa too they are soo different personality wise, its a trip.. thats cool that your friend breeds them, that must be really interesting to get to see some of the process of breeding and incubating the babies and such!
the rocks are warm but never get close to hot, i have them on the cool side of the tank and reptibark on the hot side that has her heating pad and lamp.
she's a normal ball python, haven't actually got her sexed but because of the research i've done i believe it's a female. thanks again! she's a bundle of joy for sure. it's cool to talk to other reptile lovers about them she eats really well, even the first time i fed her, the day after i brought her home she ate really good. she really doesn't have any problem with anything! she's happy and very social! the only thing she doesn't like is when my cat gets too close when i'm holding her. i think she knows that eventually she'll be big enough to eat him... hahaha

 

[tony19]

Oh ya its really cool actullay ment him when i bought my bp off him.... been friends since unfortenalty i didnt buy my dumarell boa off him he does brees them..... ive noiced that my boa is much different ten my bp to..my bp loves being held and out in her free range tree when she comes out.....but my boa hates coming out and hate when im in his tank but loves being out kinda just runs off and hides if i let him......but hes a 4 footerr so not hard to find...... my bp is mabe 1 1/2 2....so keep my eye on her.......shes a normal to........thininking im getting another bp soon

 

[ReptileLove18]

that's interesting! both my bp and my boa like to be held, i don't let them run around the house unattended tho because i have a cat and the new baby chameleon and the last thing i wanna see is one of the snakes trying to battle my cat because i think my cat would win.. my rosy boa Amber is 2 1/2 feet long and 8 years old. and my bp Onyx is 11 inches long and 8 months old approximately. my rosy boa is more docile most the time, doesn't mind being held by anyone who isn't afraid of her. whereas my bp is super outgoing and wants to be out and about all the time, she doesnt like to be held by many other people tho, just the family. my bp hasn't bit me yet, but my rosy boa has three times in the last 8 years that i've had her, which isn't bad at all. sometimes she just gets moody i think its when she's in the breeding period. i would really like to breed her at some point, once i've got more room.

 

[tony19]

Also dont know if you know this but if you have light comimg in the room from a window and can keep the tank between 85-90..... you dont need a light on the tank ......its not a big deal thogh just saves a few $$$$......i did this after i blew i think 4 bolbs and just got sick of replacing them for no reason......hahaha i dont have any cats lol my snakes just get to big and would do exacly that of got the chance and i just dont want to have the worry of the cat getting the snakes or cham...or the snakes getting the cat..... thegirlfriend has 2 dogs, a sun conure and a cham anyway so it woldnt fit the life style.:eek:

 

[ReptileLove18]

yes ive heard that before. during the winter months i use the lamp to keep the temp up, summertime i dont use it very much yeah definally know what you mean, i think my bp would gladly eat the cat in a year or so when shes big enough, that's what i think when she stares him down and then he leaves her alone lol. my boyfriends pit bull mix loves staring into the cages at the snakes, doesnt seem like he wants to attack them he just wants to check em out its pretty funny. we're definally a many animal family lol.
what kind of chameleons do you and your girlfriend have? mines a veiled

 

[ReptileLove18]

last night i had taken my baby veiled in because he was closing one eye alot and the woman who looks him over said he was in great shape and it was probably a piece of unshed skin stuck to his eyelid and that he was in great shape. well today i put up his perch and he watched me do it but didnt go to it, he hasnt moved very much today other then to snap up some crickets and drink a little water.. so i put him on the perch and he opened his mouth several times, not hissing but puffing up and i say alot of clear, sicky, bubbly mucus in his mouth call the emporium i got him from and am gonna take him in to be checked out by the local reptile rescue vet.... i'm super worried and rather irrated that when i took him in last night they said he was perfectly healthy. now today his mouth is full of mucus and he's lethargic... im worried i might lose my lil guy

 

[tony19]

Ya in the summer i had my boa out and my naborugh told me to keep him inside ...i told her to keep her cat out of my yard or it might be food.... it went missing not to long ago and she caled animal control on me and said that one of my snakes must of done it...but they found nothing.....i hate er cat but i wouldnt do that to any animal....just funny but we dont exactly live in the cityi think it was a cyotestill funny she still thinks its me.....

I have a veild to. Was getting my girlfriend one for christmasbut itgot put off so now im setting it up for her b-day in may she has no cue but i might get her a panther

 

[tony19]

but Im vary sorry to here.... when i thought my bp had cought mites from friends snake he got from a reptile show i freaked....she didnt nether did the boa.......so i could never imagine going through that.... trying to find a problem that the vet cant find i always hate to hear these things

 

[ReptileLove18]

thats a funny story about the neighbors cat.. im sure shell be super excited when she gets the new veiled!!
yeah im really worried about him... after reading all the stories about baby chameleons dying it makes me worry even more. even tho i just got him he means alot to me and i can't imagine losing him. i care about him as much as i do my snakes and they are a huge part of my life and family.. so hopefully i'm just being an overly paranoid cham mommy and he'll be okay. if he does have an infection or pnemonia then i'm gonna do everything i can to keep him going. i know how fast it can go from him being sick to being gone so i'd rather be safe then sorry thats why i took him to get checked out when i saw his mouth was really mucusy. theyre holding him overnight at least to see how he's doing and assess the situation. they might have him for a couple days depending on what they determine. i just keep hoping i call tomorrow and that he's fine.. i don't want to bring him home tho and then lose him because they didn't see the signs fast enough its a sad place to be right now.. can't wait to hear any news tomorrow, keeping praying it'll be good news and not bad. they said that they have saliva in their mouths which i knew so hopefully thats all it is and that it isnt an infection. with your experience, do you generally see a good amount of liquid in your chams mouths? i'm just trying to get some kind of reasuring info, really dont want to lose little pablo..

 

[tony19]

Ya that was just a little something to cheer you up....um I don't really see what you discribed in my chams mouth... I haven't had my Cham that long probably the same amount of time as you maybe a little longer then you....when I look I see some syliva but not a tone.....you can always try asking some of the more experienced members they might be able to tell you what it is and if its a huge issue....it's always good to be an over baring Cham mom then an under baring Cham mom

 

[ReptileLove18]

it worked lol, that was pretty funny. has her cat shown back up yet? i wouldnt ever feed a cat to my snakes either, thats just asking for trouble, they could tear up the snake bad before the snake killed em.
i had him checked out and he's healthy. they didnt see any bubbly mucus in his mouth so they figured it was nothing. i'm picking him up in a few!! cant wait to get him home
that's what the vet said too, better to be safe then sorry i'm soooo glad he's okay. i'm really excited to see what colors he can change into as he matures, i've seen some gorgeous adult veileds here on the forum

 

[tony19]

I'm glad.I still laugh when I think about it.....no but I'm glad it hasn't it used to come in my yard and miss off my girlfriends dogs and would leave dead birds and mice in my yard.....I'm glad things worked out for the best I've seen alot of sad things on this forum......ya I've also seen a lot of really nice veilds on this forum