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Acting frantic in the tank! Please help!

restes

restes

New member
So my 2 year old corn male is usually the best natured little guy I have ever seen. Grew out of being jumpy, rarely startled, never tries to strike.

I came home today and looked in the tank and he was frantically trying to get out. He is generally curious but he seemed to be panicking. I moved a hand near the tank and he drew back from it faster than i have ever seen him move, colliding with items in the tank. This has been going on for at least 15 minutes now (i will keep you updated).

I fed him last night and all was fine.

Any ideas? Could he be in pain?
 
I don't know what to tell you, maybe Nanci or someone with lots of experience will come on. Is he still acting strange?
 
He is still acting overly anxious but not nearly as terrified as he was earlier. He is still uncomfortable and totally not himself.
 
Do you have any other animals? Maybe one of them startled him. That's really the only thing I can think of.
 
No other animals. The thermostat probe is buried half depth in the substrate. The temp is reading 83-87. He isn't sitting over the heat anyway. He crosses over it but is spending plenty of time off of it.
No other pets. 40 gal tank
 
Regardless of what the thermostat is set for, how are you measuring the temperatures? A high temperature would be the most common cause of behaviour you are describing and thermostats can fail
 
The heat is fine. It's a digital thermostat and there is plenty of cool space. He seems to have calmed down but this was no ordinary behavior. He hasn't moved so frightful since perhaps the day I pulled him out of the shipping container.
 
restes said:
The heat is fine. It's a digital thermostat and there is plenty of cool space. He seems to have calmed down but this was no ordinary behavior. He hasn't moved so frightful since perhaps the day I pulled him out of the shipping container.
Click to expand...
If the thermostat has failed, the figure on it will not be the temperature. Have you got a thermometer to verify the temperature?
 
The reading is showing temperature and feels like it should to the touch both inside and outside the tank.
 
I think the point being made is that if the thermostat is not working properly, then what you see on the readout might not be what the temperature actually is.

Touch isn't useful here, as the ideal maximum for a Corn will only feel lukewarm to us. Even if it gets above 90 (when it starts to be dangerous), that will still only feel slightly warm. You really need to know the actual temperature on the tank floor with a digital or infra-red thermometer.

Other than that, maybe something just spooked him.
 
You said you have the thermostat probe half way under the substrate. Depending on how deep your substrate is, those readings could be 2-10 degrees off the hottest part of the tank, the glass. The probe should be on the glass, so the hottest part the corn can get to isn't going to harm him. If the temp gets up to 87 (which you said it varies to), then the actual temperature could be well over 90 since the probe is misplaced.
 
Has this snake been in contact with ones of the opposite gender? A gravid corn snake that wants to lay eggs will become very frantic and search for a suitable place to lay eggs. Feel her belly for egg lump (if it is a she). If that's the case, provide a box of moist moss, that will give her some relief.
 
I have moved the probe around and placed in the substrate to assure my temperature readings were fine. He has calmed down now and was resting on the warm side as I left for work (he seems to spend equal time here and on the cool side).
It seems he is back to normal and I will try handling him later this evening.

He was never in contact with any other animals (at least for the year I've owned him). From what I have read so far it seems the best explanation is that something spooked him. The way he acted you would think whatever it was was stuck in the tank with him.

I was worried he could be experiencing some sort of pain (from bad digestion perhaps) that he knew nothing better than to try and run from. He seems okay now but I will report any strange findings.
 
He's 2 years old? He could be looking for a mate although its late in the year for that. Humm....can't think of anything else. Sure hope he calms down for you.
 
Ok, this is really wierd... My male just started doing the EXACT same thing. He looked like he was trying desperetaly to get out. He is usually the calmest, most docile snake ever. Any thoughts? It's really late, and to get the thermometer I'd need to go into the basement, and I'm not allowed about at night. The other snake shares the thermostat, and he's fine. I'm so cunfuzzled.
 
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