Herp Nerd
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Vinson Massif, Antarctica
Posts: 1,115
Striking out like that (and the overall change in personality) is a generally a response to stress. It could be from any number of things, from parasites, improper temperatures, his cage being in a high traffic area, etc), and I don't know much about your setup except what you've posted in previous threads - but in one post you showed a pic of your ball pythons huddled together. Snakes are, for the most part, solitary animals, except during breeding and brumating, and the stress of being forced to live with another snake can be enough to cause such a defensive reaction. When they seem to huddle together, they're not "cuddling", they're both trying to share the same thermo regulation areas or the same hiding spot, and thus competing. Inevitably one is going to end up losing the competition and thus be stressed.
If you don't house them together, try going through the other things I mentioned. Double check your temperatures with a thermometer other than the one you usually use. Make sure there are no drafts, or vibrations like a tv or stereo near by, etc. Barring all that, having a vet do a fecal exam to check for parasites might be worth doing - especially if you've recently brought a new animal into the house. Might even want to try dampening a white paper towel and wiping him down to check for mites. They're pretty small little bugs and will be easier to see on the paper towel than on a dark colored snake. They can be sneaky little guys and appear out of nowhere and generally stress the heck out of a snake.
She sits in her corner, singing herself to sleep.
Wrapped in all of the promises, that no one seems to keep.