Odd Red tail behavior

Question
I have two adult red tail boa's. A lot of the time during the day they are both looking straight up at the light, with almost a fourth of their body in a vertical position! The oddest thing is... they are both in seperate cages, and can't see eachother, but are almost always doing this at the same time. Can you help me out? Why are they doing this? and is it healthy?

Answer
is this a regular occurrence? or just a one of on this day. sometimes snakes do explore their cages and lift their bodies up in a vertical position for short amounts of time, and then return to roaming the cage, this is perfectly normal behavior. but if their heads are raised for long periods of time or permanently it could indicate a serious problem.

the behavior you are seeing may be called 'stargazing', in which the snake raises its head and neck into an almost vertical position as if looking at the stars.

it is a symptom that usually indicates one of several serious neurological or viral conditions. it is rare for a snake to show it, but for two snakes is even rarer.

my advice would be to phone a local reptile vet and clearly describe the behavior you are seeing. hopefully the vet will be able to analyse the behavior without you bringing them in and tell you what to do.

in the meantime, check your temperatures (they should be 82-84F in the middle with a hotspot of 95F), make sure your boas are well fed, at their adult size they should be on several large rats a week. also try lying the snake on it's back, if it quickly rights itself it doesn't necessarily mean your snake is healthy but if it doesn't right itself at all or rights itself very slowly it is a sure sign the snake is unwell and needs to be taken to a vet.

i hope this helps,

Andy