corn acting bad

Question
Hi

I have had my male corn snake for around three years now.  I also have two ball pythons.  Recently my corn has been acting a bit odd, he is usually as docile as can be ut over the last three weeks he has started with the tail rattling and jumping a mile when i go to get him out.  He  also appears to be up out of is hide all the time day or night and refusing his food for the last three weeks.  usually a great eater.

temps all appear fine and he himself has no visable signs of problems such as mites etc.  No recent change to his housing situation exept for the addition of another python in a near viv.

I know that he is probably of breeding age and may well be after a girlfriend which could explain his going of his food but would this also explain his aggression??

any other ideas (i am aare that one of my royals is a femail, could he be picking up her sent??)

cheers

james

Answer
Its currently corn snake breeding season and if your snake is older than 18 months he is of breeding age. Innapetance, aggression and an increased amount of activity can all be related to this. It is unlikely that its your female royal's scent as she is of a different species. Its possible that he is looking for a mate and see's you as a threat to his chances of getting a female. Mating season finishes around July so his behavior may continue until then although it will probably end a lot sooner.

In the meantime you can try to encourage him to eat by using smaller mice or trying him on baby rats. You could also try warming them up slightly before attempting to fed him. The best way to do this  is to get a small plastic tub and fill it about 2/3 full of boiling water. Place the mouse on the top of the tub until it gets warm then try and tong feed your snake. DON'T use a microwave, it cause the mouse explode and will make a nasty mess =).

I hope this helps,

Andy