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  1. #1
    Registered User owl307's Avatar
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    Rescued Ball python

    At petco today and I noticed an extremely emanciated ball python. Layers of stuck shed, visible spine, sunk in eyes and eye caps, crickets in the cage ect. I bought her ( got a discount ) but now I need advice. I'm soaking her to get the stuck shed off, I dont know how to get stuck eye caps off. I can feel each and every rib as well as her spine down her back. She was estimated at 10 months old and weighs 78 grams. She also looks like she might be burnt all down her belly ( very bright pink/red) I need all the advice I can get on this..

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    BPnet Veteran alan12013's Avatar
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    Re: Rescued Ball python

    The zoo-med product repti shedding aid will help with the shedding and even the eye cap, they sell it at petco. You can do a search on this forum to find the other answers you're looking for as it's been covered a lot. First and foremost I would just research and conclude which remedies to apply. Do you have the enclosure properly set up for him? The pet store most likely fed him frozen thawed if they ever got him to eat. I would start by offering him a frozen thawed small rat on day 2 or 3 depending on how bad he really is. He will need a good hide, proper heating and humidity and to be treated and then time to relax. Remember that these guys do not like human contact and even though they can get comfortable it doesn't mean they aren't stressed. Take the armpit bite situation going on, the snake was clearly not relaxed. Therefore I would keep the handling down to a minimum and personally I am not a fan of bathing without applying some sort of oil or lotion in case you have dry water.

    I haven't seen any super bad pet store situations until today. The PECTO I always go to had a couple really nice corn snakes bad off. One was upside down and dead the other was near dead with a cricket eating its face. I might go back and ask to save the live one if I can get it at a discount. It's really sad this happens.

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  5. #3
    Registered User owl307's Avatar
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    Re: Rescued Ball python

    Well I got the eye caps off and about 7 layers of stuck shed. He/she literally lost weight after I got all the shed off. I don't have pictures currently because I'm letting it rest. I have her/ him set up in a 10g aquarium with a heat pad underneath on half of a side. It's on paper towls with a water bowel on the warm side to raise humidity and 2 hides, one on either side if the aquarium.

  6. #4
    BPnet Veteran alan12013's Avatar
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    Is it a screen top? Covering half of it will work good. Also I have to recommend something that might sound strange, I know it was to me when I first got into ball pythons. You can go to target, walmart, home depot, etc. and get a 41qt or 28qt sterilite tub for about 8 dollars. Drill some holes in the top or use a wood burner kit for air holes. The snake will thrive better in that tub then a 10 gallon aquarium. It doesnt look that bad either. I can still see my snakes if I look in the tub up close. Have you owned ball pythons before? I just noticed you've been on the forum for a while so I might just be telling you stuff you already know.

  7. #5
    Registered User owl307's Avatar
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    Re: Rescued Ball python

    I had two ball pythons I watched for a friend for a little while, never really did anything other than what he told me to do. Now that I have my own though I find myself a little lost. I've only ever had colubrids

  8. #6
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    If you think her belly is burned you can buy silvadene online at http://www.mountainside-medical.com/

    Also, while I know the rule is "let the snake settle for a week before feeding it", I've had some thinner ones take a feeder within hours of arriving. If you offer a live mouse hopper s/he just might take it.

  9. #7
    Registered User owl307's Avatar
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    Re: Rescued Ball python

    Quote Originally Posted by bcr229 View Post
    If you think her belly is burned you can buy silvadene online at http://www.mountainside-medical.com/

    Also, while I know the rule is "let the snake settle for a week before feeding it", I've had some thinner ones take a feeder within hours of arriving. If you offer a live mouse hopper s/he just might take it.

    The Pet store said he didnt except hoppers, only pinkies ( they only gave the poor thing one a week ) so while I do have live hoppers, I only have frozen pinkies. since he is used to eating pinkies should I try the f/t pinkies first and then try hoppers once i get a little weight on him/ her?

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    bcr229's Avatar
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    A hatchling straight out of the egg can take a mouse hopper. One mouse pinky a week is a starvation diet - I'm guessing this store is one that feeds the bare minimum (or less) to keep expenses down. If he had been fed properly, then at ten months old he could be on either large adult mice or weanling rats. I have three month old babies taking f/t rat pups.
    Last edited by bcr229; 07-29-2014 at 11:42 PM.

  11. #9
    BPnet Veteran alan12013's Avatar
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    If a PETCO has an uneducated general manager or "companion animal" manager then their husbandry sucks. A pinky a week is seriously a starvation diet so I wouldn't use them at all. I found a weight to age chart and compared weights to my snakes (I now have feeding down to proper measurements and weights) and found that they were pretty underweight even though they looked alright to me. I was feeding a small mouse per week because they were young snakes and it looked about like the size of their mid section. I switched to rats and they are right on track.

    - - - Updated - - -

    If a PETCO has an uneducated general manager or "companion animal" manager then their husbandry sucks. A pinky a week is seriously a starvation diet so I wouldn't use them at all. I found a weight to age chart and compared weights to my snakes (I now have feeding down to proper measurements and weights) and found that they were pretty underweight even though they looked alright to me. I was feeding a small mouse per week because they were young snakes and it looked about like the size of their mid section. I switched to rats and they are right on track.

  12. #10
    Registered User owl307's Avatar
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    Re: Rescued Ball python

    i wouldnt be feeding a pinky a week, I just thought to start him out on multiple pinkies since the store said he was refusing larger prey size. I will try hoppers first though

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