# Ball Pythons > BP Husbandry > Advanced BP Husbandry >  New pickup near dead...

## coolballsdave

I need help!  I have a rescue that is near dead.  It is literally a skeleton.  I picked it up last Thursday.  It's 2 1/2 years old and over 3 feet long but the pet store closed that these people were buying rats from and it hasn't been fed since July 2011.  Not only that but it was caged in a ten gallon tank with an IR heat lamp and a heat rock in the cage.  Basically it has exhausted near all of its resources.  I need to bring this girl back to health.  She has several layers of stuck shed to top it off.  If there is any experienced rescuers who have dealt with a snake like this please advise.  Thanks.

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## Royal Hijinx

You need a vet visit ASAP.

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## Xotik

Vet. like- Yesterday. 
In the meantime - smallish tub, up the humidity as close to 100% as you can get, and get temps as perfect as possible (92 hot 87 cool).

food - start with something small, about half the size she would eat if she was in the right conditions. 
But get that lady to a vet. ASAP.

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012)

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## coolballsdave

> You need a vet visit ASAP.


I'm in farm country and I think it would be a death sentence to take her to someone who doesn't work with reptiles.  I do not want to stress her to death.  I'm 2.5 hours away from any city that might have a good exotic pet vet.  The road trip will kill her.

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## Royal Hijinx

Have you tried to feed her?

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012)

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## Xotik

Call the vets that are in your area, see if anybody there even has a slight clue what they are doing with reps. My old livestock vet did reptile work too - its hit or miss, but you might find somebody. 

Also - give her a gatoraide bath. VERY gently. it can be stressful, so work very very carefully and gently. But if you get pediasure, gatoraide, poweraide, something with tons of electrolytes, it will help.

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## coolballsdave

Yes, upon getting her Thursday I nebulized for an hour and fed her 3 30 - 45 gram rats.  Bad Idea, I know!  She regurged all three 2 days later.  She was fed another 30 gram rat the same day she regurged.  Then I fed her another on Tuesday.  She has not regurged any yet.  I know red flags are popping up in everyones minds but seriously I think her only chance for survival given the conditions is to get the food in her.

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## Xotik

I agree its not a good idea - but given the circumstances, it may be the only way. Do you have any pictures of her?

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012)

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## coolballsdave

> Call the vets that are in your area, see if anybody there even has a slight clue what they are doing with reps. My old livestock vet did reptile work too - its hit or miss, but you might find somebody. 
> 
> Also - give her a gatoraide bath. VERY gently. it can be stressful, so work very very carefully and gently. But if you get pediasure, gatoraide, poweraide, something with tons of electrolytes, it will help.


I will call vets and see.  Also, where she has eaten and is still digesting these rats I will wait for the gatorade bath until she has digested a little or regurged.  I think moving her around will cause her to regurge again.

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## Xotik

> I will call vets and see.  Also, where she has eaten and is still digesting these rats I will wait for the gatorade bath until she has digested a little or regurged.  I think moving her around will cause her to regurge again.


Yup- you left out that she had been fed, so I was running blind with that.

But pics.

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012)

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## coolballsdave

> I agree its not a good idea - but given the circumstances, it may be the only way. Do you have any pictures of her?


Yea I have pictures I just don't know how to attach them.  I don't have a URL for my pics and I don't see an upload attachment option.

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## Xotik

> Yea I have pictures I just don't know how to attach them.  I don't have a URL for my pics and I don't see an upload attachment option.


www.photobucket.com
or
www.tinypic.com

upload the pictures there, then, when you reply to the topic, above the text box there is a list of icons, the one that looks like a pictureframe with a small tree in it will say "insert photo" when you hover your cursor over it, click that - it will open a dialog box, copy the image link into there and voila.

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012)

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## coolballsdave

Thanks for teaching me how to upload.

Here is a picture of her I took yesterday.  She looks much worse than this picture shows.  she is sooooo skinny and empty.

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## Royal Hijinx

Wow, she is so thin.  Hopefully she can keep some food down.  If she makes it, it will be a likely be a long recovery.  Good luck with her.

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012)

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## Annarose15

> Yes, upon getting her Thursday I nebulized for an hour and fed her 3 30 - 45 gram rats.  Bad Idea, I know!  She regurged all three 2 days later.  She was fed another 30 gram rat the same day she regurged.  Then I fed her another on Tuesday.  She has not regurged any yet.  *I know red flags are popping up in everyones minds but seriously I think her only chance for survival given the conditions is to get the food in her*.


*Pushing food into her when she is regurgitating it will most definitely kill her.* Do NOT feed her again for two weeks, even if she holds this one down. If she doesn't hold it down, wait at least two weeks before offering again and START SMALL (3-40g rats is no different than 1-120g rat on that stressed of a system). Worry about getting her hydrated. Give her a humid hide, and the pedialyte baths are a good idea, too, if you can do it without her stressing more. Don't bother with trying to remove her stuck shed right now, it will only stress her. And her cool side/ambient needs to be around 82, not 87 as mentioned before, with a hot spot of 90-92. She needs a proper temperature gradient, just like a healthy BP does.

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## coolballsdave

> *Pushing food into her when she is regurgitating it will most definitely kill her.* Do NOT feed her again for two weeks, even if she holds this one down. If she doesn't hold it down, wait at least two weeks before offering again and START SMALL (3-40g rats is no different than 1-120g rat on that stressed of a system). Worry about getting her hydrated. Give her a humid hide, and the pedialyte baths are a good idea, too, if you can do it without her stressing more. Don't bother with trying to remove her stuck shed right now, it will only stress her. And her cool side/ambient needs to be around 82, not 87 as mentioned before, with a hot spot of 90-92. She needs a proper temperature gradient, just like a healthy BP does.


All her conditions are ideal as specified.  I haven't touched her other than to clean her cage when she regurgitated.  I have done everything I can to leave her alone to recover.  She has no problem eating.  She wants to live.  If she still hasn't regurgitated in a few days I will soak her in pedialyte.  I will also check with vets in the area for reptile experience.

If there is no further suggestions, I will keep on going and keep you all updated.

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## HerpIsAhobby

Bp's are pretty amazing creatures and given the right care this rescue could surprise you.  I'm with the others here saying to start small with any food items.  A regurge is a clear sign her system isn't quite ready for 3 rats just yet but its very promising that she held the last one down.  Once she gets a good week of proper temps and holding the meal down I would try feeding her again.  Keep the humidity nice and high for her and try to let her adjust to her new surroundings.  Good luck with finding a vet in your area that knows how to treat herps.  I hope to see pictures in a few months with her fat and healthy.

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coolballsdave (04-12-2012),_shelliebear_ (05-04-2012)

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## Annarose15

> All her conditions are ideal as specified.  I haven't touched her other than to clean her cage when she regurgitated.  I have done everything I can to leave her alone to recover.  She has no problem eating.  She wants to live.  If she still hasn't regurgitated in a few days I will soak her in pedialyte.  I will also check with vets in the area for reptile experience.
> 
> If there is no further suggestions, I will keep on going and keep you all updated.


Sounds good. I know the hardest part about taking in an animal in that condition is giving them the time to recover when you just want to fix everything right away that has made them suffer. Please still wait the two weeks before feeding her again, so her internal flora can balance. If she keeps the most recent meal down, it will go a long way in nourishing her in the interim.

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## SlitherinSisters

I'm in Iowa, so trust me, I know it's not easy to find someone that knows anything about snakes. Even the ones that do usually have little experience. I'm not exactly sure what the vet would do for the snake that you couldn't other than do a fecal float. If you can get the snake to eat, take it slow at first. You don't want to overload his system with nutrients, they can go into shock from that. He may end up dying even if you do get him to eat.

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## jason79

If it were mine I would stick with one "small" rat smaller than her girth every 7 days if she will eat it and try to get her hydrated. I think she only regurged because you tried too many at once on the first feeding.  Once she puts some weight on and is well hydrated I would move up to a little larger than her girth every 7 days if she will take it.

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## kitedemon

Water water water!!! I would wait on feeding until she is ready. I have rescued a number of snakes, and I have found they will let you know when they are ready for food. Dehydration is a killer literally the regurge is not going to help the dehydration. I would soak her for 20 min a day if she is calm about it twice a day if not once a day and if she freaks once every few days and the Gatorade is a good idea if she handles it ok. Stress is a huge factor some tolerate lots of intervention some very little. Stress is a very serious issue too so do what you can with out causing too much. Some animals may need seclusion and perfect husbandry more than anything else, maybe somewhat elevated humidity. Some will tolerate poking and prodding. It is a balance between dehydration starvation and stress. Any one can kill an animal so it is for you to decide how this animal is responding and act accordingly. 

Good Luck

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## Exotic Ectotherms

Any updates???

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## coolballsdave

I'm surprised this thread resurfaced, thanks!  I guess I might as well give an update.  

A day after I posted this thread she regurged a little clear fluid with a little pile of hair.  This little regurgitation was what she didn't digest of the two 30 gram rats I gave her the week before.  It seems that what she kept down of those two rats is putting a couple grams on her.  

She still has stuck shed all over her and I have not messed with her other than to clean her cage and refresh her water.  The last couple days she is actually wrapping her bowl (I suppose to conserve what nutrition she has in her).  I plan on feeding her a pup in another 2 1/2 weeks after her stomach flora regenerates.  I feel real good about her recovery! 

By the way, thank you ALL for your input.  All advice has been and will be helpful in the future.  I have gained huge understanding through this experience combined with the helpful knowledge you all and others in this forum.

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4Ballz (04-30-2012),_Don_ (11-28-2012),JustMeBC (04-30-2012),_meowmeowkazoo_ (08-16-2012),Sam Rickim (06-13-2012),_shelliebear_ (05-04-2012)

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## Cameron Lamb Exotics

Glad to hear, hope everything from here on goes smooth.

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## lidjamay

This is such a sad story, glad she has someone who will care for her. Please keep us posted.

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## shelliebear

Updates??? :o

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## coolballsdave

Alright, so here's the latest.  She survived the 4 week fast.  Her empty weight before I fed her was 440 grams and her length is currently somewhere around 38 inches.  She pounded the 25 gram rat pup and had no problems swallowing it.  I will feed her a similar meal in 14 days from now.

As for her stuck shed I'm just letting it take its course.  She was able to get the stuck shed off one side of her head so at least she isn't blind any more.  In total, I'm feeling really good about her and still think she is going have a full recovery.  Thank goodness there are no signs of any other problems.  

She is a gem and it almost seems that in her own little way she is thanking me for what I'm doing.

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_Don_ (11-28-2012),Sam Rickim (06-13-2012),_Slim_ (05-18-2012)

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## rabernet

She's going to be a stunning animal when she's back to 100%. The hardest thing to do with a snake that thin and malnourished is to sit on your hands and NOT try to get them back up to weight quickly. 

One small prey item a week is all they can handle to start with. 

Several years ago I rescued a pair in a similar situation. And those girls were so hungry that they tracked everything that passed their enclosures and gave off a heat signature. 

It was very hard to not feel so sorry for them, and very difficult to not feed them as often as I wanted to. 

They both recovered and went to a friend of mine after they were rehabilitated. 

Please keep us posted on her progress. 

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

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_angllady2_ (05-17-2012),coolballsdave (05-18-2012)

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## coolballsdave

> She's going to be a stunning animal when she's back to 100%. The hardest thing to do with a snake that thin and malnourished is to sit on your hands and NOT try to get them back up to weight quickly. 
> 
> One small prey item a week is all they can handle to start with. 
> 
> Several years ago I rescued a pair in a similar situation. And those girls were so hungry that they tracked everything that passed their enclosures and gave off a heat signature. 
> 
> It was very hard to not feel so sorry for them, and very difficult to not feed them as often as I wanted to.


I completely agree.  I hate to say it but she'd be dead if I hadn't posted this thread.

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## lidjamay

Glad to hear she is doing well  :Smile:  Would love to see pictures when she gets better.

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## BallChick

Updates???

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## ClarkT

I've seen her a few times, and she's doing great! Dave's done a great job of taking care of her. She eats well now, and is putting on some weight. Still looks kinda skinny, but she seems to definitely be in the clear. Just saw the thread and thought I'd update in case Dave doesn't check soon.

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coolballsdave (09-30-2012),_Don_ (11-28-2012)

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## Salamander Rising

:Dancin' Banana:  :Dancin' Banana:  :Dancin' Banana:

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## Adin

Glad to hear your snake is doing well! Its cool that you live in Roosevelt. I used to live in Vernal.

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## Michi

glad to hear shes perking up! hope to see pics when shes healthy!

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## coolballsdave

> I've seen her a few times, and she's doing great! Dave's done a great job of taking care of her. She eats well now, and is putting on some weight. Still looks kinda skinny, but she seems to definitely be in the clear. Just saw the thread and thought I'd update in case Dave doesn't check soon.


Thanks Clark! Yup, shes doing well.  I'll get some pictures up in the next little while.  I'll put up some before and after shots.  It's really crazy how long it is taking her to get back to what I would consider a healthy size.

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## Solarsoldier001

Can't wait to see some pics of her now. She had such a nice banded pattern. Very lovely lady. 


1.0 Pewter (Dexter), 1.0 Butter Het OG (Butters), 0.1 Pinstripe (Honey), 0.1 Lesser (Pepper), 0.1 Butter Het OG (Aurora), 0.1 Spider Het OG (Betsy), 0.1 Mojave (Maya) 
Sent from iPhone using tapatalk  :Smile:

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## Foschi Exotic Serpents

Oh yes please post some current pics! I bet she's beautiful!

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## Flikky

I've been lurking through this thread for a while. I'd love to see how she's turned around! Please pics  :Very Happy:

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## bobb

> Oh yes please post some current pics! I bet she's beautiful!


x2..im very exited to see her..i think dave should take the credit after what he willing to do to save our beloved reptiles...
THANK YOU DAVE..u doing great job!! :Bowdown:  :Bowdown:  :Bowdown:  :Salute:

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## alexr

UPDATE???  i  read this thread a couple of weeks ago and cant wait any longer..... wheres the picturessss???? :Taz:  :Taz:  :Taz:

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## southwind

PICS! Promissed pics! but none! its like a sad book with a happy ending but where is the happy ending??  :Razz:

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## coolballsdave

Alright!  Here is an update.  The pictures speak for themselves.  She's chowing on rats without any problems.

Here are a couple before pics.
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]


Here are a few current pics (as of today).  She doesn't look much bigger but she is weighing in over 1300 grams (empty).
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

She still looks kind of skinny to me but considering she was just over  400 grams when I got her earlier this year she is doing great.

I owe her successful recovery to the good help of this forum.Thanks everyone for your support and help.

Dave

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## Fidget

Wow, what an incredible recovery. You did a great job with her.

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coolballsdave (11-29-2012)

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## southwind

Amazing healthy looking BP, beautiful, bet she is your new fav  :Razz:

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coolballsdave (11-29-2012)

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## coolballsdave

> Amazing healthy looking BP, beautiful, bet she is your new fav


She is definitely one of my favorites.  She has an incredible reduced pattern.  Thanks all!

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## GenePirate

What a wonderful story and a great job you did in saving this girl.  And look at her...incredible banding, rich color, reduced pattern, and unusual head stamp.  Doesn't look like the same snake at all.  She's lucky you found her, and if you end up breeding her, I'd be curious to see what her offspring look like.  Congrats!

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coolballsdave (11-29-2012)

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## Badger711

Awesome recovery, awesome job! Glad to see she's made it, and looks extremely healthy given the previous circumstances. Congrats on an awesome rescue  :Good Job:  :Snake:

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coolballsdave (11-29-2012)

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## Solarsoldier001

I'm so happy that she's doing so well. She's a gorgeous lady  :Smile:  I wish to have a normal as lovely as she  :Smile: 


Sent from iPhone 5 using tapatalk  :Smile:

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coolballsdave (11-29-2012)

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## cschneider

That's awesome that she's doing well. You definitely have a dinker on your hands. That pattern is amazing! Kind of looks enchi-ish  :Smile: 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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coolballsdave (11-29-2012)

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## coolballsdave

> What a wonderful story and a great job you did in saving this girl.  And look at her...incredible banding, rich color, reduced pattern, and unusual head stamp.  Doesn't look like the same snake at all.  She's lucky you found her, and if you end up breeding her, I'd be curious to see what her offspring look like.  Congrats!


Thanks Lisa, I may just breed her to my new calico in a year  :Wink: .

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## Star-Static

Just saw this thread and read through from the first page...WOW! She has made an amazing recovery!!

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coolballsdave (01-08-2013)

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## HerpIsAhobby

So glad she's doing much better now. Looks like she's packing on the weight.  Always nice to see happy updates.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

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coolballsdave (01-08-2013)

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## Shewter325

Nice Job Dave! Thats a great thing you did with her, She is looking a thousand times better. Its good to know that there are some good herp lovers in the state  :Smile:  I hope she continues to improve  :Good Job:  

P.S. I hope the balls i sold you are doing good (Poss vanillas, Lesser)

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coolballsdave (01-08-2013)

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## loonunit

I'm so glad she's doing well. So now I can ask: what IS she? That's not a spider head pattern. Is she a woma?

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coolballsdave (01-08-2013)

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## hypnotixdmp

Wow, what a recovery!!! I love to see good recoverys....so sad that it has to happen to the animals though....
 Good job though, she is starting to look much better!!!

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coolballsdave (01-08-2013)

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## snakesRkewl

> I'm so glad she's doing well. So now I can ask: what IS she? That's not a spider head pattern. Is she a woma?


Looks like a banded reduced pattern snake  :Snake:

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## coolballsdave

Thanks every one for the great responses.  I bought her as a normal and look forward to seeing what comes out of her in the future.  She definitely has some awesome banding.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

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