Ball Python please Help..

[wavodave]

My Ball Python is about 12 years old, He is actually one of my friends that i have been looking after for a while.

Im not to sure is he is sick or what? he usually is curled up in a ball in the tank or in his hide but at the moment he is completely spead out in his tank, he is moving very slowly if he even moves at all and has been of off his food for about a month now and i have no idea what is wrong with him.

Could anyone shed some light on this for me im quite worried about him.

Cheers

Dave

[JLC]

It doesn't SOUND like there's anything wrong with him, based on the little bit of description that you gave.

Some questions that might help clarify things...

1. Can you describe the set-up he's in?
-- Type and size of enclosure
-- Substrate
-- Heat source
-- Temperature range you maintain
-- Method of measuring the temps
-- Method of measuring humdiity
-- Type of hide(s)

2. Have you seen any signs of mucus around the mouth or any signs of difficulty breathing?
-- Laying with head propped upward the vast majority of the time
-- Slimy stuff smeared on sides of enclosure or hides
-- Bubbles or slime around the mouth
-- Laying with the mouth slightly ajar or open
-- Wheezing, whistling, or clicking sounds when breathing

It's not uncommon at all for mature ball pythons to go off feed...sometimes for weeks and even months at a time. This is most common in the winter months, but can happen at any time. It's very likely he has his mind more on wanting to go find a mate than anything else....which is perfectly normal and harmless.

[sho220]

What kind of setup do you have him in? What are the temps at? We're gonna need some more info to be able to help...anything odd about his mouth? Does he hold his mouth open? Any visible mucus?

[wavodave]

Like i said it is my friends snake and tank and i dont know to much about them but here goes.

His tank is a meter but half a meter aprox.

The Substrate is a wood chip ?

Temprature is kept at around 80

He has a larg head mat sunk under the bedding on 1/3 of his tank

temperature is measured by s simple stick on thermometer in the tank.

His hide is a man made rock hide not sure what material.





I did notice a few months ago that he held his head up quite abit of the time but he has stopped doing that now.

i have noticed he has been kepping his mouth open a tad in the past few hours no wide open tho.

Ive noticed he has the tail end of his tail in the air aswell? ive never seen him do this before.




I hope that helps in some way? and would be very grateful if you could help im quite worried about him.

Cheers

Dave

[PitOnTheProwl]

I wish I had more experience with this.
I think if you could post some picks, it might help.
I have and idea that it might be RI but I am not going to say for sure.

[wavodave]

RI, this maybe a stupid statement but does that stand for Respitory Infection?

I havnt got my camera on me at the moment its at work so cant upload picks.

Any helf if greatful, im not sure weather to leave or alone or to try and do someething for him ?

Cheers

Dave

[PitOnTheProwl]

RI, this maybe a stupid statement but does that stand for Respitory Infection?

Yes

[wavodave]

How is that treated?

[PitOnTheProwl]

Need to take to vet ASAP IF it is an RI

[JLC]

Even with detailed pictures and descriptions, it's really hard to diagnose anything over the internet. Sometimes, if conditions are extreme enough, we can make a pretty educated guess, but this is not one of those times.

If the snake is suffering from an RI, then only a qualified vet can diagnose and treat it (usually with prescribed antibiotic shots). If left untreated, it will get worse and can lead to death. That does not mean, however, that your snake DOES have an RI. We just can't tell that for you.

My advice is to wait and see. The behaviors you've described can be attributed to many different harmless things besides RI.

While you're watching and waiting, I would highly recommend that you read the Care Sheet carefully and work on tweaking the enclosure to a more optimum set up.