My warrior princess

[Scaleybabies89]

Hi I'm Kat I got my second ball python 2yrs ago named her zenone.she got out a year ago n I thought my ex stole her since we broke up. Well amazingly she just escaped n had been living in my basement for the whole year my landlord worker was in the basement n found her under a saw blade.shes super thin for where she should be but still amazing she made it this far. I got her a mouse yesterday n it took her 2hrs to eat it it felt like forever tho but I'm glad she ate . She's moved Alil today but not much I'm still worried what should I do
kat

[piedlover79]

Wow a whole year! I'm glad you got her back! I'd say a trip to the vet would be a good move.

[chrid16371]

That's great to hear! A year is quite awhile! Crazy how people (including myself when I was a brand new owner) worry about a bp going a few weeks without a meal and yours went a whole year, goes to show that a few months of refusing is really no big deal unless there is health issues. Maybe it had something to eat here and there but you can't really know. I would go buy some locks and definitely a vet visit!

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[Scaleybabies89]

I feel like the vet would be great but issue is funds I'm on a really tight budget 😿

[cchardwick]

Personally I would try to feed her every few days, then at least once a week. If it takes that long to eat I would start with smaller mice. I got a free ball python who was supposedly a year old and looked like it was just a few months old. They were literally starving it by feeding it one small mouse every few weeks as a baby. The first day I had it I gave it two adult mice, then another adult a few days later. Now I feed an adult mouse every week and he's fat and happy! I don't think you need a vet as long as she starts eating and keeps eating. I would give her special attention the first few weeks and give her mid week meals if she will take them along with the regular weekend feedings.

[voodoolamb]

Happy reunion!!!

I had a similar experience with one of my tarantulas. Except she was free ranging for 4 years and somehow managed to make a move with us lol

I'd try to scrape together the funds for a vet visit though... I highly doubt she went an entire year without food. I'm sure she had a few wild critters here and there...

So my major concern would be parasites. If she ate any wild rodents in the past year, it could be contributing to her body condition. I'd go to the vet for some panacur. Ya know it wouldn't hurt to call around and ask - some vets would probably be ok with you bringing in just a fecal sample. Might be cheaper then a full out office visit.

Definitely at the very least weigh her regularly to track if she is gaining.

[Coluber42]

If she made it a year loose in the house and the worst that seems to have happened is that she's skinny, I wouldn't take her to the vet just yet. If nothing else, moving back into a normal enclosure is some upheaval even if it's better than the basement, and a vet trip would be stressful. I'd let her settle back in, get her eating regularly first. Then if anything seems amiss or she isn't putting on weight with regular meals, take her to the vet. They may not be willing to test a fecal sample from an animal they haven't seen (or may not be willing to recommend medication for an animal they haven't seen) so an office visit might be necessary if you want to test for internal parasites. But even if she does have them, several weeks wont make much difference and you don't need to subject her to any additional stress if it's not necessary.

[Nitewolfie]

Congrats on getting her back!
But if she is really skinny/malnourished, feeding her so much may cause her to die, due to slow digestive systems and being malnourished the rat may rot in her. I'd feed her a small rat every week, maybe five days but I had someone tell me to feed my malnourished python a small rat every week, then after a month start feeding her two small rats or a medium rat if she will eat them. Weigh her every week or every other week so you can tell that she's definitely gaining weight, also may want to take pictures so you can see the progress. If she isn't gaining much weight after a couple months, you may want to do what someone else said and scrounge up money and call around for vets.
Hope this helps!

[melcvt00]

I would collect that first poop sample and take it in for a check. There are a few different parasite options, and some of them need different medications. It's either do them all, or check and treat for what's there. It might be a good idea to check a couple over the next few months.

[Scaleybabies89]

Thank you everyone for your help