New Ball Python, trouble breathing...about to shed

[tdietz87]

Ok, first let me say I left my labtop half way across my state so bear with me. I'm using my playstation 3 to post this and it will only allow so many characters at a time, so excuse me if I must double post. It will be my first offense so don't beat me up too bad

So I picked up a 4 year old Ball Python today. 30 bucks with a tank. Anyway when I went to go pick up the snake I noticed the snake was in an aquarium with a water dish and drift wood....thats it. No heating pad below, no heat lamp above, and no hide.....oh yea, kitty litter as a substrate. But the snake was very active and had no signs of pyhsical harm. The eyes are just starting to dull. So when I got home I completely cleaned the cage, ditched the kitty liter. Threw a pad and heating lamp over him. Then I gave him a bath to help prepare for the shed. When bathing I noticed I could hear him breathe. Which didn't suprise me too much because the lack of adequate heat. Still this is only my second snake so I decided to...

[tdietz87]

go to my local and trustworthy exotic pet store to inquire. I told him the situation. He told me that a respitory (sp?) infection wasn't suprising at all. And he suggested boosting the heat temps, lowering the humidity and drying out the respitory problem. But then he said since your snake is about to shed you may run into a shedding problem. So now what? He didn't really tell me to go one way or the other with this so I'm coming to you guys with open arms asking for opinions. What would you do?

Thank you for your time,
troy

[DutchHerp]

Kitty litter as a substrate...wow.

And an active BP usually means something's up. In this case it's probably the lack of heat and hiding spots.

Be sure to set him up in a nice small enclosure, sterilize the one that with the snake, and the heating elements MUST be a on a thermostat, if you don't already have that.

When I soak my BPs post-shed, I usually hear them breathe...probably just some water in their nostrils. No big deal.

[tdietz87]

cant quote with ps3.

But, I'd say shes/hes (I think is a female because of tiny butt claws, yes thats the technical term ) is about 5 ft in length. The only scale I have isn't nearly big to weigh her so I don't know weight. I did sterilize the cage. The cage shes in now is 24Lx17Hx12D the only other cage I have immediatley available is 20Lx12Hx10D Which would be better. If the answer is neither, what would you suggest for a good size. Also I currently am using a rheostat. I do have a temp gun to check temperates though. Do you still think its mandatory to get a thermostat?

thanks for your time


P.S. The previous owner used kitty litter because he said it was easy to clean

[Skiploder]

go to my local and trustworthy exotic pet store to inquire. I told him the situation. He told me that a respitory (sp?) infection wasn't suprising at all. And he suggested boosting the heat temps, lowering the humidity and drying out the respitory problem. But then he said since your snake is about to shed you may run into a shedding problem. So now what? He didn't really tell me to go one way or the other with this so I'm coming to you guys with open arms asking for opinions. What would you do?

Thank you for your time,
troy

If you're worried about RI take him to a Vet. The guy at the local exotic pet store is not a Vet.

It is not uncommon for snakes to emit noises while breathing prior to a shed.

I'd get him properly checked out before you screw around with any husbandry settings.

[tdietz87]

Okay, after a little more research on RI including purchasing a book I'm feeling that breathing noises I heard may have been just water in the nostrils. I will check it out tomorrow when shes completely dry.

So, I've officially owned the snake for 10 hours now. The majority of the time I've been keeping a good eye on her. I've decided this ball python does not like coiling into a ball. The entire drive home (almost 2 hours) shes was moving the whole time. Last snake I drove home was coiled the entire ride. This snake hasn't once coiled. Also instead of hiding in her hide. She will stick just her head in there for a few minutes at a time. Probably one of the most active snakes I've seen. And from what I understand, ball pythons should be quite the opposite. Should I be worried?

[frankykeno]

She's probably stressed as all get out so the activity may settle down once she's shed, housed better and feeling better. Keep a VERY close eye on those breath sounds and if you have any indication she's not vastly improved over the next few days or if you see bubbling or discharge around the nostrils or mouth, it's vet time fast. Listen closely for clicks and that sort of odd breath noises.

She may be making sounds due to an impending shed, some do but considering her very poor care, an RI may well be a possibility and only a decent herp vet will be able to sort that out for you. Unfortunately sudden vet costs are part of doing a rescue like this. You can also have the snake properly sexed while at the vet.

You may well end up with a crappy shed this time around. Refer to our sticky on bad sheds if you need help with that.

Remember to have this snake quarantined for your other snake. That's very important with any new snake but especially one that's been kept badly and may be ill.

[littleindiangirl]

She sounds incredibly stressed if she is still moving about.

Do you have her temps and humdity dialed in 100%? (92 hot spot, 82 ambient, 65% humidity for shedding)

Are her hides small and tight fitting, what we would consider claustrophobic?

I would give her a full two weeks to shed and settle before you begin to handle her. Then, get her to eat consistently at least 4 times, then slowly build a handling routine with her.

[cinderbird]

cant quote with ps3.

But, I'd say shes/hes (I think is a female because of tiny butt claws, yes thats the technical term ) is about 5 ft in length.

P.S. The previous owner used kitty litter because he said it was easy to clean

since the rest of your post seems to have been addressed, i'll address this part

you can't sex ball pythons visually. The only way to confirm sex is to get the animal probed or popped. A vet should be able to do it for you or an experienced keeper. Older animals are difficult to pop if you aren't sure how.

[tdietz87]

Update: Ok, so its been a few days and my new addition seems to be doing better. Now my new ball loves to hide and definatley has calmed down. I've only caught him/her a few times climbing around her drift wood so I hope these are signs that the snake is no longer stressed. Or atleast the stress levels have lowered. I also can't hear her breathe like before. Whether or not that was water her nostrils I'm not sure and probably will never know. But I'm very excited now! I was so worried that shemay be sick. I am still keeping a close eye on her. Thanks for the responses before I took them all into consideration.

-troy

Thanks again! This forum is awesome!