Ball Python from Work - strange behavior and pigmentation

Today I brought one of the ball pythons on the floor to the back room to feed. First thing I noticed is that it is losing weight. It has been in the store since 6/2 and has not eaten a thing. It is currently housed with one same-sized ball python. I attempted to feed it a f/t fuzzy mouse and it of course refused. I then noticed it has a head wobble. It will pick its head up and stare upward for a few seconds (nose straight up in the air) and then wobble slightly. Once I began watching it, it became very noticeable. I picked the ball up and checked her over. The belly is very yellow in color. When I talked to my co-worker after work she mentioned that when she took a look at the python in question, she noticed near the mouth was yellow and the snake was wobbling (I had mentioned the wobble to her but not the yellow scales on the belly. She said the wobble is something she noticed right away).

This coloration and behavior is very new and was not noticed in the previous weeks. The belly does not appear agitated and I see no pink or redness to the scales or under the scales. I go into work tomorrow and can get pictures and possibly video (if I'm quick) of the discoloration and behavior if it will help. My department manager is very hesitant to take animals to the vet so I'd have to prove there is something wrong with the snake in order for him to be seen.

Any thoughts?

Sounds like a respiratory infection at the very least, it needs to go to the vet.

QT it and the one it was housed with asap, whatever is going on with it, you don't want it to spread to the other animals.

Something else to mention is that we currently have 5 ball pythons in the store. Not a single one has eaten since arriving in the store. 2 arrived on 6/2 (includes the wobbling one), and the other 3 arrived mid June (I didn't see the exact date). I did find feces in with two of the snakes that came in mid June. Temperatures in these enclosures never rises above 85 at its warmest point (up near the bulb that most of the snakes cannot reach.) They are housed 2, 2, and 1.

I will QT them both separately tomorrow morning when I go into work. I will try to take video and pictures and will post them up here as soon as I get home around 11am. The other python he is housed with is not showing any symptoms and appears normal except for the lack of appetite.

Would very much like to see pictures and /or video.

Double check to make sure all the temperatures and humidity are correct for next time around, just to eliminate that off the list.

Nothing against yourself, but I'm always questionable about the way a store handles their snakes as far as their cleanliness/accuracy of the husbandry goes. For the majority of exotic pet shops in my area, even the most acclaimed exotic shop has issues with their husbandry for some reason.

I'd qt them all and watch for more symptoms. Looks like you've got the start of something in potentially different stages. As I'm sure you know 85 is way too cold. That should get fixed immediately. If the store doesn't know then they need to. The cool temps are only going to exacerbate this problem. Stress and cool temps lower the immune system which are going to lead to more than 1 problem. Including the lack of appetite and these issues That sound as if they are starting.


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Our habitats are always kept very clean, but the temperature is beyond my control. I know 85 is too low (its rare it even gets that warm. Temps at the bottom of the habitat are in the 70s) but the habitats are designed that way. Even bearded dragons don't get the heat they really need.

I isolated him but we don't have enough equipment in the back to isolate them all (not even the one housed with him (not enough cages or heating elements). I told my department manager that I isolated the one ball python and that we needed to keep a close eye on the others but she was on the phone with another store's department manager and they have agreed that because "we have too many pythons" we are transferring one to her store. Ugh! These people have no clue about Quarantine or the transmission of illness and disease. And my department manager is going to school to be a vet! Gosh she's dumb.

I took a closer look at the isolated ball python. He seems weak. He moves in a way that just doesn't seem normal to me. I just can't place it though. He didn't do any star gazing today, but he did wobble quite a bit. I wasn't able to get pictures or video because my phone died before I got to work this morning. I work tomorrow night so I will ATTEMPT to get video/pictures tomorrow.

Thats so awful that that care is acceptable to them. I know you work there and hopefully you can make a difference. But this is exactly why I steer folks and new prospective pet owners away from Petstores. It makes me mad that people look to the store to help educate them on husbandry and the store doesn't even provide anywhere close to the correct husbandry. Sad very sad. I hope you can figure out what's going on with them.


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Exactly why I don't ever buy from pet stores. No offense to you. I wish you luck, since all the snakes that came into contact with this poor sick one are probably going to get sick as well, and since your manager won't take them to the vet unless they "know" what's wrong with it (as if knowing what's wrong with it or just knowing something IS wrong with it costs differently...) you're probably going to have to watch each one die painful slow deaths :tears: