HELP.. just found my ball python after 3 months of it being gone.

August 10th my BP, Pandora, got loose shes only about a 2 years old. I looked really hard the first month and then assumed she was dead somewhere... I found her today back in her enclosure. Its my first ball python and Ive never run into this before. I don't know if shes starving or dehydrated or if shes okay. when I first found her and gave her a dish of water and she completely submerged her head, and air bubbles came out. and then kept her head submerged up to her eyes almost for atleast an hour. I tried to give her a f/t rat pup but she wont eat it, shell smell it and then go back in her hide hole, no matter how much or long I sit there and wiggle it she will not eat, and she must be hungry because we have no mice/rats in this house so I know she hasn't eaten....she was very active at first. I have her now laying in a pan of warm water. if someone could help or give any advice that be great. Thanks in advance.

You found her IN the enclosure!? Are you sure she wasn't there the whole time? That's pretty crazy. I would give her a week or so to settle in before offering food. Keep handling to a minimum, only for daily checks on water and to make sure she's still alive. Then I would probably offer a live pup to get her back on feed and start gaining that weight back.

My best advice is to just let her be to settle back into her enclosure and get her temp and humidity levels back to normal as soon as possible. I assume her enclosure has been inactive/turned off all this time? get her UTH/thermostat/ambients up to normal husbandry ranges and let her sit in the dark for a few days. I would probably make a vet appointment ASAP as well, and wait to feed her for another week. Just let her relax and settle in.

So funny that she went back to her enclosure. I had a hamster who got out of his running ball on the floor one night and we couldn't find him anywhere, then the next day I looked into his cage (up on a tabletop) and he was sound asleep in his nest.

There are a lot of stories about BP's going missing and returning so congrats on her coming back to you! There was a story in the paper over here about an escaped BP which ended up in an oven the owner sold and the new oven owner found it after cooking a pepperoni pizza for her son! (the snake was unharmed by the oven going on as she had hidden in a cooler spot)

From what I have read warm them up slowly, going from cold to hot quickly can cause shock. Also leave the food in with her overnight, if she doesn't feed I would try again in a week (? I may be wrong but I'm thinking a new settling period as she has been away for a while) Change her water daily, as normal and monitor her. Many snakes go off on little adventures and come back barely unscathed! I wouldn't worry about her not eating, many snakes go off feed without having escaped so just persist and hopefully she will eat soon for you!

yes absolutely positive I took everything out of it when she went missing and then I washed it all thinking we was gone forever. so yes the the enclosure was inactive. Ive only picked her up once to move her into the pan of water. where she stayed so far. I didn't plan on holding her for a while, out of fear that shes starving and might bite... shes never ever bitten anyone before nor has she hissed at anyone but I don't want to take the chance until she gets settled in. just in case. hopefully shes the same temperament id be very sad if this adventure has scarred her for life. she used to let me pet her head and under her chin and everything she was an awesome pet! could anyone tell me if she looks dehydrated to them. I will try to upload a pic

Grats on her coming back.

I don't think you have much to worry about. I actually had a very young albino caal king get out of her enclosure many years ago. After a year of being missing i , like you, thought the worst. My younger brother 14 yrs old at the time, was going to the bathroom and during his #2 proceedings, the little albino popped out from under the air return. All 8 " or so of p'ed off furry struck at him and the rest is history. She was fine for a year and she wasn't too far removed from the egg when she went missing. She definitly didn't eat much over the year either as she was the same size when I saved my brother from her a year later.

congrats on her coming home.

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Wow, she's thin but people have posted pics of neglected snakes that were a lot worse. I wouldn't worry about soaking her any more, just as everyone else suggested, give her a week in her enclosure with perfect temperatures and humidity and minimal handling, and most likely she'll eat.

Thank the lord she came back!! I'd follow the advice given

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