Hey All First Bp Bought!

Hey you guys i am new soo heres a little background on me

Name: Screw aka ScrewedUp

Location: Tucson Arizona
age: 17
hobbies: Herp , Cryptozoology, sports , video games

Ok well i recently traded in my corn snake (regular) for a ball python baby. It is v very small only like 8 inches long i believe around there. I have chekced it for broken ribs and etc. all seems fine except one wierd thing. The snake is either dying or very tame. As i handled it i notice sumthing strange. Well at first it would curl around my hand but not very strong. After a day i thought about it and handled it again. Did the same but seemed almost weaker. It will sumtimes not curl and just move its neck leaving the body hanging on my arm. I also notice his head seems to stick up and move like a cobra side to side as if she is star gazing. as i set him down on desk or sumthing he will usually just lay there moving a lil bit. I can also even touch his mouth and head without any hissing or snapping. I dont understand .. he is almost motionless and weak.is it beacuse he is still very young o is it cuz un proper care by the store people. they have many animals and a staff..the place is called desert pet center and they have a variety of reptiles arachnids etc. they even have a queensland python. Im not sure. it will move its head sutimes when i touch it but only a little.. what should ido and should i feed it maybe ? or did i get a unhealthy dying python need to be taken to a vet?

Welcome, he should be left alone and only clean the enclosure for the first week or 2. Since balls are known to stress easy try in minimize handling to only when needed atleast until he's well established. I would just keep his temps and humdity right and make a vet appointment as soon as he poops and get a fecal done(the vet looks for any signs of parasites under a microscope). Where did you get him from?

I agree as a young ball she should be scared and head shy. very head shy. I could be due to the way she was kept in the store. Also get him a vet appointment ASAP. dehydration, malnutrition can also cause these problems. Keep us updated. Double check all your housing setup. To little heat to little RH (relative humidity) with cause a stressed snake. good luck and again keep us up to date

I agree a vet visit sound's like the way to go.In the mean time have you weighed him that would give us an idea on the malnutrition part.Obviously with the size you wrote about it's more than certain your dealing with a hatchling.What happen's alot of time's is these pet shop's will sell you an animal that hasn't even had it's first meal.

Hi and WELCOME to another Tucsonite!! :handshake: We need more of us here! ;)


Anyhow, I did send ya a PM, so much of what I was gonna say here is in there. Sounds to me like you've gotten a wee baby that hasn't been fed yet. Best thing to do is follow the advice already given and leave the poor little thing alone.

How long have you had it? And have you tried to feed it yet?

Looks like you got the bad end of the deal....I'd go get your cornsnake back or another baby ball.

Its unfortunate, because ball pythons are the best snakes for pets money can buy IMO, and so many people have bad experiences with them. What *probably* happened was the dealer sold you an imported baby that's never fed on its own. I would contact the dealer immediately and explain the situation. Was the snake exhibiting these symptoms when you bought him? If yes, why did you go through with the deal?

when i first bought the snake it didnt really show any symtpons and did curl around my hand at a decent grip. however i did experiment with his head to see if it would quickly go back and it didnt. i probably will get another but she is very beautiful pics soon unless i get the other. Im going to take it to the vet today to determine her weight and see wut is wrong. but i dunno now im thinking she is all messed up because she appears malnurtioned becasue her skin is sumewhat loose..she also has a very small neck.

How long have you had it exactly?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../Picture13.jpg
here is my ball python and its size
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../Picture22.jpg
pic of its head

only 2 days but still as a baby it should be shy but it isntt .. it seems tamer then wut it should and like i said before i am able to touch its mouth head all of that without any problems and it seems weak.