Please help!! I think my girl is in pain!!

I lifted my adult Ball Python's hide box just a few minutes ago, and I noticed she was really dark in color; she's been getting darker and darker this past week, and I've assumed she's ready to go into shed. But even before a shed, I don't think she's ever been this dark, and her eyes haven't clouded at all. Her belly is really pink; normally it doesn't get THAT pink before shed, and I considered a burn. However, the floor of her hide box is warm but not hot to my hand. I thickened the substrate layer just in case.

I stroked her for a minute so I didn't surprise her, then I attempted to lift her and she hissed at me. She's hissed at me before, just to let me know she's irked and thinks her bath water is too hot or something like that, but this was a really nasty hiss that lasted longer than anything I've heard from her before. I stroked her again and moved her out of the way so I could put her hide back. She was obviously in extreme pain or really stressed out; I wasn’t going to take her out.

So I've been thinking of possibilities; is there any chance she might be in shed, even though her eyes are still deep black? And she can't see very well, so she hissed at me?

Also, there is another possibility; a very stressful situation occurred last night. It was around 11:00, and I was sitting on my bedroom floor letting her crawl around.... and before I knew it, she had stuck her head into one of the holes on my laundry basket. She wasn't going to fit, but if I tried pulling her out she would resist and probably hurt herself. So I gave her her space, thinking she would try to pull herself out backwards. But she didn't. She pulled herself through this tiny, sharp-edged hole in my laundry basket... it took about ten minutes for her to squeeze through, and the whole time I was biting my lip and trying not to cry or stress her out more. I really wanted to help, but I knew me getting involved would scare her and then she might really hurt herself.


Do you think she might be hurting from the tight squeeze last night?

Please help me, I'm really really scared for her!

It sounds to me like she is going into a deep shed and just wants to be left alone. The incident last night probably stressed her out too. I'd keep an eye on her if you think something is wrong, but I think she'll be just fine after a few days of no handling and a good shed.

I second Eric's response deep sheds usually blue up quickly and then get really dark. Pink bellies are normal as well with deep sheds

I'll third Eric's post. It sounds like she's in shed and a little grumpy over it. Let her be, and wait for a good shed.

Sounds like she is in shed, but there's a remote possiblity that she could have broken a rib geting through the hole in the laundry basket.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Sounds like she is in shed, but there's a remote possiblity that she could have broken a rib geting through the hole in the laundry basket.

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I agree with everyone that it is probably a deep shed. Keep an eye on her in case, like Slim said, she broke a rib. But my 1800 gram girl squeezed through a tiny hole that I never dreamt she could get through, and she was fine.

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Originally Posted by LGL

It sounds to me like she is going into a deep shed and just wants to be left alone. The incident last night probably stressed her out too. I'd keep an eye on her if you think something is wrong, but I think she'll be just fine after a few days of no handling and a good shed.

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May I ask, what is a "deep" shed? I have never heard that term before.

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However, the floor of her hide box is warm but not hot to my hand

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This part concerns me. What about a temp gun, or a digital thermometer to monitor your temps?

Remember that our core body temp is 98.6 degrees, so something that just feels warm to US may be hot enough to burn your animal.

You absolutely HAVE to know the exact temps. You can't guess at this stuff, not when a life that depends on you is at stake.

You can pick up a digitial thermometer/hygrometer from Walmart for $12. It's in where they keep the indoor/outdoor thermometers in the hardware department. This is the one many of us use:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...mageloader.gif

Additionally, your heat pad needs to be controlled by a thermostat (preferred) or rheostat (not as good as a thermostat if your room temps change).

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Originally Posted by Crazy4Herps

May I ask, what is a "deep" shed? I have never heard that term before.

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This is the first I've heard about a deep shed also. I'm curious too!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

This part concerns me. What about a temp gun, or a digital thermometer to monitor your temps?

Remember that our core body temp is 98.6 degrees, so something that just feels warm to US may be hot enough to burn your animal.

You absolutely HAVE to know the exact temps. You can't guess at this stuff, not when a life that depends on you is at stake.

You can pick up a digitial thermometer/hygrometer from Walmart for $12. It's in where they keep the indoor/outdoor thermometers in the hardware department. This is the one many of us use:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...mageloader.gif

Additionally, your heat pad needs to be controlled by a thermostat (preferred) or rheostat (not as good as a thermostat if your room temps change).

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Actually, I do have that verty thermometer, $12 at Walmart. (By the way, I love it!) Over the heat pad, it is always between 90-92 during the day, and a little lower at night. But I check it with my hand regularly, just in case.

And I do intend on getting a thermostat, but I'm not sure whether to use it for the 100w CHE (on all night too) or the heat pad. Or both?