Rescued Ball Python Eye Issues

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Originally Posted by dakski

...Paragraph breaks are great on this forum, FYI. Not that I would need them as I only write short posts.

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

First off, what a lucky snake she is that you've taken her in! She's coming along already...it's amazing what proper care can do, & how resilient many snakes are when
they don't have it. I might be wrong, in fact I hope I am, but I don't think her eyes will regain their roundness. I do recall seeing a rescue BP many years ago with eyes
like that, but it wasn't mine & I don't know the outcome. One thing about most snakes including BPs...they do use vision to see motion & help them determine if it's prey
or predator nearby, but they don't rely as much on vision as most people think. BPs use their heat sensing pits, their acute sense of smell & their sense of touch to give
them information. It's a great sign that this snake is at least eating, & absolutely amazing that all the old eye-caps came off with the shed.

I can imagine just how weird it must be for her right now, after essentially being "blindfolded" for so long, to have improved vision. It's so sad to me that people keep
animals captive without ever making the effort to do it correctly, & long-winded or not, I'm so glad you've joined us here to share your experiences. Please do keep us
updated? :snake:

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Her resilience really amazes me. She gets around just fine. Whatever lack of vision she does have doesn’t honestly seem to effect her too much and I don’t think here eyes are actually causing any pain.

She’s also just covered in scars from what looks to be lots of pushing in her terrarium, burns, and rat bites over the years, but she’s still quite placid and we’re just building more trust as we go.

Knowing I was going to need to get a really good shed this time with the eye caps, the tail tip (which I don’t think I mentioned also had issues from a ton of retained shed over the years), scale rot, and scars, I gave her a 20 minute soak as soon as I noticed she was going into blue. Normally, I wouldn’t do this, but it seems to have paid off. All of the problem areas shed.

She’s definitely a lot more nervous since shedding all those caps, but she’s also significantly more curious and doing some exploring.

She’s just about ready for her first meal since the shed, third meal with me, so we’ll see how that goes and I’ll update you on whether she takes it or not.

Thank you for your response!

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Actually, I'm overjoyed that you're here...you'll make some of my answers seem reasonable & brief. :rofl: (Actually dakski is a serious contender for long posts too...;) )

FYI, you've only got about 10 minutes immediately after posting to edit your posts on this forum, so you have to think fast.

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:) I will do my best to keep up the ridiculous dump of information that is my communication style, if for no other reason than to make you all look good by comparison. My snakes are very tractable, but I can be a little tough to handle. :P

Thank you for the info!

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Originally Posted by dakski

Good news on shedding the eye caps.

I agree reptile vets can be hit or miss, but this forum is a decent barometer of whether the advice given is sound or consistent. So is common sense and asking questions and probing the vet's knowledge.

Paragraph breaks are great on this forum, FYI. Not that I would need them as I only write short posts.

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That’s why I really wanted to reach out and benefit from all of the shared knowledge and experience here.

My wife will be able to join me at the next appointment, so I’ll get to see what she thinks as well. I’m really lucky to have found a partner as into reptiles, and pets in general, as I am, and she may think of other questions that I have not.

It doesn’t seem that Bogertophis agrees about you only writing short posts :snake:, but I’m glad to have encountered some other conversationalists on this forum!

Thank you for your response!

Sorry for not posting any pics yet, but she’s pretty nervous right now and every interaction is all about trust building. I don’t want to push it with already having to treat her scale rot and this not being an emergency situation.

As far as care goes, I’m pretty confident I’ve got things under control.

When the time is right, I’ll get a few pics of her eyes and post an update.

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Originally Posted by Kethith

Sorry for not posting any pics yet, but she’s pretty nervous right now and every interaction is all about trust building...

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I wish everyone would put their snake's best interest first. You are forgiven. :gj: Besides, we're all very patient around here. :rolleyes:.....:taz:

Just a quick update. She ate a small rat this evening with a ton of enthusiasm!

I’m feeling really positive about how well she is doing!!

That's really great news! Congrats! :snake: