Rescued BP. Emaciated!!

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

In my opinion, that ball isn't very underweight. Certainly not emaciated.
A fecal float is always a good idea. Good luck with it!

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I thought Balls were supposed to be alot fatter. More like this:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ballpython.jpg

They should be thicker, but he doesn't look emaciated. This is emaciated - two rescues I got last year:

They got one medium rat every three months if he remembered. And they were housed together.

Girl 1
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...2007/Girl7.jpg

Girl 2 - this one was in better shape
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...007/Girl15.jpg

This was about 2 months into rehabilitation with me before they went on to their new home:

Girl 1
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...LittleOne3.jpg

Girl 2
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...007/BigOne.jpg

If it is a male then generally are leaner and lighter in build than a female. As far as the picture though, I know from our own experience with rescues that pictures don't always tell the full truth. When I look back on pictures of our Saoirse when we got her at only 600+ grams (this was a mature female BP!) she doesn't even look that bad. In my hands though, she was heartbreaking - so thin, no muscle tone at all, just a quiet balled of snake barely there anymore.

I'd get him checked out well by an experienced herp vet. Get a weight, an all over physical check up including mouth exam, etc. and a fecal float (if he doesn't pass any feces they can do a vent wash to check for internal parasites). It's well worth your money and your snake will do better if you start out knowing what health issues might be needing dealt with.

I will for sure take her to the vet asap.

She does look alot thicker in the pics than in person. What would I be looking for to evaluate if she was healthy or not? Just looking for things that some one with out much experience with herps could look for. I know general care for alot of animals, Ive worked in pet stores for almost 3 years now, I just dont have alot of personal experience. Especially when it comes to diseases/poor health.

With ball pythons you want a fairly girthy snake. Almost heavier in the hand than they appear is how I think of it. No triangle shape with a visible spine sticking up. If you do a skin pinch down the lower third of their body proper the skin should spring right back not tent up (practise on the back of your own hand, tenting indicates dehydration). You should not see stuck shed - especially check the eyecaps and the tail tip. The vent area should be clean and dry. The snake should not have external parasites - ticks or mites. Check carefully as ticks can burrow in quite a lot.

The snake should feel muscular and be able to both grip you strongly when handled and move in a proper manner when put on a surface. The belly area should be clean, dry and have no breaks, sores, discoloration, etc. The mouth should be clean, no discharge, no mucus, no redness, no bubbles and with a clean healthy pink glottis that can easily open and close (that's breathing tube). A handy trick to exam the mouth is to purchase some soft rubber kitchen spatula's (they come in a variety of sizes). Very gently insert the edge of the SOFT rubber spatula into the side of the snake's mouth and slowly twist. This will open the snake's mouth and hold it open for a peek inside. If done properly and carefully this should not damage the snake's mouth or teeth. Make sure to disinfect the spatula afterwards.

The snake should tongue flick as it explores it's environment. Ball pythons can be a nervous shy snake so may often just ball up defensively or can strike at you. As long as the snake is not freaking out, that's fine.

The snake should be able to right itself when you flip it over, even from the balled up position. It should move in an appropriate slither and be in control of it's head (not spinning, twisting frantically, etc.)

It's skin should be unbroken and healthy. Soft to the touch and with no scales angled oddly upwards or outwards.

It should eat, defecate, urate (it will pass both solid and liquid urine), shed, etc. appropriately.

Hope that helps. :)