New BP owner blues

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Originally Posted by Quahog

The reptile basics hydrometer is for sure inaccurate, Acurite is reading 60% and the Basics is still at 72%. Earlier in the week it was reading 55%...so that means it was 45%, YIKES! No wonder she's stuck!

Thank you soooooooo much @SDA :)! I'm going to get supplies to make her a wet hide box :)

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Almost forgot but I think the video touches on it... wet hide is only for when they are in shed. Would not want them to get too humid on their little bellies. ;)

Thank you! :)

I'm no expert by any means but I'd also suggest it was dehydrated ...

I'd be tempted to give it a 25 minute soak in a container that fastens down for safety .
It's not a practice appreciated by everyone but I can virtually guarantee that it will look plumper and healthier immediately afterwards .. nothing lost by trying ..


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@Zincubus - I'm giving her a nice soak as I type this. She's not super happy about it, though she's soaking away in a small container in her tub. :) Thanks for the advice :)

I really appreciate everyone who's given advice and how to adjust my husbandry errors, and with that I have some really good news and some really awful news:

Really good news is, with help,98% of her shed is off, except her head. I may do the snake bag / washcloth trick later, but I'm hesitant because I feel like I terrorized her enough yesterday and...

Awful news, she's probably got an RI. She did a little gasping yesterday, checked her mouth didn't see anything, but her gasps have gotten more frequent this morning and I hear little bubbles popping on occassion. No wheezing, no drooling, but vet time will be this week.

Between funky temps and an inaccurate hydrometer, I thought I was doing ok on husbandry, guess not :(. My computer fan is circulating air near her tub, and I had a fan circulating air as she's being housed on a shelf below a table. I don't know if i need to get a new tub and redo the ventilation holes, if the fan contributed to something negative, if I need to put her in a different location, but I'll ask the vet what I can do different. And of course if you guys have suggestions I'm all ears.

I feel awful that I made so many mistakes, and all my screw ups made her sick :tears:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...hed_128654.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...7/0/cocori.jpg

The stuck/shifting shed on her head could very well be giving her trouble breathing. (obstructing nostrils) You need to get that shed off. Whether you end up going to a vet or not.

Put her in a wet (not dripping) cloth bag or small pillow case. Anything that will keep the wetness on her without drowning her, of course. Make sure she doesn't get to cold. You can also try to rub a very wet/warm wash cloth over her head and then gently try to pull it off. Gently !! You need to get the shed off of her face/nostrils. This may take a while, make sure the old skin is well hydrated before attempting to remove it..

Yes, all this will end up stressing her more, but at this point, you have to fix this before proceeding. Once the shed is off she MAY just stop breathing funny. If not, its time for a vet for sure.

After all this is over with, its time to give her a LONG and good rest before even attempting to feed her. Make sure the temps and humidity are right. Get her away from fans and light. And let her be.

After at least one week of perfect husbandry and complete privacy you can attempt to feed. Do NOT remove her hide for feeding, they usually take food better if they are IN their hide (if they are shy). Just hold the food at the opening. If she doesn't go for it, leave the food in the cage and leave her be overnight. Yes, even thawed food that may get cold. Some snakes, esp. after being stressed, need the privacy to start eating.

Good luck! Hope she will be alright..

Please don't beat yourself up about anything !!

We all make mistimes and learn at the same time ..


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Thank you so much @zina10, this really helped me out, and @zincubus, thank you for the kind words <3.

So I have a lot of really good news :)!

Coco is 100% stuck-shed free! I used the wet cotton bag and warmish paper towel method to help get the stuck shed off of her head. The head was difficult as I wanted to get it to start to come off of her snoot instead of going against her scale grain (which I stopped going against the scale growth once I saw that it would tug on her eye scales going the "wrong" way). I put her in the cotton bag and got her to "push" through the neck of the bag as I used just enough pressure as to where she would have to force her head through the material a little and start the shed in the proper direction. Once I got this going, I took her into the bathroom and used a slightly warm, wet paper towel and very gently went between holding the wet paper towel against the stuck shed, and very gently, rolling the shed back. I mainly used the paper towel to roll the skin off her face, my fingers would slip too much and I didn't want her to jerk her head away violently, which she did a couple times, as she was scared. It was slow going, though I avoided the skin tearing around her heat pits and nostrils, and her little nose was clean as a whistle once the stuck shed came off. Her eye caps came right off and in one piece. She was surprisingly docile, no hissing, no striking! Of course she pulled her head away a lot at first, though maybe she just started feeling less uncomfortable as that stuck shed came off of her head. Worst thing, I think she peed on me, LOL! There was a sudden drip of liquid in a not dripping wet bag XD!

The other pleasant surprise, she didn't gasp a single time as I was working to get the shed off and that was for about 3 hours. I'm going to passively monitor her, though I am still going to take her to the vet in the next week or so to be positive she doesn't have a Respiratory issues. Like zina pointed out, the stuck shed may have obstructed her nostril(s).

I also took the opportunity to line her tub with Aspen since my big issue was humidity and now she'll be able to burrow if need be. I figured one last little bit of stress today is better than stressing her out another time to adjust her home. Hopefully she'll eat next week!

Two questions, she had a poo and wee in her hot hide yesterday morning. There wasn't anything stuck to it and I spot cleaned, should I clean it, or just leave it? Also, the breeder had been giving her live hoppers, should I try that ,or try F/T on her since I'd assume she'll be ravenous at that point?

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate your experiences and knowledge!:hug::hug:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../cleancoco.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../cocoaspen.jpg
Still using the reptile basics for thermometer, though looking to get an Acurite that does temp and humidity.

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Some stress wandering, hopefully will pass as she acclimates.

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Originally Posted by Quahog

Yeah, that's my intial reaction too, Newbie ;) No cooking my snake!

I'm using one of those UTH that looks like a big ol heat tape strip since I'm a bit suspect of the heavy plastic UTH's with fires etc. The chap I bought it from said I "didn't need a thermostat" since they don't draw much electricity. Though glad I got one since I'm not doing the best atm :\.

Ok, took another reading, as you guys went "Uhhhh too hot homie", it read 97. *head desk* Back down we go!

Maybe I should consider a new heat gun!

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Sounds like you have one of those Ultratherm heat pads... I read that everyone in the UK loves them so I thought why not and started out with one of them for my gecko a few years ago. I had the exact problem you are describing and ditched it for a better UTH. Absolutely awful!!!! :no:

Good job !!!

That really needed to come off and that may have been what the breathing problems were all about.

Now, this is completely up to you, but honestly, if this was my snake, I would not take it to the Vet, given that there are no more signs that point to a URI. After all this commotion and excitement what the baby needs is PRIVACY and to relax and get comfortable (safe feeling) in its tub.

While a Vet visit is important for a sick snake, I do not much believe in "checkups" for snakes, unless there is a valid reason. Being that it will be stressful and for now this little one had enough stress. Of course if there is ANY indication of sickness, by all means, a vet visit should be done.

Just one more piece of advice, aspen doesn't really help with low humidity. I've used aspen for years (although far smaller pieces then yours) and it was fine. But to up humidity you need to mist it, and Aspen molds quickly. If you need to have better control over humidity, I find the "coco" substrates far better.

But for now its most important to let the snake come down from all that stress. Given the temps are good, just leave everything be for now. Mist the aspen lightly on one side every so often. NO HANDLING of the snake, other then some maintenance. Offer the most privacy you can. No bright lights, either.

Give it a good week before offering food, or at least a few days. If the snake was on live hoppers, that is what I would start with. You want her started well and good, before you introduce different ways of feeding or a different food item (rats). If she takes the food quickly and problem free, you can always work on switching later.

Get at least 2 good meals into her before you start handling. In the beginning keep the handling sessions short and sweet.

I know its difficult in the beginning. But just think...these snakes can get 40+ years old. You have a TON of time with this sweetheart and doing things the right way now, will pay off and make things easier in the future.

I think you and your baby will be just fine :)