Small bump on baby cb hatchling..plz help

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS PYTHON CB FROM A BREEDER. I CANT SEEM TO GET HIM TO EAT, I JUST REMOVED A TICK FROM THE FLAP AT END OF TAIL, AND THERE'S A SMALL BUMP ON HIS SCALE.. PLZ HELP ILL UPLOAD A PIC. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_5739.jpg ALSO HE STAYS UP ALL NIGHT RUBBING HIS NOSE ON THE MESH TOP ON HIS CAGE. HIS NOSE LOOKS A LITTLE RAW. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_8263.jpg

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Originally Posted by siah

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS PYTHON CB FROM A BREEDER. I CANT SEEM TO GET HIM TO EAT, I JUST REMOVED A TICK FROM THE FLAP AT END OF TAIL, AND THERE'S A SMALL BUMP ON HIS SCALE.. PLZ HELP ILL UPLOAD A PIC. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_5739.jpg ALSO HE STAYS UP ALL NIGHT RUBBING HIS NOSE ON THE MESH TOP ON HIS CAGE. HIS NOSE LOOKS A LITTLE RAW. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_8263.jpg

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i would take him to a vet to give him a complete checkup.and by the way what type of enclosure do you have and what are your humidity levels and temperature ?

Hello, and :welcome: to BP.net.
The bump may be a scar from a previous rodent bite if he was being fed live prey. There is a skin condition that they can sometimes get, but I haven't heard it mentioned recently, so I'll have to do some research.
The excessive nose rubbing could be a sign of stress. If you could post a photo of the eclosure and answer the following questions, it would help.
-What size of enclosure is it?
-What are you using for heat, and how are you controlling it?
-What are your current temperatures and humidity, and what are you using to measure them?
-How long have you had the snake?
-How many times have you tried to feed it and how often?
-What do you have inside the enclosure as far as hides, bedding, etc?

Will be posting pic of enclosure now. thx for the help BTW
i use a UTH on one half of the tank 24/7. i have the red inc. light on only between the hrs. of 7PM-6:50AM. the towel is to help keep the heat and humidity lvls balanced. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_3343.jpg http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_1205.jpg http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_6943.jpg

What size of enclosure is it?
IDK the exact size...i uploaded a pic of it though.

-What are you using for heat, and how are you controlling it?
I use a UTH on one halfe\ and the other half is sometimes heated by a 13W red inc. light bulb

-What are your current temperatures and humidity, and what are you using to measure them?
I uploaded a pic of the humidity and temp. measurements + the instrument used.

-How long have you had the snake?
Ive had the snake since 1/23/2011

-How many times have you tried to feed it and how often?
Ive tried to feed him every Monday night since I've gotten the snake. I force fed him a pinky on 2/20 and today 3/5.

-What do you have inside the enclosure as far as hides, bedding, etc?
i have 2 boxes for his hides, and water bowl. pic uploaded

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

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Originally Posted by siah

What size of enclosure is it?
IDK the exact size...i uploaded a pic of it though.

-What are you using for heat, and how are you controlling it?
I use a UTH on one halfe\ and the other half is sometimes heated by a 13W red inc. light bulb

-What are your current temperatures and humidity, and what are you using to measure them?
I uploaded a pic of the humidity and temp. measurements + the instrument used.

-How long have you had the snake?
Ive had the snake since 1/23/2011

-How many times have you tried to feed it and how often?
Ive tried to feed him every Monday night since I've gotten the snake. I force fed him a pinky on 2/20 and today 3/5.

-What do you have inside the enclosure as far as hides, bedding, etc?
i have 2 boxes for his hides, and water bowl. pic uploaded

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

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one thing i can tell you is that he is very stressed out from the force feeding and you should try to leave him alone foe a couple of weeks and not handel him or try to feed him.

I will leave him alone. but it seems like thats the only way he eats. i put the pinky in his mouth and let him swallow it. otherwise he just asks as if he has never eaten a mouse in his life. I may hold the pinky w/ tounges in front of him ,while shaking it gently, to try and provoke a strike. he may move towards the mouse, sit and look at it, then turn sharply away from it. this feeding method worked great w/ my kingsnake.

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Originally Posted by siah

I will leave him alone. but it seems like thats the only way he eats. i put the pinky in his mouth and let him swallow it. otherwise he just asks as if he has never eaten a mouse in his life. I may hold the pinky w/ tounges in front of him ,while shaking it gently, to try and provoke a strike. he may move towards the mouse, sit and look at it, then turn sharply away from it. this feeding method worked great w/ my kingsnake.

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try offering a larger pray and warm it up maybe that might help.or maybe offer live to try to get him to eat then try to switch to frozen

I have some regular sized mice. i tried them at first and he wouldnt eat them either. When i get a ride i will try to find a place that sells live. Itll be hard in the small town i live in.

Yeah let him rest a bit and leave him be for a week or so,i bet he is prob really stressed.
The hides you have are also to big,you want a hide that he can barley fit into to feel safe and secure other wise he will still feel venerable and unsecured in the hides which could lead to stress and him going off feed.

What you are using to measure your temps is most of the time inaccurate so your temps may be way hotter or colder then what you think,he may be trying to escape from extreme heat of the enclosure(just a guess),the general and accurate way to go is with a digital probe thermometer or infrared temp gun. If your humidity gauge is right then it is to low you need 50% - 60%.

You also want two thermometers,one for the cool side and one for the warm side to measure your temps on each side,whose to say there is just a 2f difference.

Have you tried feeding live? Judging from what some one else has posted about what the bump may be then,maybe the snake was only feed live where he came from,so try live just keep a really close eye.

I am no expert so take what i say as a rough guess.

Still waiting from a reply from Vypyrz...... plz

based on thepics it looks like using a heating pad as under tank heater( if so what set to ) also watch it there are some that will only run for x hours at a time.
also Those boxes are way to big find some plastic smaller bowls ( like for little kids and cut a door into them. )

Ok. I found a couple of threads on bumps and skin conditions. Here is one quote from the first thread, in particular, concerning ticks:

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

Parasites: besides ticks and mites, there are various endoparasites which live part of their life cycle inside the host, and then migrate outwards, through organs and tissues, to form small nodes or bumps under the skin, which may or may not create exudates or crusts. The parasite does cause an irritation, which, when in its usual host, will cause the host to rub up against something to 'scratch the itch'. This serves to break open the already inflamed skin, freeing the parasite to move on to its next stage. With the lack of proper quarantine and generally filthy conditions endemic in the pet trade, animals - and humans - are coming into contact with, and playing host to, parasites which don't normally inhabit them. This can result in a parasitic nodule sitting under the skin, causing an inflammatory reaction. If not removed properly, it can cause stress, leading to infection...or infect the human who carelessly picks at it.

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And here is the full thread:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...skin+parasites

The refusal to eat could be caused by parasites or environmental stress caused by lack of security. Some things you can do to help this are:

-get some smaller, more secure hides. The hides should be just big enough for the snake to fit in. You can use smaller boxes, or plastic bowls from the dollar store or Wal-Mart with a hole cut/melted into them, or you can purchase some hides at stores or online. If you can't get anything other than the boxes you have, then I would suggest adding some balls of crumpled up paper inside them to fill in some of the space.

-Heating. I strongly recommend getting a thermostat to control the Under Tank Heater. When used unregulated, they can and often do get hot enough to burn a snake. A good basic thermostat is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1529683&sr=1-7

If you can't get a thermostat, a rheostat or lamp dimmer switch from Lowes or Home Depot can also work.

Also, you should get either a digital thermometer with a probe or a temperature gun to monitor the temperature of the Under Tank Heater. Most pet stores will usually some, but, if you need, I can post up several websites where they can be ordered.

-I also recommend covering three sides of the tank. This will make it seem less "open" to your snake. Black construction paper or dark colored poster board is cheap and easy to tape on. I have also seen people use contact paper and aquarium scenery.

-It will help raise your humidity up some if you cover most of the top of the screen lid with aluminum foil. You can also use something like plexiglass or something similar. Here are a couple of threads on different ways that people have done theirs:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...p-w-pics-*DUW*
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial

-Feeding. Pinky mice are usually too small for Ball Pythons. Either mouse hoppers or large rat pinks are probably what you should be looking at. If you have been trying to feed frozen/thawed, then try offering a live prey. If you can, contact the breeder you got him from and find out what they were feeding.

Hopefully this will help some.

As mentioned, you need to get something to control the UTH. Second, get a digital probe for the hot side (and for the other if you can). Third, smaller hides. Your snake is probably really stressed right now and isnt eating for that reason.

Ok, thanks for all the help you guys. I will start searching for the correct sized hides today. What do you recommend my Temp. and Humidity stay at?

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Originally Posted by siah

Ok, thanks for all the help you guys. I will start searching for the correct sized hides today. What do you recommend my Temp. and Humidity stay at?

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ambient 80
hotspot 90
humidity 50 to 65 percent

OK, i have found smaller hide spots but he doesn't want to go inside of them.
I left them in over night. Does he need more time to adjust maybe?

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Originally Posted by siah

OK, i have found smaller hide spots but he doesn't want to go inside of them.
I left them in over night. Does he need more time to adjust maybe?

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what kind of hides are they and can you take a picture? check your temp inside the hide ,maybe its to hot in there .

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Originally Posted by siah

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS PYTHON CB FROM A BREEDER. I CANT SEEM TO GET HIM TO EAT, I JUST REMOVED A TICK FROM THE FLAP AT END OF TAIL, AND THERE'S A SMALL BUMP ON HIS SCALE.. PLZ HELP ILL UPLOAD A PIC.
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_5739.jpg ALSO HE STAYS UP ALL NIGHT RUBBING HIS NOSE ON THE MESH TOP ON HIS CAGE. HIS NOSE LOOKS A LITTLE RAW.
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_8263.jpg

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Here ya go, good luck!

Jim Smith

I would suggest a trip to the vet or at least taking a fecal in for the vet to check. Stress could be a factor, but I would be concerned about parasites. I have never heard of a CBB baby with ticks.

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Originally Posted by siah

Will be posting pic of enclosure now. thx for the help BTW
i use a UTH on one half of the tank 24/7. i have the red inc. light on only between the hrs. of 7PM-6:50AM. the towel is to help keep the heat and humidity lvls balanced.
http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_3343.jpg

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_1205.jpg

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_6943.jpg

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Here ya go again!
Good Luck!
Jim Smith

Hi,

Everyone seems to have covered all the husbandry advice I would have mentioned but I still had to post just to say I like the message you wrote on the tank. :D :salute:

Oh and yes it takes them time to settle back into their enclosures when you change things even when the changes are for the better.

So stick with the new hides and cover the sides and back of the tank then let him chillax for a week or so to get used to it. :gj:


dr del

Here is a pic of the hide boxes im considering using. Most likely the 2 all black ones. Any suggestions would be appreciated. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_8251.jpg

Hi,

The two on the left should be fine. :gj:


dr del

Agree with everyone on the husbandry issues. Baby BPs generally roam all the time and dont eat when they are stressed. Couple tips that may have been mentioned already. Leave him alone until hes eating atleast three times on his own... as in only pick him up to weigh him, or inspect him (quickly) or to clean his enclosure until he has eaten three meals on his own. Also nobody mentioned any weights at all. When I have troubled eaters, I attempt to feed them once a week, with live prey that is the same as what the breeder fed them. If they dont eat, I leave them be till next week, but I will also get a weight to monitor weight loss. I am not sure how big your snake is by the pics, but concerning weight loss really depends on the size of the animal. If you are having trouble finding live prey, putting an add up on Craigslist for live feeders may help although you will prolly get flagged or hear from the people on Craigslist that are sooooo against live feeders. I always say frozen feeders were alive at some point. Also when I purchase something from a breeder, I keep in touch with the breeder re the snake because they may have some tips for you also.

Thanks to all your suggestions!!!! Heres his new habitat. http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_0937.jpg Will be leaving him completely alone for maybe 3 wks. to settle in. Then ill try and feed him. Hopefully w/ these changes he will feel more secure and eat. Put up printer paper colored black around 3 sides to limit visibility. Thanks for all the help and i will keep this post updated or make an UPDATE post. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!! :D

Continue to offer him appropriately sized meals every 5-7 days, just don't handle him, or disturb him other than for cleaning.

He seems a lot more secure and comfortable since i fixed his environment. Haven't attempted to feed him yet. Trying to give him some time to settle in. hopefully he will eat!!! Thanks again for all the advise!!! :banana:

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Originally Posted by siah

He seems a lot more secure and comfortable since i fixed his environment. Haven't attempted to feed him yet. Trying to give him some time to settle in. hopefully he will eat!!! Thanks again for all the advise!!! :banana:

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Good luck, keep us updated :)

I'd do a vet trip sometime soon. As a cb breeder im concerned that that baby came with a tick. I've never seen ticks on cb babies. You had said you had one side heated by a uth and the other side heated by a red lamp. Put both heating elements on the same side. You need a distinct hot and cold side. You should have at least the uth on a thermostat. They get super hot and with no distinct hot/cold side that could be why he's stressed. The tank or his hides could be far too hot. That's the stuff I saw really hadn't been covered yet. I hope this helps.
Morgan