New Rescue's in Horrible Condition!

Wow!

So I picked up a snake on classifieds in Utah. The pics of it were deceiving, and I had my sister pick it up for me, as she was passing through...

It's a 2003 Normal, reduced pattern, with quite a bit of banding. I thought, "at 8 years old, for $40, I could go for that normal". I could tell there was some stuck shed, from the pics, but I had no idea she was this bad!!!!

Shes 430 GRAMS !!!!!! :O :O :O :O She's 4 feet long, too! Wow! She's Skinny! :( Poor girl.. :(

What a pathetic previous owner! Anyway, she has eaten one little pinky for me, so far, (we're low on bigger rats at the moment, due to a massive rat genocide from a malfunctioning heater...). Availability of rats here sucks. I'll hopefully be able to at least get some mice for her tomorrow.

Anyway, she's in a humid, heated tub now, and I hope she does immensely well now. I've really never seen any BP in this crappy of condition.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...rescue_001.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...rescue_003.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...rescue_005.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...rescue_006.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...rescue_007.jpg

wow.. fix her up. I'm sure she'll recover under your care. hopefully no other problems arise


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Xan Powers!

For Love of GODS :O previous Owner Should me put in to justice for Animal cruelty ...:rage::rage::rage:...Poor little Thing.. Hope it will recover under Your care..

I don't understand how people can let their pets get like this. It's obvious she wasn't taken care of at all. I'm glad she has a better home now. I can't get over how thin she is. :(

EDIT: She has a beautiful pattern, I can't wait to see her once you start getting weight on her again and all her stuck shed is gone.

:rage::rage::rage::rage::rage::rage:

Wow that is sad. Start her off slow to get her metabolism back on track. Let her settle in for a while then soak her for the stuck shed. I hope she recovers and does well for you. Keep us posted on how she comes along. I am glad to hear you are taking her in and giving her a good home. Post some pics as she comes back up to normal weight,o would really like to see her progress.

That's horrible, I'll never understand how people can purchase/acquire animals
and then neglect them.:mad: Hope she pulls through, she does look like she'll be beautiful once she's back on track.

Thanks for the comments, all.

It's funny, I got her yesterday, and I'm just now noticing the pattern. I had realized it was reduced, but didn't realize it was so banded! haha, I've been so concerned with how horrible off she is that I never even looked at the pattern. I'll definitely keep you updated on how she's doing.

So right after I got her and checked her out (you'll love this one) I called the lady to complain. I asked her if she'd give my money back if the snake dies, because she's so decimated. She said, "oh, of course. I told your sister she probably needs to eat soon, cause she refused her last meal (a mouse) 4 weeks ago. I think she refused it because she is molting." WHAT?! :O

Then she has the audacity to tell me, "I'm glad she has found a good home. My kids were supposed to be taking care of her, and it always fell on me! We just love her, but the kids aren't taking enough responsibility for it. She's really been a great snake and a great eater. We really do love her."

Ha! As if!

Then I told her (I hadn't weighed her yet) that an 8 year old BP ought to weigh about 5-7 lbs., and that I would be surprised if she was even 1 pound. To which she replied, "Oh, I'm sure she's more than a pound. We had her out all day, cause we knew she was leaving. I had her on my arm, and I'm pretty sure she's heavier than that." Yeah right! 430 grams is under 1 lb.!!!!!

Anyway, again, thanks for the hopes and comments. Hopefully time and care will get this girl healthy.

It's hard not to want to feed her every other day until she looks fatter, but I don't think her system will take it. Slowly, but surely, she'll do better, I hope.

She's pretty, but at that size she looks like a colubrid.. Like a corn snake. Geez how can anyone have any pet without having the least bit of knowledge on their care. I wonder if they treat their children that way too. The number of people who dont have a clue what theyre doing with their pets (whatever the pet may be) and are so ignorant to think that any care is good care is pretty shocking actually. I don't want to sound like an arse but how dumb can anyone get, its so simple to check on the BASIC care of just about ANY pet. 2 minutes of reading. 1 caresheet. THATS IT. May not be the best information, but at least its safe.

Edit: Oh yes and since I'm on this topic, I think pet stores, ESPECIALLY those with chains, are TERRIBLE. Animal cruelty should really check for any crap advice they dish out and charge them for it too. They are definitely the #1 source of bad information, #1 cause of animal abuse due to inappropriate care. 3 pet stores I've been to which have 'certified advisory' by 'certified qualified vets' don't even know the basics of half their own products. Nevermind the shopkeepers and cashiers who are there just for some pay and no interest in animals at all!

Looking at get pics makes me want to cry. I can't believe how some people treat their animals. I am so glad she is not on their hands anymore! She looks almost as skinny as mine, and mine is like 2 months old. I really hope she can be brought to normal size and made healthy. Best of wishes to you and her.

It may be more than just starvation. I would think about starting the poor thing on a round of dewormer. Also I'm no expert on this but what does IBD look like. Anyway, best of luck with him/her.

Poor little darling. Shes beautiful and I am sure will thrive with you. I mean she made it this long on terrible "care". With proper feeding and enclosure she won't know what to do with herself :) Good luck!

Some people just missed the train. Keep us updated on her progress. So happy you are giving her a loving home.

I always marvel at how someone with a ball python who looks like it came out of snake Auschwitz can sit there and tell you that they've given the creature the best of care.

That's pretty damn sad. :tears:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Redneck_Crow

I always marvel at how someone with a ball python who looks like it came out of snake Auschwitz can sit there and tell you that they've given the creature the best of care.

---

:O I know. I would be so furious at the previous owner I would want to harm them pretty bad.
I've never seen a ball python that skinny, and it disgusts me. Poor girl, I'm glad that she has you now, but it makes you wonder: how many other snakes are out there in that condition or worse? :(

Oh my goodness! That poor baby! Hopefully you will be able to get this snake good and healthy again.

Bless her heart, with some good ole' TLC, and some good meals, I believe she'll fatten up, and be a beautiful snake. Props on the rescue, I hope she gets better for you.

I really hope you can fix this lady up!! The very idea that someone can look at that animal, and not be alarmed is absolutely ludicrous!!!

Today I drove my gran to the library, then she wanted to stop at a new pet shop that opened, she wants to get my younger cousin(9 yrs), a gold fish in a bowl, so they can raise it. As I walk in, I see a big bearded dragon in a parrot cage, in thw sun, with no water...strike 1!

I get inside, and the place is tiny, on the counter is a small tank with about 30 beardies(what we call baby bearded dragons over here), minus U.V lighting, and ones tail was bitten in half, still red and raw, no action taken...strike 2...

Then, what caused me to take my gran and her money to a safe distance from that shop, is the fact that the one shop assistant is about 14, one is maybe 15 or 16an and the 14 year old evidently has 70 leopard gheckos that he breeds...He might well have, but the husbandry in that store was so appauling, that he should hand those Geckos over to someone else...

I've got nothing against youngsters keeping reptiles, or working at a pet store during the school holidays, don't get me wrong we need all the participation in the hobby we can get, but honestly, the very least people can do is know what they're doing!!!!

Hi.

Your starting with a small meal was a great idea - I would keep to small, more frequent feedings, at first and slowly move her up to the right prey size as her condition improves.

I would never go more frequent than 3 days between feedings though as that just puts extra strain on her system at a time she doesn't need it.

I would start at feeding every 5 days and see how she does with that. A few soaks wouldn't hurt to see if you can speed up the recovery from the dehydration and loosen some of that stuck shed after she has had some time in the humid tub you have her in. :gj:

Slow and gentle is a less risky way to bering her round to good health.


dr del

Good god! She looks awful. I would do a fecal check on her to make sure there isn't some sort of parasitic thing going on. If there isn't she will gain weight quickly. I also take on rescues and our last case was bad bad bad and they are almost fat now. Even The worst can be brought back with the right care. I wish you guys the best of luck! Go slow and steady and shell be better in no time.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

Poor baby. :rage: I don't think I've seen a BP as skinny as that one... and you could tell by how sunken in she looks how she's extremely dehydrated and probably wasn't taken care of under the proper temperatures if the woman and her kids didn't know what they were doing. :mad:

I'm glad she's fallen into your hands though, knowing that at least she's in the hands of an expert who knows what they're doing. Please keep posting pics of her progress in the future! :snake:

I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert, but I at least understand husbandry pretty well -- thanks to this site.

I'll be continuing with small meals, as she couldn't really even wrap a pinky very well (she's too weak).

The humid tub she's in now has already gotten rid of almost all of the stuck shed. After she eats a few more times, I'll give her a couple good soaks and see if we can get her to get those eyecaps off. I wonder how many layers are there...

It really is appalling how the lady was so surprised that I thought this rescue was skinny! She couldn't believe that my snakes that are the same length are at least 4 times bigger around! She just thought everything was just hunky dory. Wow, really lady?

Slow and gentle is the way I'll go. Just another thing I'll have to have patience on and update when there's significant change. I sure hope that's only 2 months away...in any case, I'll update when she's doing really well, or--heaven forbid--if she doesn't make it. :please:

Thanks guys for all your help and comments.

Poor thing, she's so thin! I can't believe how thin that snake is. That is just horrible. I hope she gets well soon and no further problems arise.

:O

:mad:

:rage:


*goes away to find something to hit*

They can endure a lot, believe me.

My hubby and I rescued a so-called cinnamon that upon first sight I assumed was a baby, it was just as skinny as your girl and I was worried.

When they informed me the snake was 8 months old and ate 1 pinky mouse a month, I became something I can't put it print.

When that pitiful thing came to us at 8 months old, he was a whopping 110 grams, the size of a hatchling. We fed him small meals more often, and he filled out amazingly quick.

Best wishes with your new baby.

Gale

That is truely a sin. The owner should have seriously been reported! ive never in my life seen a ball pyton THAT skinny before! ive seen a couple light weights but that is just abuse.
Thank god you came across that add and saved her... hope she improves for you

Mis-informed or uneducated owners are very prevalent in this industry and is so frustrating to me how little if any research people do on their "pets" and then they end up like this case and I'm sure theres many every year that do not survive and that is a shame. That is why it is so important as responsible keepers,hobbyists etc to educate people. I have refused sales in the past and never hesitate to do so if I felt the would be customer could not provide the proper care , because with me its not about the dollar in my pocket, its 100% the welfare of that animal, Im glad to see this one found a great home:gj:

One thing I do want to mention about refeeding the skinny ones--

A woman I know of from a local site runs a reptile rescue. She received 3 emaciated ball pythons. They were 3-4 years old and each weighed a pound or less. They were so starved it was heartbreaking.

Two of the three did well with refeeding. One poor python died--it's intestines ruptured. That neglected starving snake had used up every scrap of spare flesh in it's body, and some that it couldn't spare trying to cling to life. It wasn't fed "too large" prey when it was rescued--it's intestines were wasted so thin that they could no longer contain or process food. The woman felt bad about the snake that died, but it's simply something that happens and is beyond anyone's control. The snake had already reached a point of no return before it came into her hands.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's good to try to save them, but don't blame yourself or take it that you've done something wrong if they can't be saved. Sometimes an animal's fate is sealed before it comes into our hands. Sometimes the neglect and mistreatment have already done damage that cannot be undone by human means.

It's still wonderful when a neglected animal is given a chance to live. That animal might be just a crappy sick starving snake that isn't worth ten bucks to anyone, but his little life is all that he has, and if someone tries to give it back to him then that particular someone has made our universe a little bit better of a place for living things to exist.

my $0.02

Yeesh. This is as bad as the 11 year old female I got that was 900 grams.
More power to you for rescuing her. Good luck!

I gotten snakes underfed a couple times and they never been too bad but I always fell a lot better when I see them eating their 3-4th meal with easy and start to fill out. they look so much better.
i hope the little one pulls thought and makes a speedy recovery.

"his little life is all that he has, and if someone tries to give it back to him then that particular someone has made our universe a little bit better of a place"

Yeah, we need more people who think like this - kudos, friend! :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iCandiBallPythons

Mis-informed or uneducated owners are very prevalent in this industry and is so frustrating to me how little if any research people do on their "pets"

---

I agree! I am VERY new to Ball Python ownership and before I offered to take him from a friend who needed to re-home him I did hours of research to learn what it's needs were to make sure I could provide a good home.

Here is the set up I made in a 20 gallon aquerium..
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...4/100_5471.jpg


And here is a cabinet I am converting into a more attractive habitat. It will be a centerpiece in the room it will be in...
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...4/100_5555.jpg

It has a LONG way to go before it will be ready!

She's not doing well...

She has eaten 2 pinkies so far, but she seems to be losing energy, and has lost a little bit more weight. She tried a 3rd pinky, but she never could kill it to eat it...so we tried a pre-killed pinky. No luck, as she seems to weak to eat, now.

Anyway, we're not giving up on her. Someone suggested feeding her some egg yolk via a syringe & tube. What do you all think about the egg yolk thing? I don't necessarily see a problem, but I'm no expert. It was a trustworthy source that suggested it, but I wanted to get your opinions here. The egg yolk ought to be easy for her to digest, right?

With her in the 430 gram range, I'm thinking a meal of yolk at 40 grams would maybe help out every 5 days, but I'm not sure.

What would you all assist feed her with? Or would you even assist feed at this point? The biggest reason I'm considering it is that she just seems so weak now. Emotionally, I'll handle it fine if she doesn't make it, but obviously I'd much more prefer she get another chance at a good life. I'm pretty frustrated with the previous so-called owners.

She has shed off most of her stuck shed, except for her thick layers of eyecaps, and a few pieces still along her back. She doesn't have energy to move much, so I've been peeling it off as it starts to hang off of her.

I still can't get over the fact that the previous owners thought their snake was doing just fine!

I have her quarantined in a different building across town (family business). What symptoms would I look for if it may be IBD? She doesn't star gaze, wobble, etc. She just looks emaciated, weak, and starving.

when they're digesting they dont move much. she probly tired herself out getting that shed off...poor thing. :tears:

Maybe try the yolk thought or assist feed something larger than a pink. Keep temps up to help her digest. I hope she pulls through for you. I just rescued a skinny girl from petsmart. Hoping she comes up to weight. Continue to keep us posted on her progress.

Here is a male I picked up a few yrs ago as a rescue from a guy that was keeping it after he found it and another small ball and a baby boa in an abandoned trailor. He took a medium rat with gusto but about two days later when i made my morning check I found him after he had regurgitated the rat and was dead. He was nearly 5ft and couldnt have weighed no more than 400 grams.

http://www.reptilegeeks.com/account/...115701|115702/

I'm not so sure about the egg yolk thing, someone else here did that and everyone said it wasn't a good idea. Hard to digest or something ?

What was recommended is Science diet canned stuff you can get from a vet, I forget the exact name. Or just puree a few pinky's with some liquid and offer that.

It might also be her dehydration is so severe it's making eating difficult. You might consider giving her some unflavored Pedialyte to help her recover. You could make her "pinky shake" with Pedialyte.

I really hope she pulls through for you, but she might be too far gone. Don't give up on her, give her every chance at survival.

I will be anxiously waiting more news.

Gale

We tried 40 grams of yolk.

The pedialyte idea sounds good, too. I just got to get a blender for the pinkies, as my wife would kill me if I use ours....haha.

Omgg scalee rot ? And mouth rot :( that poor little guy needs all types of calcium and vitamin supplaments, previous owner had nooo idea what he was doing, take care of him he needs all the attention he can get

Using the wifes blender to make a pinky shake could be life threatening!! I really hope you can save her, keep fighting the good fight!!!

WOW :O Poor thing :tears: I'm sure in your care with some fat rats and correct husbandry she's going to look amazing in a short time. Good luck, keep us updated please :)

She seems to be doing ok with the yolk. There's surprisingly a lot of nutrients in yolk. Lots of calcium...

Anyway, I'm thinking tomorrow night we'll give her another go.

Holding thumbs!!

I'm glad to hear something seems to be working. I have been hoping and praying that she pulls through for you. I still can't believe that people treat their animals like that. Do you have any pics to show her progress?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ClarkT

She seems to be doing ok with the yolk. There's surprisingly a lot of nutrients in yolk. Lots of calcium...

Anyway, I'm thinking tomorrow night we'll give her another go.

---

Awesome news. Might be a long road to recover considering how long she was abused (yep I said abused). Very happy she is in the care of someone who cares!!

Rep up for u!!!!

But under your tender love and care she grow to be the beautiful ball python you were looking

You her hero now :gj:

Yeah, she has a LONG way to go, but she seems to be gaining a little strength with the yolk feeding. Hoping she does well...

Here are a couple of pics. She still looks emaciated, but most of her stuck shed is gone--at least compared to at first. She has gained about 50 grams since I first got her.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/1/6/3/7/0/032.jpg
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/1/6/3/7/0/025.jpg
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/1/6/3/7/0/028.jpg

For Eris sake... That sunken Belly looks terrible... I swear in you place I'll report that person for Animal cruelty...:rage::rage::rage::censored::rage::rage::rage: