Picking up a female from CL this weekend...advice?

For $50, I couldn't pass this girl up! I'll be picking her up Sunday, and I'd love some step-by-step advice as far as what I should check for. I'm still pretty new to this hobby, and I want to make sure I don't mess up and get a sick snake! She looks a little thin to me, but I don't know if I'm being overly worried.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Thunderbun/d.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Thunderbun/c.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Thunderbun/a.jpg

I know I should listen for wheezing, what else should I be looking for?

What do you think? Pretty snake, right? XD They don't know her weight, but she is 4.5' long.

She looks a little thin and it seems like she has a stuck eye cap.

You want to check the mouth for any signs of an RI and check for mites.

Make sure you quarantine her away from your other snakes for at least 30 days, 60-90 is better.

You're also going to want to check that she is in fact a she. :)

Thanks, I thought her eye looked weird but I assumed she was in shed. That will fall off when she sheds if my humidity is good, right? XD Definitely going to quarantine. I don't have a rack yet, so everyone is separate anyway. And I'm hoping to get her probed either at one of the local exotic shops, or the (only) herp vet back home.

To check her mouth....I know this is going to sound weird, but how do I get her to open her mouth? XD And what am I looking for, just bubbling?

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Originally Posted by ShockBunny

Thanks, I thought her eye looked weird but I assumed she was in shed. That will fall off when she sheds if my humidity is good, right? XD Definitely going to quarantine. I don't have a rack yet, so everyone is separate anyway. And I'm hoping to get her probed either at one of the local exotic shops, or the (only) herp vet back home.

To check her mouth....I know this is going to sound weird, but how do I get her to open her mouth? XD And what am I looking for, just bubbling?

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The eye cap should come off the next time she sheds, if it doesn't put her in a damp cloth bag/pillow case for an hour and secure it. They usually rub the eye cap off while trying to get out.

To check mouths, I hold their head and use my thumb to pull the bottom lip down a little. You want to look for bubbles, keep in mind they do have saliva so if she struggles a lot it could create bubbles in the saliva, or signs of mouth rot.

Also check the belly for any signs of scale rot or burns. :)

And mouth rot will be that fun chunky gooey stuff, right?

Thanks so much for the help, I feel much more confident now. :)

Yup, mouth rot is the chunky gooey stuff. I've also heard it described as cheesy.

I hope she turns out to be completely fine. She's very pretty. :)

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Originally Posted by ShockBunny

I'm hoping to get her probed either at one of the local exotic shops, or the (only) herp vet back home.

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Make sure you have a plan for "her" if she turns out to be a he. I wouldn't expect the CL poster to be willing to give your money back if you find this out after completing the sale.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Make sure you have a plan for "her" if she turns out to be a he. I wouldn't expect the CL poster to be willing to give your money back if you find this out after completing the sale.

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For $50, I'll take the chance. XD If it does turn out to be a male I'll keep him for a while to get him healthy and get his weight up, then find him a proper home.

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Originally Posted by ShockBunny

For $50, I'll take the chance. XD If it does turn out to be a male I'll keep him for a while to get him healthy and get his weight up, then find him a proper home.

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Sounds like a good plan. :gj:

Pretty snake! Love her blushing and pattern.

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Originally Posted by Charlie And Lucy

Pretty snake! Love her blushing and pattern.

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Thank you! :) It was love at first sight for me. I hope she ends up looking healthy enough in person. I'm so nervous and excited!

Another thing you might do is ask to see the sellers other snakes, if they have any. Look that they are healthy as well.
If any are sick and showing signs of illness, take that into consideration.

Thanks, will do. :)

I always quarantine mine for a week just until i know there's no mites, RI, and they have a good shed I have a sweater box with no holes in it i put the water dish over the heat source and they get a nice sauna bath i did it for everyone over the past month they seem to like it and it makes their sheds perfect just incase they've had a bad shed b4 the 4 i got still had shed stuck to the tops of their spines

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Originally Posted by Atherosdragon

I always quarantine mine for a week just until i know there's no mites, RI, and they have a good shed

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Although the exact length of QT depends on who you ask, one week is definitely not long enough. The bare minimum recommended is a month, and most suggest 60-90 days or more.

looks like an enchi, but nice one for 50!

Here are a couple of vids to show you how to open and inspect their mouths. It helped me out alot...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK0Uv...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ1C-TKIfvc

If the snake is healthy, it is worth the $50. I think it has a nice pattern and blushing... Good Luck :gj:

Awesome, cool videos! Doesn't look toooo hard!

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Although the exact length of QT depends on who you ask, one week is definitely not long enough. The bare minimum recommended is a month, and most suggest 60-90 days or more.

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Agreed - one week isn't truly quarantine.

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Originally Posted by melly911

looks like an enchi, but nice one for 50!

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Definitely not an enchi - but a pretty snake, and will be even prettier once it's fed properly. :)

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Originally Posted by Atherosdragon

I always quarantine mine for a week just until i know there's no mites, RI, and they have a good shed

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:confused::confused: really?? really, one week???:disbelief:disbelief:disbelief:slamhead::slamhead::slamhead:

She is a real looker IF she looks the same in person:gj::gj:

Well, I think the person bailed on me. :/ I emailed her a couple of times this weekend to schedule the pickup and never got a response. Which is weird, because she seemed enthusiastic about the exchange, and really nice. I'll be in that area again in a couple of weeks, hopefully she'll respond by then. For now, I'm assuming this is just a CL deal gone south.

Super disappointed, I was REALLY excited about her. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to find a good deal on such a nice adult female anytime soon.

And now I'm stuck with frozen rats too big for either of my snakes. That'll teach me to prepare ahead of time!

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Originally Posted by ShockBunny

Well, I think the person bailed on me. :/ I emailed her a couple of times this weekend to schedule the pickup and never got a response. Which is weird, because she seemed enthusiastic about the exchange, and really nice. I'll be in that area again in a couple of weeks, hopefully she'll respond by then. For now, I'm assuming this is just a CL deal gone south.

Super disappointed, I was REALLY excited about her. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to find a good deal on such a nice adult female anytime soon.

And now I'm stuck with frozen rats too big for either of my snakes. That'll teach me to prepare ahead of time!

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Never trust people from CL, lol. I can't even begin to list how many deals have gone bad for me on there. People are terribly unreliable.

XD I'll try not to get so excited about it next time.