My ball python had a pretty bad belly burn...

So, my ball lucy, had a substantial belly burn from her previous owners. the fools put the UNDER tank heater INSIDE the tank with the snake. so, as you can imagine she incurred pretty bad burns. I took her to the vet and he gave me a round of inject-able antibiotics and some burn cream. It all went away for the most part after her next shed, and now all thats left is a fraction of the dead skin that was there before. I was going to take her back to the vet for a follow up, but he charges 40 bucks. no bueno. so my main problem ( now that you have her background) is that i can not get her to eat! ive tried live, fresh killed, F/T and nothing. she seems more afraid of the mouse then interested in it. its been almost 2 months since shes eaten, and im getting worried. im wondering if it could be that shes just stressed from me poking and prodding her and washing her and what not. so, any ideas? ill give you her set up at the end.


20 gal long tank
1 100 watt heat bulb
zoo med heating pad ( havent been using because of belly burn)
temp on hot side about 90
temp on cold side 75 to 80

I'm sure that it is stress related. BP's can go over a year without eating, so as stressful as it is your BP isn't in danger yet.

Do you have a thermostat for the UTH? (I know that you aren't using it yet...)

no i havent got a thermostat yet. Im in college so im slowly piecing together my perfect tank. i will get one as soon as possible thought. i also need another light for day light simulation. right now im just using natural light. :banana:

ok, well don't use the UTH until you have a thermostat, they can get up to 150+ degrees unregulated.

Don't bother with the thermostats sold in pet stores, they are dusk and not worth your money.

Here is a good one if you are on a budget.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

You really don't need anything more than natural light as far as Day/Night cycling... nor should you drop temperatures at night. (but having one is fine)

BP's in the wild hide in rodent burrows and termite mounds during the day, and come out at night... so they rarely see daylight.

ok thanks. ya ive been using petco for most things. there's a guy there that has a burmese and has been giving me good advice. but i figured i would get better advice on here. I usually keep the light on all the time because it's red and doesnt seem to bother her. its been kind of tough to keep the temp and humidity up because I have her on news paper and paper towels until the burn is completely healed.

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Originally Posted by Sacstate707

im slowly piecing together my perfect tank.

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Sorry, but there is no such creature as the perfect tank. PVC cages are as close as you can get to the perfect tank.

I just want my snake to have the best habitat! :D I have suc a hard time keeping the humidity and the temp just right. If shes not happy I'm not happy!:tears:

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Originally Posted by Slim

Sorry, but there is no such creature as the perfect tank. PVC cages are as close as you can get to the perfect tank.

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I know a lot of people don't prefer tanks, but I don't think its fair to say tanks can't be perfect... My husbandry in my tank is spot on with what it should be and I rarely have to maintain it.... Granted, I will be switching my girl to a tub here shortly because it is more convenient. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abrunsen

I know a lot of people don't prefer tanks, but I don't think its fair to say tanks can't be perfect... My husbandry in my tank is spot on with what it should be and I rarely have to maintain it.... Granted, I will be switching my girl to a tub here shortly because it is more convenient. :)

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Ahhhhhhhh, ok :weirdface

Two very important things in keeping bps, heat and humidity. Glass tanks keep both poorly. Once you go rack, you won't go back.

so in your guy's opinion whats the best set up for my BP? shes really stressed out and i would like her to eat soon.

My preferred choice is PVC cages:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Second place is tubs:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Basics...*DUW*

I use tubs a rack tanks and custom enclosures and commercial enclosures. I don't really have a preference. Tanks hold heat well better than tubs. The rack is the hardest to clean and hard to hold temps in cool rooms. The custom enclosure is designed for my room conditions so it is the best but would not work as well somewhere else. The commercials are the best all rounders. In the end it doesn't matter at all. The best enclosure starts and ends with ONE place the person setting it up. Nothing more, nothing less. A tank can be made as perfect as anything else I have two that are with NO misting and no messing with temps. Glass is easier to clean well than almost anything.

I actually just got my Herpstat 2 today! :)
Now only 4 more weeks until I get my T8 animal plastic cage.

but yea you need a thermostat!

Im not a breeder or anything, and I will probably only have my one BP. I would like to keep her in a glass tank so I can see what shes up to.

That's why I like PVC cages, they have glass fronts for viewing, but hold heat and humidity in much better than tanks :D

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/c22733cf.jpg

How can I get my hands on the one of these pvc tanks?

Good news! an update on lucy she ate a small F/T mouse last night, and a small fresh killed about 25 min ago. So glad she finally ate something!:banana:

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Originally Posted by Sacstate707

How can I get my hands on the one of these pvc tanks?

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http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

http://www.animalplastics.com/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

ok, well don't use the UTH until you have a thermostat, they can get up to 150+ degrees unregulated.

Don't bother with the thermostats sold in pet stores, they are dusk and not worth your money.

Here is a good one if you are on a budget.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

You really don't need anything more than natural light as far as Day/Night cycling... nor should you drop temperatures at night. (but having one is fine)

BP's in the wild hide in rodent burrows and termite mounds during the day, and come out at night... so they rarely see daylight.

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Is this an proportional thermostat?

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Originally Posted by bad-one

Is this an proportional thermostat?

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No the hydrofarm thermostat is an on/off style thermostat.

If you are looking for a proportional thermostat I suggest the Herpstat.

http://spyderrobotics.com/