Snake as a donation

First off, I am fairly new to this site and also being a ball python owner. I have only owned Fibonacci for about two months, but being a science teacher (and now the snake owning science teacher) has led me to owning a second ball python. An ad on Craigslist was brought to my attention about a couple that just had a baby and the Mom refused to allow the Father to keep his six month to a year old BP. This was one of those "sell it by tonight or we are going to euthanize it" kind of situations. I contacted them and let them know a little bit about myself and said that I could take the snake but was not in a position to purchase it since the end of summer is a tight time as a teacher.

Long story short: I now own my second ball python and it is rather thin.

I don't have a scale here at home, but this one is rather skinny (more of a triangular shaped body). There is no UTH or heating device of any kind and it is in a 20g long tank. There is one hide, two climbing branches and two water containers (one large and one small glass bowls). Both water containers were dry as a bone and one was filled with substrate that had been wet and one point and dried in one clump the form of the bowl. There were two shed skins that seemed fairly intact, but were crumpled and dried. There were more than half a dozen pieces of waste strung about the cage. There was also one pretty dried up f/t medium mouse that I was told to having been in there for three days.

As soon as I got him home, I rearranged the tank slightly so that the hide was functioning and not flipped upside-down. I also filled blew out and filled both water dishes. I will be purchasing what is needed tomorrow, but I want to make sure I am not missing something. Thanks in advance for any help.

Good save! Just get it setup right and let it settle in for about a week. If it was me I would try to feed in about five days. If it doesn't eat a f/t I would try live about 3 or 4 days after. If it is that thin it needs some food and I would not want to waste time with multiple f/t attempts. Good luck.

I was going to try and take a picture, but it went right into the hide once I got it set up. If it comes out I will, but I am going to try and leave him alone as much as possible.

good save there hope you keep that bp healty im sure it's in good hands

The odd thing is that the guy said he held the snake often. He liked to watch TV with him. The snake seemed very tame. It was all about interacting with me and wasn't jumpy at all. I guess the guy just didn't feed/water/clean the cage.

he was probably misinformed about feeding. a couple years back we were told that bps ate 1 every 2 weeks and could go up to a month without having to feed.

I'm glad to hear that you saved this snake. Just keep an eye out for mites and RI symptoms. I also agree on trying a f/t but if it doesn't work, offer live. Good luck with the new one, and I good to see pics of him/her soon :)

I will make sure and keep this one QT from the other one. I am thinking one in the Lab (this one) and one in my classroom at school. The rooms are down the hall from each other and the Lab doesn't get much traffic. It came out for a drink so I took a few pictures. The tank glass isn't exactly clean, but I did my best:

Head poking out for some water:
http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=356

Not a great shot, but was trying to show how thin:
http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=355

Looks like my list of stuff to buy for this new snake is:
Hydrofarm Thermostat
UTH
Acurite Thermometer (can't seem to find it on Amazon) This?
Aspen Substrate
Two identical Hides
Water Dish

Thoughts? Should I switch out the bedding? Soap and water to clean the tank or something else? Am I buying anything that isn't required based on what is already in the tank? I wasn't exactly planning on spending $90.

I'd use bleach and water to clean the tank. But you'll have to rinse it to the point where there is absolutely no bleach smell!

That looks like an accurite that would work. Essentially what you need is an indoor/outdoor thermometer with probe that also lists the humidity.

What are minimum purchases from the above list within the week? I get paid Friday, but don't want to make the poor snake suffer.

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I just got that same acurite and it is great. Very simple and does everything you need.

I would give the tank a complete scrub down including everything inside. I like using the natural enzyme cleaners on my tanks. They are animal safe and do a really good job. Definitely change the substrate. I like cypress but aspen will do just fine too.

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You could make some hides for the time being out of many things. A real easy one is just a small thin box with a hole cut in it, think nutra-grain bar box. That water bowl seems to be working as well and you could hold of buying another one.

I would get the uth, tstat, thermometer and fresh substrate first.

I bought the thermostat, UTH and thermometer. I figure the rest can wait. I have substrate left in the pack from a previous purchase.

This weekend I will order a bowl, hides and substrate.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Talae

I bought the thermostat, UTH and thermometer. I figure the rest can wait. I have substrate left in the pack from a previous purchase.

This weekend I will order a bowl, hides and substrate.

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Good job on your rescue! He looks a little thin, but not so much to be worried about him. You definitely bought the most important pieces. You can actually use newspaper or paper towels for substrate for as long as you need to, just mist him occasionally to keep your humidity up. Oh, and cypress is much cheaper than pet store aspen. As far as bowls and hides, you can make those yourself from very cheap sources. Dollar store bowls, small cat litter boxes, and upside-down plant pots/reservoirs make good hides with just an entrance cut out of one side. Just remember, shorter and tighter is better. You can get a ceramic bowl from somewhere like Walmart, or a glass flat-bottom mixing bowl from somewhere like a dollar store. He will probably soak if given the option, but it doesn't have to be big enough for him to soak in, just sturdy enough not to tip.

Good man for rescuing the snake!

Here is the therm I ordered from Amazon. It's working very nicely and just a little less than the one you've linked: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

I made it possible for soaking. I will look into cypress this weekend. Also, thanks for the thermometer suggestion. I changed my order and am having it shipped today.

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In keeping with the mathematician naming convention I started, I think that will name this one Pascal. He is even triangular in shape which is very fitting due to Pascal's Triangle.

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I moved the new snake into a tub in order to clean his tank today. Here are a couple pics of him for you guys to check out while I head outside to clean this tank.

http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=359

http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=358

This is why I don't go on craigslist anymore, good luck! Glad you saved him :)

How do I sanitize the climbing logs?

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Originally Posted by Talae

How do I sanitize the climbing logs?

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I'd seriously consider tossing them, and buying new ones if you really want them. Some people bake wood but I'd still be leery.

I left them outside for now. Maybe I should just toss them so I don't have to stress about it.

After cleaning the tank, I noticed some mold under the larger water dish, but didn't see any mites or ticks or anything. I also haven't noticed any on the snake but I tried to mess with it as little as possible so I haven't gotten a good look at the vent. I don't see anything abnormal in the pit/eye areas.

I'd also consider leaving him/her in the tub for a few weeks in a different room to quarantine it from your other snake. I wouldn't stress too much, just keep an eye out. Like I said, I can't even get myself to go on craigslist anymore lol.

I have baked bark-less logs in the oven before without trouble. 200deg for twenty minutes (once it got to temp). However, this was just precautionary, because they came from a friend. Unless they are really nice logs, I'd probably toss them and get something later - he most likely won't notice the difference. :)

I cleaned the tank he came in and put him in there. The items I ordered should be here this afternoon. I was going to set the tank up and monitor it. I am not set up with a rack system or anything and so am not sure if I can regulate the tub the way I should. My other snake is at the school now and I will keep this one at home. It seems that most people quarantine for 3-6 months. I was thinking a month or so ate home and then transferring him to the school but keeping one in my class and one in the lab for the school year. Next summer they would come home with me.

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Here is a picture of the two logs. One is much more substantial than the other (as in not able to be held with one hand for the picture).

http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=360

The UTH, Thermostat and thermometer arrived today while I was at work. I am now getting ready to set things up. It is killing me to not feed or hold this snake, but I am shooting for a Friday meal since that is when my other snake is due to eat and it is four days after I picked up this new snake.

Look who was out and about when I walked in the door:
http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=361

Guess who ate for me today?

I bought a F/T adult mouse on the way home and Pascal was eager to eat it. The snake actually struck at me yesterday and I attributed it to the hunger. Hopefully I can do some handling in the next week or so.

http://www.worldworksgames.com/forum...ile.php?id=367