Help Help Help!!!!!!!!

I have a female ball python that i have had for a couple of months and she is about 4 years old i have had her caged with a male ball python that is about 3 years old for about 4 or 5 months now. Now here is the problem. I came home from work this morning and the female is lying with her lower half upside down, and her upper half like normal but her vent is pretruding about a 1/4 of an inch open. She also just started to shed about 3 or 4 days ago and almost done. She also sets with here mouth partialy open every once in a while. Anybody know what is going on? Is she gravid or sick?

i think that the laying with back half upside down is a sign of gravidness, but i dont know about the vent thing you're talking about, or the mouth open thing, she could be sick and gravid.

i noticed in your post, it said that she had started to shed, and should be done some day soon. does that mean it isnt coming off at once? if so, it should come off all in one piece, raise humidity and soak it. or do you mean that it went blue and cleared up, and should shed soon? either way raise the humidity.

I am no Pro but my best guess is a possible RI - regardless she needs to see a vet as soon as you can get her there IMO. A good site to find a herp vet near you is http://www.arav.org

I totaly agree with Jonah get that girl to a vet as soon as you can. I would consider seperating the two just incase its something contagous and also as not to cause undo stress to the female. If she is gravid you have quite a time on your hands. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

I don't know whats causing the mouth problem....but everything else sounds like a sign of potentially being gravid.....are you 100% sure you have a male & a female?

When she has her mouth open, is her head elevated? Have you noticed any wheezing sounds or any liquid around her mouth or nostrils? If so, she probably has an RI.

Lying with the lower half of her body belly-up is a sign of being gravid.

The open vent puzzles me unless she's getting ready to either poop (which usually goes along with shedding) or lay eggs.

IMO its an RI that has progressed beyond the intial stages. That is at least what I can tell you from my experiences with BP. Here is a piece of advice that you should take from everyone. Take her to the Vet ASAP! Good luck!

When she shed it doesnt come off in one piece but in a bunch of pieces over 2 or 3 days. She doesnt have any liquids coming out of her mouth or nostiles so i dont think it is IR. I think she is gravid but i am going to take her to the vet and find out what is going on. I am getting ready to seperate the 2 balls once i get the other tanks set up tomorrow. Also here vent is now closed it was only opened up for a little while.

Sounds like you're going to be a papa. congratulations. Now would be a good time to split them up and get your husbandry fixed so that she can shed in one piece as she should every time.

Do they open their mouths when they are gravid?

Not as far as I know, but if she's not bubbling yet or wheezing, it could well be an RI in the early stages that can be stopped with proper husbandry. A trip to the vet is never a bad idea when there's possibility of RI, though.

thanks for all your help. i will be taking her to the vet on monday and i am going to seperate the male today when i get home.

In the meantime, you may want to raise the temperatures in her enclosure a bit, just to be on the safe side in case she is in the early stages of an RI. You can read more about that under the "Medical Help" section of this website.

Glad to hear it. Let us know what the vet says. :)

sounds very much like a "possibly" gravid female with a small case of RI the vent being open is a good indicator that she is still receptive to breeding and may or may not have ovulated as of yet typically females dont bask inverted untill they have allready ovulated but they do it on occasion