Something wrong with my snakes eyes (possible bad shed from before I got him)

So I have my new ball python, been a week nd one day with me, hasn't shed, first feed on friday, no poop yet or anything, some urnates though, just some info on him/her.

I thought I had noticed something with his eyes but obviously I'll need some of you more fine experienced owners to take a look at em.

http://imagesup.net/?di=613726241164

http://imagesup.net/?di=013726243043

Did he retain his eye caps in a bad shed before I got him? (I bought him from petsmart, I know a lot of people don't wanna do this because they want 100% healthy animals but, maybe I saved the guy if he was having problems there) You can kind of see the flash from my camera but ignore that

Hi,

It looks a little more like dehydration at this stage.

What is the humidity like in his tank and where/ how do you measure it?


dr del

I have an Eko terra humidty/temperature guage in there.

I have tinfoil wrapped in cardboard covering 75% of the cage, with a damp cloth on there. I also mist the snake and his enclosure once a day.

Any other suggestiona, or help?

What's the current humidity reading on your hygrometer? Exo-Terra's not known for its accuracy.

It says like.. 15-20% but I can't imagine it that low.. I mist, have it covered with tinfoil wrapped cardboard, with damp cloth nd two water bowls. Probably average room temp, maybe a little warmer

Well, first thing is to get a reliable hygrometer. Something like [this] stuck in the center of the back panel of the tank/tub, or somewhere comparable that you can see it easily. Since it sounds like you're trying to maintain his humidity manually, this is what I'd suggest. What substrate are you using? Things like Eco-Earth coconut husk or cypress mulch can help worlds with humidity because they naturally hold moisture.

I'm using Aspen. I'm going to get an Acurite one as a lot of people seem be be using those digital ones.

I just had him out for a bit (a little soon since he fed 45 hours ago) but he seemed fine. unballed and started to move around some, I misted him and he cant stand it but, needs to be done atm

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I'm using Aspen. I'm going to get an Acurite one as a lot of people seem be be using those digital ones.

I just had him out for a bit (a little soon since he fed 45 hours ago) but he seemed fine. unballed and started to move around some, I misted him and he cant stand it but, needs to be done atm

Hi,

I'd think about adding a humid hide if you can.

I never actually mist the snakes because, as you mentioned, they hate it most of the time. :D

I just spray the substrate around them.

What exactly is a humid hide? I have hides on both sides of his cage nd mist all over

It's simply a hide with something in it to produce higher humidity like damp moss or eco-earth.

It's normally made out of something like a tupperware container with a hole cut in the side and the lid left on to help keep the humidity high.

A humid hide is normaly a hide on the cold side with a moist papertowl or moss. Make sure it's not to wet tho.

Could I try dabbing his/her eyes with a wet qtip? or cotton ball?

I have the carboard wrapped tinfoil l now, a bigger water bowl + her small one + I mist in there. it still only says 15-20% so this has gotta be wrong..

her eyes look almost dry.. even though I do everything I've been told minus the humdity hide atm. I even gave her a warm bath for a few minutes even though she didn't seem to like it at all, kept trying to get out.

Hopefully I didn't stress her out so much it causes a problem...

Get a humid hide put together, definitely. And for the next time you bathe her, in a few days or so, just set her up in a tub with a lid on, with tepid water about halfway up her body. She'll not be pleased and try to climb out, but it's a case of keeper-knows-best here, lol.

Also, don't dab at her eyes with anything. It's likely to cause more harm than good. Just utilize your resources, invest in an Acurite from Walmart, and you'll get things right in no time. =]

a normal hide doesn't work by just adding damp paper towl? or do I have to make the special one and cut a whole in it so it has the lid and what not? Should I replace her current hide then?

Making the humid hide following the template is your best bet, although depending on what type of hide you have now, it could work-- I've made a very temporary humid hide that way in the past. As far as actually replacing one of his hides with the humid hide, maybe someone else can chime in.

yeah, if you go here http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-set-up/page2

ull see that I don't have a ton of room for a third hide, because its a 20 long tank atm since shes still under a year old, and I still have to add more decor to make her feel safer.

Well, don't worry too much about decor while you're still trying to get her husbandry right. For the time being, include the humid hide, and if there's still too much open space for your taste, you can always crumple some newspaper and scatter it to provide yearling-sized nooks and crannies.

You can always redecorate once your have her conditions correct.

Alright :) thanks for the info. will deff get on that. a bit off topic but...

I hope I didn't stress her to much, I had her out for a bit nd tried to give her a bath cuz of her eyes which she didn't like and then held her for 10 mins after that and put her back then realized that the a thermostat came in the mail that somebody from this site sent me and I took her back out to lift her tank up to get up the prob and everything. shes back in there now but just sitting there, didn't even go to her one of her hides or anything =// they can't die directly from the stress can they? its more they stop eating nd stuff like that, right? sorry for being such a worry wart. just hope shes okay

Heh, she'll be fine. Just getting reoriented. Maybe give her a few days before handling her again, just to give her time to relax. How new is she again?

they didn't say exactly how old when I got her, under a year though according to petsmart ( i know a lot of people don't like to buy from there but I was new to snakes and BP's so.. figured I'd maybe save a snakes life getting em from there) I've had her for a week and 3 days now.. she ate on her 6th day with me. hasn't pooped or shed yet but has urnated and seems pretty active when she feels like it.

Alright, I'd definitely give her a few days to relax again. Keep half an eye on her, but I'm sure she's just confused.

And, to recap:
Install a Humid Hide
Bath her in several days, tepid water covering her flanks, and you can put a lid on as long as it's not airtight-- they don't use much oxygen anyway. Leave her in for 30 minutes or so, you can place the tub on top of her hotspot to keep the water at a good temp.

This will increase her hydration level and humidity.

Let us know how she's doing in a few days!

Thanks for all the help! deff have some things to do and upgrade next paycheck :)

I'll mention this since no one else has yet; when she goes into shed next time, do NOT soak her. You only want to soak AFTER a bad shed if you need to help get bits off of her. Soaking prior to them shedding can actually make it worse, since it pulls the natural oils out of their skin that help them shed.

I can't see the picture you first posted, but even if it was retained caps, unless her eyes are swollen or have discharge, I would leave them alone. If you can get the proper humidity levels when she goes into shed, they'll come off on their own. Proper humidity all the time is 50-60%, and when you first noticed them getting cloudy, bump it up to 70%.

I would go to Walmart and get an Accurite indoor/outdoor thermometer. It has a probe to measure the hot spot, and you can put the unit itself on the cool side to measure that side's temp as well as humidity.