It is time

We'll I suppose it is time for me to post. I have had my ball python mocha I believe since the day or day after signing up for these forums. I ended up with two and took one back lol.

He just recently had his first shed with me. It went great. Except now I believe he has a RTI which I would assume was from me trying make sure the humidity stayed up durin his shedding process. So question

1 . What do I so since my snake makes a very faint wheeze or popping sound almost. I have stopped misting all together and have been monitoring his breathing. Seems like it has gotten better the last couple days. Would this be a viable solution?

2. My girlfriend and I are rescuing two more ball pythons tomorrow. One is a normal female and one is an unidentified morph that I'm sure I will be posting about. I might be able to snag a picture from Facebook not sure. But my question with those two are. One is male one is female. They have lived together since they were brought home. I believe they are roughly 2 -2 1/2 years old.

I know it's generally not a good idea to house them together for dominance issues and so on. But I'd really like to see if they would breed. It would be awesome to have some babies runnin around lol.

So how old are they when they start to breed usually and if it hasn't happened yet other than the possibility that they are both males or both females when would it happen or anything extra I could do to help. I am just tryin to be the best python owner I can be. I love my snake will post a couple of mocha here as we'll :).


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These were the only two pics I could find of the two we are getting tomorrow if you know what the morph of the on clutching the mouse is would be great haha. I know they are bad pics I will post more later today when we go get them. http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...86c7f91967.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...fb8b3af102.jpg


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I hope you are planning on placing the two new ones in a different room for awhile(30-90 days). Its called quarantine(QT). If they are not sick the one you have may be and could make these two sick.

Housing them together can be done but it is not generally advised. The male will need to be separated so he doesn't kill himself trying to breed. I think you have a lot to learn before you even start thinking about breeding right now.

Was this clicking only before the shed? If so it could have been caused by the up coming shed.

If it is RI we need more info. What are the temps you have been providing? What kind of thermometer are you using to track them? If it is an RI you really should plan on a vet visit to get a culture done so it can be properly treated.

It appears the 2 you are picking up are under weight. I would let them settle a week (in quarantine and preferably in separate enclosures) then make sure they are kept on a strict feeding schedule(weekly would be good) I would also try switching to rats snice a 2 and a half year snake needs more than one mouse at a feeding. Both also appear to be normal in those pics.

The one holding the mouse is a pastel. It those snakes are as old as you say they are, they have a long ways to go before you can even think about breeding them. Female Ball Pythons need to have a decent weight to them, I do not breed any of my females unless they are over 1500 grams.

ok i appreciate the responses.

KMG

First the temperatures and the humidity levels of mocha.

i usually keep the light on 24/7 for a constant temperature. stays right around 84.9 with 18 % humidity unless i mist then humidity rises between 40%-%50% with a temperature of roughly 79. for the hots and for the colds no where below 72 degrees. im using and exo terra digital hygrometer.
The clicking is still going on after shed. And im not exactly sure what it is im looking for advice i was thinking of going to the vet but again wont have the funds for a couple weeks.

the two were going to be housed together. and my mocha is still gonna be in its cage by him or her self.. lol but they may now be in the same room even in different tanks? thats just the way it sounded. excuse me if i misunderstood haha.

ChrisPar

You think it may be a pastel? i will be posting pictures as soon as i get ahold of him to go get them so i can try to get a better one of the color :)

Shaneswife828

thse are the only pictures i could find of the snakes on this persons facebook.i believe the pictures them selves are roughly a year to a year and a half old or so. i am planning on getting them on the same feeding schedule as mocha which right now he eats 2 full grown mice every 2 weeks.

18% humidity is way too low. Should be more like 50 all the time 60-70 for shedding. All those snakes should be housed separately, especially the two you think are male/female. The two you're "rescuing" should be in a different room if possible to follow qt. You're definitely not ready to be breeding if you're not even confident in your husbandry for your current animal.

Heat lamps suck, especially leaving them on 24/7. They dry out the air, and bps are nocturnal... so prefer darker.

Pictures are tough to tell color so I'm not going to comment on morphs.

i agree heat lamps suck.... and agree its too low he has the water bowl with him and its roughly about 1/3 of the cage and doesnt help with humidity.. that's why i was misting to raise humidity for his shed but i though i had misted too much and gave him a RI. but im not sure. i havent had him out today to see if it is still persisting.

i agree im not ready to breed there is a lot that i need to read and a lot that i need to learn to get it down. i added moss in the terrarium to help bring humidity up but like i said i haven't been misting lately because im trying to get some advice.

fair enough on the morph. i will have better pics hopefully later tonight. and i can put them in another room.

Include a few photos of your current setup as well. I'm sure people would have a few suggestions for helping keep the humidity up. Is it a screen top tank?

Edit: may be worth looking into a CHE or red bulbs that may be less disruptive to the snakes at night? Or some flexwatt or heat pad and a hydrofarm thermostat can be had for around $35 total plus shipping... would help with light and humidity.

Here is the set up has a red night bulb. http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...25ec8d6602.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...8594716bfe.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...fbc27027fd.jpg


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i took one of the hides out last week because of shedding and wanted to give him a bit more room.

You can get a "versa top" from petco or petland to help with your humidity issues. I think it's best to find separate enclosures for all of them. Why don't you get a couple of locking tubs from Walmart? Cheap enough start to at least solve the cohabitation issue also?

i was already thinking about building a 3 tier snake rack.

Are you sure you're ready to get two more snakes? It sounds like you may not be properly set up for them yet. I don't mean to offend you, but I would make sure your current snake is being perfectly taken care of before you get more (humidity: 50-60%, temps: 75 cool-90 warm), especially if you suspect an RI. I would avoid rescues at this point to be honest. That's going to be a lot of work, and it's best not to rescue an animal before you are completely comfortable with the species. :)

well i just had mocha out and didn't hear anything on the side of a wheezing or popping sound. but im still going to monitor it for the next few days. and really for the offer that we got for them don't want to pass it up. im pretty comfortable with mine and usually like i said i keep humidity up in his environment just fine but i dropped it to try and dry it out completely before continuing to mist lightly to hep with humidity. but right now the snake seems fine active and happy. steady eating habits. and a nice shed. i just kinda tweaked out when i thought i may have heard something coming from the snake.

There was no offense taken. i know i have alot to learn and that all come in time and research trial and error.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tvpthemvp

i agree heat lamps suck.... and agree its too low he has the water bowl with him and its roughly about 1/3 of the cage and doesnt help with humidity.. that's why i was misting to raise humidity for his shed but i though i had misted too much and gave him a RI. but im not sure. i havent had him out today to see if it is still persisting.

i agree im not ready to breed there is a lot that i need to read and a lot that i need to learn to get it down. i added moss in the terrarium to help bring humidity up but like i said i haven't been misting lately because im trying to get some advice.

fair enough on the morph. i will have better pics hopefully later tonight. and i can put them in another room.

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Snakes can be addictive; I've seen a lot of people go from one snake to many in a very short timespan only to find out that they can't or don't want to handle that many animals for the next 30 years. Just be sure you know what you're getting yourself into, as it sounds like you're pretty new to this.

Are you SURE you gave him an RI by misting? Was there just minor popping and clicking? Was the snake's mouth gaping? Actual wheezing? Mucous or other discharge from the mouth? Was a vet consulted? I ask all these things because minor popping and clicking isn't uncommon before a shed, and a few days of high humidity shouldn't cause an RI if other husbandry factors are on point. 18% humidity is way too low, so shoot for 50-60% normally and a bit of a boost right before a shed. How are you measuring humidity? Some of the petstore gauges are just really inaccurate and I feel like you might have one of the poorer quality ones based on the readings you're getting...
Sphagnum moss will help raise humidity. Just keep an eye on it because it has a tendency to mold.

I agree with the others who have said the two you're getting need to be separated.

As far as quarantining the newcomers, a good QT period is usually 90 days in a separate room without using any of the same equipment (like tongs) between your new snakes and the one you've already got, and washing your hands well between touching anything for the new snakes and old ones. If no one is acting unhealthy at the end of 90 days, you can move them into the same room. If the one you've already got turns out to have an RI, you should ideally start the quarantine period over again once he's been treated to avoid him spreading anything to the new snakes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tvpthemvp

well i just had mocha out and didn't hear anything on the side of a wheezing or popping sound. but im still going to monitor it for the next few days. and really for the offer that we got for them don't want to pass it up. im pretty comfortable with mine and usually like i said i keep humidity up in his environment just fine but i dropped it to try and dry it out completely before continuing to mist lightly to hep with humidity. but right now the snake seems fine active and happy. steady eating habits. and a nice shed. i just kinda tweaked out when i thought i may have heard something coming from the snake.

There was no offense taken. i know i have alot to learn and that all come in time and research trial and error.

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Alright, glad you weren't offended. Just triple check with yourself that you can handle this, and you can care for them for the next 20+ years. If you have any doubts, think about whether you're really ready for this. I just want to be sure that you are really ready for this, as any animal deserves a perfect home.

If you do go through with this, be very careful to keep husbandry spot on for them. Be absolutely sure to quarantine them in a different room in separate enclosures for at least three months. Change your clothes before going back to the room with Mocha in it. Wash your hands up to the elbows. It pays to be careful with quarantine.

To help with your humidity problems:

-try blocking the screen top with foil, cutting out a circle for your lamp and leaving an inch or so on each end for ventilation
-stuff moist sphagnum moss in the corners and re soak it anytime it dries out
-try a different substrate. I liked the results I got with coco coir in my old tank

I think somebody said this already, but I think you should consider waiting to bring the other two snakes home until you can get your care figured out. If Mocha has an RI, it's more likely from the humidity being too low than from misting. Where ball pythons come from in tropical Africa, the humidity is usually in the 80s. 50% is the minimum. 18% is harmful.

Also, make sure you fully understand this whole quarantine business and take it seriously. If you can't afford to go to the vet for one sick snake, imagine how you'll feel when it spreads and all three need vet care.

From what I can see, head blushing and eye color looks to be pastel. Looking at the second pic with the distorted coloring, you can see the snake has a two tone side pattern, another pastel marker.