New BP Concerns...

Hello all! I purchased my first BP from a guy off of craigslist, and I have
some concerns as to its condition. I am totally new to snakes so please forgive
my ignorance. From what I was told he has had the snake since January of this
year. Other then that I have no indication of age. He told me when I bought it that
the snake was in mid shed. However from what I've read I believe the snake is stuck
in its shed due to the fact that I have found random skin patches
all over the cage. The snake is housed in a 29g aquarium with a screen top. I have
covered half of the screen top with a towel, and created a hide out of Tupperware with
a damp wash cloth in it. The snake also has an additional hide and a large water bowl.
I have to get a guage to measure humidity but the temp on the warm side is 90 and on
the cool side it is about 78. The cage is heated by a 75w bulb and an uth. The guy was only
Feeding it 1 pinky mouse per week. I'm unsure if that was the appropriate amount or not
But last night I picked up some f/t fuzzy mice from petsmart and it readily accepted one
and gobbled it down. Should I offer another today? I've noticed quite a few wrinkles along
the body and I'm unsure as to whether it is dehydrated or the wrinkles are caused from a stuck
Shed. I've held him/her several times and it is very docile and hasn't struck at all. I'm just wanting to make sure that I provide the optimal conditions for it to thrive. If someone could shed some light on my situation or offer some advice I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
http://s22.postimg.org/gegfye2nl/IMG..._215814438.jpg

First thing first let's address the shed, get an old towel and pillow case, get the towel damped with warm water place it in the pillow case and let the snake slither through the towel in the pillow case for 30 min, once done take him out and remove any left over shed by rubbing him gently with the towel, given the extent it might take a few session.

Second thing is feeding, both pinkies and fuzzies are inadequate in size, hatchling BP which he is not are started right out of the egg on hopper mice and quickly move to adult mice, since I can't tell the size (weight) based on a picture here is what you need to do, offer a prey that is equal the girth size (largest part of your BP's body) once a week or once every 5 days.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

That is an unhappy looking guy there. I think that you are on the right track for recovery though. Here are a couple of things that I can pick out in from the picture. He's definitely in shed, and a bad one at that. In the lower right of the pic I think there is a small area that is new skin. There are a couple of things that can help. Humidity is the big one and you are trying to address that. Use moss instead of wash cloths though. The cloths get messy fast IMO and can hold onto the water. How long has he looked like that? If it's been a bit, there's a sticky on how to help him out. It's titled "stuck shed, no problem" or something like that. He seems a bit thin too. The triangle shape of the body is the giveaway there. General rule is a prey item about the width of the snake's mid section. The numbers 10-15% of body weight get tossed around too. Have any idea how much he weighs? You're right that a pinky is not nearly enough. I bet he'd take a small adult mouse or small crawler rat. I'd offer it tomorrow, but that's just me. Others might have a different or even better opinion. Grab a digital gage for temp and humidity and you'll be good there. A nice cluttered cage with places to hide and he should recover nicely. Just my two cents. Good luck.

Dave

Thank you! I will try the pillowcase method once the snake has digested the fuzzy. Should I at this point offer another fuzzy today since 1 is insufficient? I will get something bigger for next weekend. P.s. sorry for the poor txt formatting Im using my cell phone.

I posted my last reply before I saw yours. I just bought him 2 days ago so I am unsure as to how long he has been like that. Maybe I'll try another fuzzy tomorrow and a crawler next week. No clue what his weight may be but he certainly looks skinny to me. I'm hoping he makes a quick recovery!

I'd probably stick to feeding every 5 days or so. Feeding too frequently comes with its own problems. Just work your way up to a proper prey size and feeding schedule and stick with it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martian

Thank you! I will try the pillowcase method once the snake has digested the fuzzy. Should I at this point offer another fuzzy today since 1 is insufficient? I will get something bigger for next weekend. P.s. sorry for the poor txt formatting Im using my cell phone.

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Right now I would concentrate on the shed and making him comfortable, than leaving it alone for a few days and than I would offer an appropriate size prey.

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Good to know will go that route if feeding another will lead to more issues

Has anyone tried Zoo Med Repti Shedding Aid? I read some reviews on it and a lot of people claimed it works better then water. I couldn't find the ingredients just wondering if it's worth giving a shot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martian

Has anyone tried Zoo Med Repti Shedding Aid? I read some reviews on it and a lot of people claimed it works better then water. I couldn't find the ingredients just wondering if it's worth giving a shot.

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It's a waste of money, for a good shed you just need proper humidity which is not only needed for a good shed but also to prevent health issues.

For stuck sheds like in this case the method I recomended will work and once the stuck shed is gone it will just be about providing proper environment.

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Is your uth controlled by a thermostat?

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Make sure there is a thermostat for the uth. I am so glad this snake is out of the previous owner's hands. Poor guy and good for you.

Oh my god, poor baby. So much stuck shed.

Sounds like you're on the right track with him! Keep us posted. :)

I have the uth unplugged and I just ordered a thermostat off of amazon. I'm really surprised he isn't nippy and cranky because of the condition he is in. I'll post pics later today after I try to remove the stuck shed. I didn't do it yesterday because he had eaten the day before.

I have a 50w light that came with him but since I turned the uth off its not sufficiently heating the 29g tank. I bought a 100w infrared bulb. Is this to big for the tank? Also can anyone tell me where I can get a dimmer switch and how it works? I'm guessing I could find one at Menard's, but I don't know if I have to wire it or they come with an outlet. Thanks

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...e3d32212d8.jpg that what the look light I think they are 10-15 at manards just need to have a probed thermometer to accurately tell the temp. The are used as a get by until you can get a proper t stat.

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Well I did the pillow case with a warm wet towel, and I think I helped some. I can't believe how skinny he is I can feel his bones hopefully with the proper diet he will fatten up a bit. I can't get his eye cap off one of them is off but when I try to touch his head he really gets pissed off. How long should I wait before I try the pillow case method again? Thanks
http://s28.postimg.org/ndjal0dh9/IMG..._141824120.jpg
http://s10.postimg.org/o21ibixux/IMG..._141655536.jpg
Sorry my phone camera is not very good

This dimmer should be sufficient for temporary use until i get my thermostat right? Sorry for all the questions I just want to get everything right
http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/e...freeFormRowId=

Yup I would give it a day or to before trying to the pillow case again..ask as many questions as you need.

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I know some on here may not agree with me (the ones who believe everything HAS to be perfect)... but even the less than optimal set up you are providing is WORLDS better than what he was in, so try to not stress so much :) you should be proud of how quickly you are improving his life, and just try to relax and enjoy him rather than stressing. He will be calmer if you are calmer :)

The dimmer will suffice wonderfully until the thermostat comes in, and then you can use the dimmer for that heat bulb if it is too hot.

He definitely looks better after the pillowcase, and it should be fine to do again daily (possible sooner) until that skin fully comes off. Another option is to let him soak in actual warm water to loosen it, which is what I have done with corn snakes in the past. The best way is to take a Tupper ware container, put enough warm (85 is degrees) water to go 2/3 of the way up his sides, then put him in and cover tight enough to prevent escape with something that will allow some ventilation. Let him soak for 15 to 20 minutes, but keep an eye on the water temp, as it can cool down quite a bit depending on room temperature. After about 20 minutes take him out and loosely hold him with a dry towel and let him slide through the towel while applying little pressure. It might take a couple times to get it all off, but should help tons.

You are doing wonderful, and deserve some serious props for saving the little guy! He will be healthy and gorgeous very soon :)


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So, I know I need to buy a good thermometer but that will have to wait until payday as I'm low on funds after ordering the thermostat. Right now I just have 2 of the circular ones that are cheap and as I've read probably unreliable. I have them placed on the substrate one on the warm side and one on the cool side. After getting the dimmer and putting the 100w infrared light on the cool side is reading 74 and the warm side is reading 93. Do you think I should turn it down a bit? I'd assume since I put them on the substrate that it is reading the temp of the substrate although I'm by no means sure. I'll be able to buy a good thermometer next week but until then it kind of seems like guess work. Also just curious as to whether I should turn on the uth for a brief time after I feed him again just to help him get some belly heat if my thermostat hasnt arrived yet

I would leave it unplugged . a lot of people use accurite thermometer from wall mart I believe they are 15 bucks. They have a prob to set on the hotside and cold side temp along with humidity.

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Wow that's cheap I'll have to see if my local Walmart stocks them. I could easily afford that now. Is this the one http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Di...ingMethod=p13n (edit)on second thought its probably this one
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

I'm going to buy the second one tonight where should place the probe in the hotspot

You will won't to place it on o the bottom by the uth for when its running

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Thanks inside the tank under the substrate or outside under the tank on top of the uth I'm assuming under the substrate

You would be correct. Sound like your going to do great with this guy glad he found his way into ur hands.

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So I have a couple more questions. Firstly, I can't seem to find a suitable way to take the stuck eye caps off of my bp he freaks out whenever I get near his head. I don't really think that I should be using a q-tip because I don't want to risk injury to his eye if it can be avoided if anyone has any suitable alternatives I would certainly appreciate it.
http://s10.postimg.org/9gox3m1s9/IMG..._151132424.jpg

Secondly, I am working on getting the stuck shed off still and am having some success in getting large patches of it off. I'm just curious if these wrinkles are dead skin or if it is something else that needs to be addressed.
http://s13.postimg.org/tgbtsz11z/IMG..._151029927.jpg
Last of all. Since I have got him I have seen no urates or feces in the cage whatsoever. Is this normal? I finally got a good thermometer and temporarily a dimmer switch so my hot side is 90 cold side 82 humidity 56%. He is seeming a lot happier. He never really comes out of his hot side hide though. Haven't seen him drink at all either so I guess I'm wondering if that is linked to the wrinkles due to dehydration or not so much. I've been misting him and he doesn't mind. I will be doing another pillow case treatment tonight to try to get more shed off. Does external moisture in any way help hydrate bp's? Thank you for putting up with my questions I'd be lost without this forum.

I would probably get a plastic shoe box (with lid) and fill it with barely warm water so that it comes up to halfway up his height and I'd throw a washcloth in with him. He'll absorb water through his cloaca and he'll be sitting in water so plenty of opportunity to drink. I'd leave him for 15-30 minutes then gently rub him with the washcloth. I wouldn't touch his eyes at all.