Omigosh...I need help

I just adopted a ball python. The owners said they'd had it for 6-7 months and were feeding it pinkies and fuzzies! It looks so thin and pathetic. I grabbed it and ran. It has a lot of retained shed on its head and I'll try and get some pics. My question is should I soak him/her first or let em settle in first. There is fecal material in the cage should I take that into the vet or wait for fresh ones? I am just so upset! The poor thing! I've had mine for less time and she's at LEAST twice this new ones size. I've gotta go get a new accurite too. UGH! How long for quarantine too?

OK Christie, first of all, thank you for rescuing that poor little baby! Second of all, while I am FAR from an expert (HELLO ADAM, GET IN HERE & HELP!!!!!) I will try to help a little bit. Typical quarentine is 90 days I believe.

I don't think that it would be a bad thing to get the fecal matter in the tank to the vet although they may want a fresh one. I would DEFINATELY get the snake to the vet ASAP. I would even go so far as to call in for an emergency appointment if possible.

I would think that soaking now would be a pretty good idea. I know that the snake is probably stressed about being moved but if the retained shed has been there for long enough, it could cause circulation problems which could lead to some serious troubles down the road.

Good luck in saving the BP. Keep us posted!

I would go ahead and soak it. The BP I rescued awhile back, had horrid retained shed on him. Though I wanted to give him some rest, I just had to soak him. Honestly, in an hourlong soak, all the skin came off. So yeah, I would def. soak!
I would definately quarantine for as long as you can stand it. At least 2 months, in my opinion. Are you planning on taking him to the vet? It might just be a good dieda to let him settle in before doing that, unless you can get him in right away, which is tough.
I am really glad you got the poor little guy. it burns me up to see how people neglect their BPs. I wish you luck with him.

Christie, good for you! You may well have saved that poor snake from a very miserable existance. I'm far too new to give you any real advice, other than I've asked about quarantine when we get our next snake and I believe was told 60-90 days and a clean vet check before the new snake can live even in the same room with the established healthy one.

I did find this link to a site with some advice on quarantine procedures if it might help.

http://www.ssnakess.com/caresheets/bp/care.html

I too hope one of the really experienced people log on soon and can give you real life solid advice on what to do when and how.

Good luck with the new snake. I'm sure we all think you are wonderful for taking on this big job of rehabing this snake.


~~Joanna~~

If you haven't already, his cage will need to be completely stripped down and disinfected. Use a very simple setup after that - paper towels for substrate, water bowl, simple hides. Think minimal.

After that soak, I'd just give him a dark, warm, cozy place to settle into for a few days.

The first thing to do is to get him a few wholesome meals.

First of all thanks for all the help. I've just gotten the new guy into a nice clean cage. First thing it did was run over to the water and get a drink. Did I mention the original water was pink?!?!?! Grrrrrrr. I've never had to soak so but if memory serves (and it rarely does) it's in room temperature water or slightly warmer and for an hour right or less if shed comes off. The previous owners must had handled it a lot because it's a pretty relaxed little guy. They said they'd had it for 6-7 months and it's only about 24" long and 165g. None of the shed seems be encirling the bp so I'll try the soak. It seems to be mostly around the head. Anyway the gameplan is this....First run to get some mice (I only have small rats right now of course). Then grab another accurite from walmart. Come home soak and attempt to feed the poor thing. Leave alone and try and get a vet appt for next week. Sound good? Here are a couple pics!

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...inedsheddl.jpg


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...thin_thumb.jpg

When you soak him, if you have a shoebox size rubbermaid tub with a lid, those will work well. Add about 1/2"-1" of lukewarm water, place snake inside, put lid on, and put the entire little tub into the snake's enclosure on the warm side. I'd leave him for a good hour since it looks like his entire head and eyecaps are retained. You can put a towel or something rough in the tub(wet towel :) ) as well as the water, so he can have something to rub on.

Did the previous owners say when the last time the snake ate? I'd get him settled into his new home first and leave him be for a week or so, and then try to feed him. This is alot of stress on the little guy/girl all at once, so working with him/her in baby steps will help minimize it.

I commend you on rescuing the poor little guy/girl from that place. We all know what would have happened to the snake if you hadn't.

May be wrong but to me the eye caps dont look retained, it looks like it starts at the middle/back of the head and proceeds down the neck, And if thats the case its easier on you and the snake.

Chris

It does look like his whole head is retained since the scales on top of his head are incredibly dry, and his eyes are not normal, and very dry as well. Whatever is retained, the soaking will help get rid of it. Hopefully he'll drink while soaking and get him/herself hydrated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

It does look like his whole head is retained since the scales on top of his head are incredibly dry, and his eyes are not normal, and very dry as well. Whatever is retained, the soaking will help get rid of it.

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That's what I was thinking as well. My friends ball retained some shed on her head and that's what it looked like.

It's definitely more on the head and one eye cap is retained. Almost the whole other side is retained except for the eye cap. It's not too bad along the body. He's just so skinny. I can definitely see the spine. I'll try the soak! Thanks for the info! I'm sure I can find something that will work! I'll let you know how that goes!!!! Off to do that now!

On second thought I think a meal is definitely more the issue. Is it ok to leave the shed for a couple days until after I get a meal into 'em? They said they fed it every week. The problem being they fed him/her pinkies and fuzzies. Gave me a whole bunch too. Not that I can use them.

Since the snake just came into a new environment, it needs time to settle in and destress. If you don't allow it a good amount of time to settle in, and feed it right off the bat, it is more likely to regurgitate the meal, and thus setting the animal even farther back in its recovery. I think the more appropriate treatment regimen is to soak for an hour, get the shed off, leave it in the enclosure in a quiet area for a good week(making sure temps and humidity are correct) and then attempt to feed him/her. I know the snake is skinny and needs to eat, but if he regurgitates, that means waiting another 2-3 weeks for the snake to heal from that. I would just wait another week, he should be fine. Make sure he has access to plenty of fresh water in the meantime.

Hope that helped clear a few things up :)

Ok. I will go and soak 'em. Got everything ready. Wish me luck and I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! Thanks Becky!

Ok soaking now in progress. Now a new question. When I start feeding him should I feed every 5 days until he bulks up a bit or just stick to once a week?

Go easy on his system, a 20g mouse is probably not what he's used to. Pretend he's a baby and start with hoppers then gradually increase the prey size as the weeks go by. From that one pic it looks like he's not completely "starving." Start with a 7 day interval then, once he's got a few meals under his belt, go to a5 day interval until he gets some weight on. Good luck, keep us updated on his condition.

I'd stick with a 7 day schedule. Don't want to shock his system too much. Are you going to try him on an adult mouse after he settles in? That would be a more appropriate sized meal than a pinky or fuzzy. LoL, I don't know what you're going to do with all of those extras, maybe donate them to a local pet store? Some baby cornsnakes would appreciate it ;)

Good luck with the soaking. It may take more than one time. Try one hour today, and see what comes off. If it doesn't all come off, try again tomorrow.

No he not on death's door or anything but his spine is definitely pronounced. He has been on hopper and pinkies once a week. Although that is what they said and it is definitely not gospel. He has a good energy level and isn't lethargic. I'm still kind of hyped up and slightly panicky. I just feel so bad for the poor little thing. I promise to relax and go slowly with the little guy.

I did go to the store and get some adult mice for him so I can feed him those if you guys think it's ok, but if it would be better to start smaller and go bigger then I will.

Adult mice should be fine, but, for the sake of the health of the snake, wait until next week to feed him. You can get the mice nice, fat and healthy for him while he settles in. Who knows what they were eating at the pet store(unless it is a good store). You can feed them fruits(no citrus), veggies, nuts, dog food. Let them just pig out so they will be healthy, and thus the snake will be healthy.

Aww, I saw he got named Dandylion. Hehe, very cute. I know, corny, but I hope he turns out just dandy :) And he'll be much prettier when all of that shed comes off.

I am so glad that I soaked him first. Apparently the shed was retained all the way around his neck. Got a lot of it off but not all, so I will soak again tomorrow. If the eyecap doesn't come off then, should I attempt a q-tip with mineral oil or just wait to see if it comes off with the next shed?

The previous owners had a son who wanted him so they bought him and then 6/7 months later decided he didn't want him anymore. They fed him f/t and that's what I feed Lily so that's what I'll feed him. I really don't know the sex but my son just decided dandylion was a good name for him, so that's what he'll be until our trip to the vet next week.

Christie,


Thank you so very much for rescuing this poor little guy.
I don't think he would have been around much longer that way.

I just went through sort of the same thing with my Sudan...retained
eyecaps which I am still working on getting off.

Also my Camille had retained shed on her head as she has been sick.

A suggestion after you soak him and if any skin remains on his head...
Camille hated being put into a bowl of water but she seemed to like
a very light running of water over her body and also her head...sort of
like a waterfall effect. I kept using my hand to drip water from the faucet
over her head and eyes.
Then I took her onto my lap on a towel and she actually let me use my fingers to slowly rub in circular motions and remove the skin.

Camille is no longer head shy due to my doing this.

Maybe this will help with your boy.

Sudan loved soaking in the shoebox. I just hope his eyes are ok under the retained caps.

I hope your boy is ok also. Please keep us all informed.

Darn, I hate people that let their animals get in such terrible shape.
Maybe that is why so many of us do rescue work for animals....of
all types.
Bless you.

That silly snake doesn't know he should go into his nice new hides! I may have to try a couple different types. He doesn't seem to want to be in an enclosed space. I keep telling him he's a bp and that's what they do but oooh no not him. He's having none of it. I have a lot of vegetation to proved more cover and he seems to like that the best. Curls around the base of the plants. I even put the old log in (after being disinfected of course). I guess I'll just give him a little more time to get used to everything...the little freak!

I just couldn't leave the little guy there. Nothing else to do but take him home to the rest of the Wild Kingdom. Thanks for the tips on the retained eyecap. We'll see how his next soak goes. I think he liked me rubbing his neck, I guess it must have felt good. :nirvana:

Btw, the vet can't really do a fecal if the poop is dried out, from what I recall. Try to get the poop in within 48 hours (fairly fresh). YOu can baggie it and throw it in the fridge before you run it in.

I'll definitely be on poop patrol!!! Great one more thing to explain to the husband!!! :D

Yes dear that is snake poop. Why is it in the refrigerator? Well it has to be fresh of course!!!

LoL, Oh yes we can. We can do a fecal on any poo. I've had to do one on feces so dry that it would not break apart, even after soaking in the solution. After about ten minutes of stabbing at it with my little stir stick, it FINALLY broke apart, and I could finish the test. Found pinworms eggs too, hehe. Sorry, I just find poo interesting... :rolleyes:

It is more accurate if you have fresh feces though. Just whenever the snake goes to the bathroom, place about a teaspoon of it in a plastic baggie, and put it in the fridge until you can get it into the vet, as Schlyne mentioned.

Just had to ask what pinworm eggs look like? I've seen roundworms, whipworms, coccidia and even some sarcoptic and demodex mites but never pinworms. I used to do that and I loved looking around on the slide. Cool stuff! What's the weirdest thing you've ever found?

Pinworm eggs... Hmm... Look like coccidia but much bigger. Kind of oval, usually round. Has an outer and inner shell.

Weirdest thing would have to be Babesia on red blood cells or monezia in cattle. Babesia is little dots on the blood cells(usually in pairs), and monezia are teardrop shaped pairs, all incredibly tiny. We saw so much stuff during our classes last summer, it's hard to remember. Whipworms are neat because they look like little footballs. I found tapeworms and coccidia on one of my ratties when I first got her(stupid Petco). The coccidia was so tiny that we weren't sure if it was that or if it was cryptosporidium. Glad it wasn't crypto though.

Well on the upside Christie it will help ye olde grocery bill as baggies of poop in the fridge and frozen rodents in the freezer sure as heck cut down on the midnight snack raids by hubby and kids!

~~Joanna~~

Cool! I loved when I found the coccidia. Much fewer cases of those and so tiny ... it was like striking gold! I found it, I found it!!!! How sad :oops:

Nope...doesn't help with the groceries. I keep them in the refrigerator in the garage. And if there's any other food in there, it's usually me bringing it back into the house. Dang little kids eat like there's no tomorrow though! My luck if I put it in the house refrig then it would accidentally get eaten or tossed and I'd be back on poop patrol again!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

LoL, Oh yes we can. We can do a fecal on any poo. I've had to do one on feces so dry that it would not break apart, even after soaking in the solution. After about ten minutes of stabbing at it with my little stir stick, it FINALLY broke apart, and I could finish the test. Found pinworms eggs too, hehe. Sorry, I just find poo interesting... :rolleyes:

It is more accurate if you have fresh feces though. Just whenever the snake goes to the bathroom, place about a teaspoon of it in a plastic baggie, and put it in the fridge until you can get it into the vet, as Schlyne mentioned.

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That's interesting. The reptile vet here told me they coudln't use it if it wasn't within 48 hours old...I guess they wanted to be more accurate. Oh well, I'm not sure I'm going to go back to her anyway. I don't trust somebody who wants to knock out the snake before they probe it. Maybe if it was a 13 foot burm...but not a 18 inch long baby ball python.

The vet wanted to sedate the lil snake before probing? Okay since we're taking both Baby and Punkin (when it arrives) to be probed, is this normal folks? Can't say I've seen anyone mention their bp's were sedated in any manner prior to probing at any age or size?

I caught a bit of of animal vet show on tv a few months ago and saw them let a snake go head first (and about 1/3 of the body of the snake) into a clear plastic tube while they were messing with it's back end (perhaps sexing...I missed that bit so not sure). I assume that would be so the snake could not turn and strike while in the tube and it seemed not to cause the snake any obvious distress.


~~Joanna~~

I would have to say no, it's not normal. It's a health risk for the snake. Probing take what, less than a minute to do. Why would they want to take the time to wrestle with the snake to mask it down, take 30 seconds to probe it, then wake it up again? To charge you more :) I guess they are just big babies about handling a tiny baby ball python, Schlyne, LoL.

Seems to me it would be more stressful and more dangerous to sedate a snake for such a quick procedure but then what do I know yet LOL

Nope, you're right. It IS more stressful and dangerous to the snake's health to sedate than it is for a 30-second probing. Plus, more expensive on the owner's part.

I mean, they could have a pre-existing medical condition that you wouldn't know about until it flares up when the animal is anesthetized (Ie: scarred lungs, other organ abnormalities).

Yeah, it seemed so dumb, especially when breeders probe snakes every day. Franky, the ball python was in perfect health (and still is).

Ok here is an update! After two soakings I have finally be able to get the most of the retained shed off! Even the eyecap!! Too cool!!!! :D I was just so happy I had to share!

Before pic:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...beforesoak.jpg




After pic:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...naftersoak.jpg

Isn't that just beautiful?!?!? :banana: :D

gorgeous! that's like night and day. he must feel soooo much better. looks like you have him off to great start. :)

I knew there was a pretty ball python face under there :) Glad you got it all off, I bet he/she feels MUCH better.

Yup! He especially liked it when I rubbed his neck with the washcloth. Took awhile longer to get that eyecap, but I managed it after awhile. Fortunately he was pretty calm when I rubbed his head. I guess it was a fight between This feels so good and Hey don't touch my head. Now he's prowling his cage like you wouldn't believe. So next week won't come soon enough for his first feed! I'm sure you'll hear about that too! :D

Dandy looks just DANDY!!! What a big change in such a short time. A real credit to you and all the work you've put into Dandylion over the short time you've had him/her. I was so excited and happy I hollered for everyone in our house to come see those pics LOL. We all say congrats and great job!



~~Joanna~~

Absolutely great start to what will probably be a bit of a long road for you. The difference in those two pictures is incredible! I have got to imagine that he must feel so much better. I felt better just seeing the pics! Keep us updated please!! :D

Hey Eddie, did Nanci notice she got listed AFTER the snake and the cat LOL!


~~Jo~~

Isn't the transformation just cool?!?!?!?! I keep jumping up and down STILL! :banana: I am just so excited I was able to do it. I was afraid I'd mess something up and scare the poor little thing. (Did I mention I'm starting therapy funds and not college funds for my children?) :D ;)