I think my snake has a burn.

I’ve had a ball python for over a year now. She has always sneezed a little during handling, and even occasionally I could hear her wheezing in her enclosure. But it has gotten significantly worse over the past few days. While handling her now it is almost constant, and it is much louder. And I noticed that her belly is very pink, but I don’t think she is going into shed quite yet. For now I turned off the heating pad. I don’t have a thermometer for it either so I have no idea how hot it is getting. Her hide is close to being directly over the heating pad, but off to the side a couple of inches. She always pushes the substrate I have for her(large wooden chips) aside which gets her very close the bottom of the enclosure despite me constantly moving the substrate back in place. There hasn’t been any major changes to her enclosure in terms of the location of her heat sources and hide. I’ll post pictures of her tomorrow to show you how pink she is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

I’ve had a ball python for over a year now. She has always sneezed a little during handling, and even occasionally I could hear her wheezing in her enclosure. But it has gotten significantly worse over the past few days. While handling her now it is almost constant, and it is much louder. And I noticed that her belly is very pink, but I don’t think she is going into shed quite yet. For now I turned off the heating pad. I don’t have a thermometer for it either so I have no idea how hot it is getting. Her hide is close to being directly over the heating pad, but off to the side a couple of inches. She always pushes the substrate I have for her(large wooden chips) aside which gets her very close the bottom of the enclosure despite me constantly moving the substrate back in place. There hasn’t been any major changes to her enclosure in terms of the location of her heat sources and hide. I’ll post pictures of her tomorrow to show you how pink she is.

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We won’t be able to tell if it’s a burn or not without seeing it, but considering you don’t even have a thermometer for the tank I doubt you have a thermostat. Without a thermostat, if your snake doesn’t have a burn yet it for sure at a huge risk for one without a thermostat!

The thermostat controls the temperature of the heat pad so without it the glass can get very very hot.

Do you have any other heat source besides the heat pad? What kind of enclosure do you have? We will for sure need more info but from the sounds of it your snake might have an RI because of the wheezing and sneezing.

An RI is caused by the temps being to cold so if the heat pad is your only source of heat, then your ambient (air) temps are probably to cold for it (which is probably why it burrows down to get closer to the heat pad)

From the sounds of it you have some pretty serious husbandry issues that really need immediate fixing or your animal will be at risk. I would post a pic and a better description of your tank so that we can get a good idea of what all needs changing.


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I'm a new owner but definitely get a thermostat for that uth. I didn't think I needed one because the uth I bought came from what I thought was a reputable reptile supply company. But everybody told me that yes I needed one along with a temp gun to check temps. When I got the gun and checked the temp on the uth it was 117 degrees!!! I had repticarpet between the glass and substrate so the temp on top of substrate was just over 100 but still WAY too hot.

Sorry I meant to say thermostat. I have a thermometer and humidity gauge. She has a heating lamp that gets to around 100 within an inch, but around 90 where she can reach it. She doesn’t sneeze. I’m on my phone so I guess it auto corrected wheezing to sneezing. I can’t get pictures until the morning unfortunately. Also I really doubt it’s an RI because her humidity has been on the lower side. I’ve been struggling to keep humidity up in the winter been it’s gotten better. I planned on switching her over to a bioative enclosure to hopefully fix this

If she is wheezing she needs a vet. I'm am not meaning to sound snarky when I say this. You have been a member a year and we say over and over again do not house an uth without a thermostat. There are stickies with proper set up. And your humidity is low. Being a member for a year you should know this. You joined the same day I did. Unplug it, get your husbandry correct, and your baby needs a vet for an RI.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Sorry I meant to say thermostat. I have a thermometer and humidity gauge. She has a heating lamp that gets to around 100 within an inch, but around 90 where she can reach it. She doesn’t sneeze. I’m on my phone so I guess it auto corrected wheezing to sneezing. I can’t get pictures until the morning unfortunately. Also I really doubt it’s an RI because her humidity has been on the lower side. I’ve been struggling to keep humidity up in the winter been it’s gotten better. I planned on switching her over to a bioative enclosure to hopefully fix this

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An RI is caused by low temperatures not high humidity. It’s scale rot that is caused by the humidity being to high :P Wheezing is still symptom of an RI, even without the sneezing

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Last year I took in a ball python that was burned from an unregulated heat source. Despite $400 in vet bills she didn't make it.

A thermostat costs a mere fraction of what a vet bill to treat a burn does - and you will still have to buy a thermostat afterward.

Don't worry about such a thing as bio active.

You need to concentrate on the BARE NECESSITIES. Nothing else is as important as that. These snakes are from a region which has higher temps then we usually have. So yes, we do need a heat source. On the other hand, to high temps cause burns, neurological issues, death. A thermostat is 100 % non negotiable.

I rather see a snake in a plain tub you can buy for $15 that has been rigged with the UTH on a thermostat then a snake in a big tank/cage and incorrect heat.

That snake may very well have a burned belly. The pink you see is just the beginning. That will quickly turn far nastier. Very painful, as well. As Sunny pointed out, you are not a beginner. You knew better.

But what is done, is done. All you can do now is to get your husbandry 100% right. Like NOW. Get a thermostat. Don't guess temps. Get them right, period. If your humidity is to low then cover most of the lid. Add a larger bowl. Mist part of the tank several times the day (don't get all areas wet, though)

Again, if there is a burn, don't put her on soil or even substrate, forget about bioactive for now. What you need is to keep that snake as clean as possible. Meaning on paper towels that will need to be changed often. The burn will need to be treated. This will take a while. If this will turn into a bad burn, you will need a vet to prescribe you certain salves you should use. Sure you can try DIY stuff, but burns can kill. The chance for infection is high, and the snake can quickly turn septic.

Share pictures, let us see how it looks. Fix everything asap, you can get a thermostat for $30 or so on Amazon. Start looking around to see if you can find a Vet, you may need one.

Good luck to you and the snake..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

you can get a thermostat for $30 or so on Amazon.

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Actually I think I only paid $18 for mine on Amazon. I felt bad because I like to support my local reptile store, but $18 on Amazon vs $40 at store. Amazon won! That's ok I'll be buying my mice from the pet store so they'll make my money back.

Bioactive isn’t going to fix anything if you can’t even get the basics down. Hold your horses and focus on what needs to be done not what you want to have done.

Don’t jump into ambitious, fancy set ups until you’ve taken care of your existing problems now. Frankly I’m surprised how long you’ve been okay with merely guessing how hot temperatures can get. I hope you are learning from this and realize how serious of a problem this is.

Please, for the sake of your snake LISTEN to everyone here and prioritize on getting a thermostat. Zina has pointed out everything you need to address. Please follow her advice!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/blob...a-9a001e9490c7

- - - Updated - - -

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/blob...0-220353362878

So there are the pictures. The second one is as bad as it gets on her. It’s very patchy, and really only close to her tail. It doesn’t look nearly as pink as it did last night, unless I was just imagining things. In all the dozens of hours I spent researching before buying her I never saw anything that said a thermostat was a needed item. They made it just sound like, “Oh it’s nice to have, but you don’t need one with a UTH”. I don’t know how that happened but it did. And there was someone who said I have been on this site for a year and, I should know better. To you I never use this account. I used it for my snake once when blood was coming out of her nose(it ended being the rats blood coming through her nose while eating). And then another 2 times for a project I was working on. But if you go back and look at my older posts know that I just ended buying 2 crested geckos, who are doing pretty good.She also wasn’t wheezing today, but I only handled her for 5 minutes instead of an hour plus. I’m still going to take her to the vet soon because I wanted to get her checked up anyways because she came from petsmart of all places. And I’ll buy a thermostat later today. I’ll be waiting to see your responses to the pictures. Also what should I set the thermostat too after I get it? And should I even turn it back on before she goes to the vet? Also while researching I saw that an RI can be caused by too high and too low of humidity, but it is usually the temp being too low. And just another thing. I wanted to switch her to bioactive because humidity is a very basic thing, and her sheds have never been good despite how often I mist her cage. It gets very dry during the winter here, and I’ve never had a problem with humidity for my crested geckos which do have a bioactive setup.

Well I can't see the pictures you posted, try following this.

And what the thermostat temperature shouldn't really matter, if you put the thermostat in between the UTH and your enclosure there's going to be a discrepancy between the actual hotspot and what temperate the thermostat is set to. I usually aim about 5 degrees above what I want it at take temps with a heat gun and adjust it from there. And if you can't even maintain proper humidity for your BP you shouldn't even try a bioactive yet.

There are no pictures ...

do you have any other heat sources ?? How are you keeping up ambient temps? Heat lamp? Ceramic heat ?

a UTH provides belly heat. Does nothing for the ambient temps.

What temp is your room where the snake is kept?

im sorry again as others have said I know you are in a crisis but I don’t know where you did this “research” to miss some of if not the major points of Simple snake husbandry.

2 identical hides, temp gradient with a hot side 89-90 cool side in the upper 70s to low 80s. Stable humidity of 50-60 bump it in shed. THERMOSTATS. Bam done.

You need to go lay out your entire set up with pics and a list of what’s there.

Posting pics here of your snakes possible burnt belly isn’t going to do anything but waste time. Get to a vet for the wheezing and the burns and go buy all you don’t have and try to help the poor snake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

Don't worry about such a thing as bio active.

You need to concentrate on the BARE NECESSITIES. Nothing else is as important as that. These snakes are from a region which has higher temps then we usually have. So yes, we do need a heat source. On the other hand, to high temps cause burns, neurological issues, death. A thermostat is 100 % non negotiable.

I rather see a snake in a plain tub you can buy for $15 that has been rigged with the UTH on a thermostat then a snake in a big tank/cage and incorrect heat.

That snake may very well have a burned belly. The pink you see is just the beginning. That will quickly turn far nastier. Very painful, as well. As Sunny pointed out, you are not a beginner. You knew better.

But what is done, is done. All you can do now is to get your husbandry 100% right. Like NOW. Get a thermostat. Don't guess temps. Get them right, period. If your humidity is to low then cover most of the lid. Add a larger bowl. Mist part of the tank several times the day (don't get all areas wet, though)

Again, if there is a burn, don't put her on soil or even substrate, forget about bioactive for now. What you need is to keep that snake as clean as possible. Meaning on paper towels that will need to be changed often. The burn will need to be treated. This will take a while. If this will turn into a bad burn, you will need a vet to prescribe you certain salves you should use. Sure you can try DIY stuff, but burns can kill. The chance for infection is high, and the snake can quickly turn septic.

Share pictures, let us see how it looks. Fix everything asap, you can get a thermostat for $30 or so on Amazon. Start looking around to see if you can find a Vet, you may need one.

Good luck to you and the snake..

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^^^^ THIS!^^^^^^

I work in a burn hospital for children. Burns are no joke no mater how minor they seam. Our worst enemy is infection and we spend most of our time trying to prevent and treat infection as we do the burn itself. Temperature and humidity are key and have to be correct to heal properly and even then there are times where all you can do is pray. Think about how bad a small burn hurts you. Then put yourself in a "no choice situation". That is where your snake is right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

So there are the pictures. The second one is as bad as it gets on her. It’s very patchy, and really only close to her tail. It doesn’t look nearly as pink as it did last night, unless I was just imagining things. In all the dozens of hours I spent researching before buying her I never saw anything that said a thermostat was a needed item. They made it just sound like, “Oh it’s nice to have, but you don’t need one with a UTH”. I don’t know how that happened but it did. And there was someone who said I have been on this site for a year and, I should know better. To you I never use this account. I used it for my snake once when blood was coming out of her nose(it ended being the rats blood coming through her nose while eating). And then another 2 times for a project I was working on. But if you go back and look at my older posts know that I just ended buying 2 crested geckos, who are doing pretty good.She also wasn’t wheezing today, but I only handled her for 5 minutes instead of an hour plus. I’m still going to take her to the vet soon because I wanted to get her checked up anyways because she came from petsmart of all places. And I’ll buy a thermostat later today. I’ll be waiting to see your responses to the pictures. Also what should I set the thermostat too after I get it? And should I even turn it back on before she goes to the vet? Also while researching I saw that an RI can be caused by too high and too low of humidity, but it is usually the temp being too low. And just another thing. I wanted to switch her to bioactive because humidity is a very basic thing, and her sheds have never been good despite how often I mist her cage. It gets very dry during the winter here, and I’ve never had a problem with humidity for my crested geckos which do have a bioactive setup.

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There are soooo many issues in this reply....

First, you did "dozens of hours of research"??? Yet didn't see anything about the importance of a thermostat??? Dozens of hours clearly isn't enough, and you clearly weren't learning from reputable sources.

You typically handle your poor snake for over an hour????

And did you mentionin a previous reply that the snake has only ONE hide????

Time to FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND START OVER.

Start here :
pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?201740-How-to-Setup-a-Glass-Tank-(20-long)-With-Pictures!
to learn how to set up your enclosure

Also study this caresheet : pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?127203-Ball-Python-%28Python-regius%29-Caresheet

...and this : pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?30763-BP-Husbandry-FAQs

Your "dozens of hours of research" obviously wasn't enough. It's quite simple, the more you read, learn and study the animal you're keeping as a pet the better you can care for it.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you've got a LOT to learn. That snake has probably been suffering a good long while now, so PLEASE fix your mistakes for the sake of the snake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

There are soooo many issues in this reply....

First, you did "dozens of hours of research"??? Yet didn't see anything about the importance of a thermostat??? Dozens of hours clearly isn't enough, and you clearly weren't learning from reputable sources.

You typically handle your poor snake for over an hour????

And did you mentionin a previous reply that the snake has only ONE hide????

Time to FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND START OVER.

Start here :
pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?201740-How-to-Setup-a-Glass-Tank-(20-long)-With-Pictures!
to learn how to set up your enclosure

Also study this caresheet : pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?127203-Ball-Python-%28Python-regius%29-Caresheet

...and this : pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?30763-BP-Husbandry-FAQs

Your "dozens of hours of research" obviously wasn't enough. It's quite simple, the more you read, learn and study the animal you're keeping as a pet the better you can care for it.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you've got a LOT to learn. That snake has probably been suffering a good long while now, so PLEASE fix your mistakes for the sake of the snake.

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^^^^THIS!^^^^

@craigafrechette I know I made mistakes (we all have). Getting proper education is key and understanding the information provided as well. I question OP's age? Hope OP listens to the advice given and will get the snake the help it needs or find someone else who will.

Off topic.... sort of.....

I had an argument with my local petsmart the Saturday. They had a banana BP with a rectal prolapse. It was bad! The poor thing needed surgery and hydration. The caregiver and manager on duty said he just pooped and that he was ok. This was far from OK! Yesterday I called the dayshift manager and told him about the poor guy. He said he would look into it. I went to check on him right after work, he was gone and the manager was no longer on duty. I acted interested and had the snake person show me the BPs they had and inspected them all for issues. The only thing I had to say about the rest was that humidity was way to low and empty water bowls. I also made a comment about them being all piled up together. She said "Its so cute that they snuggle up like that." I took a care sheet and feeding chart out of my pocket and tried to address their husbandry issues and she seamed receptive of the information and I got a few "WOW I did not know that!" responses out of her. Keep in mind this is the person who is assigned feeding and cares for them the evening shift. She deals with them the most. She said she will try to improve the husbandry and thanked me for the education. She also invited me to come back anytime to see the progress. We can only hope she will make the changes and we also hope OP will as well. The evening person was told that the Banana BP "sold" that morning after weeks of not selling. I wonder if the BP's new owner will get the poor guy the husbandry and help he needs.

Yes, the sticky on how to set up a glass enclosure is a must-read!!! When I got my bp, for the first two weeks or so that I had her, I was only using a heat light, and humidity was regularly like 30-40% unless I misted like 5 times a day. Then, she started showing signs of RI. I was told by this site that it was most likely due to too low temps, and too low humidity. After reading the sticky, I ordered a UTH, thermostat to regulate it, and a digital thermometer with a probe to more accurately measure temps and humidity, and started covering about 3/4 of the screentop with aluminum foil to keep in humidity. Read that sticky!!! Once I got her husbandry right, her signs of RI went away, and she's been thriving. Now that winter is over, and with these humidity modifications, it stays up to 60-70% easily, even without misting. I've read that as long as your enclosure is not wet, higher humidity shouldn't be a problem, that it's the lower humidity which causes issues.

Number one, best piece of advice I can offer: stop being resistant to the advice you're getting here. People aren't being jerks. Crap on the internet can always be interpreted how you want, but this advice is meant for the well-being of the snake. Don't argue, don't defend. We get it. We're on your side, especially if you want what's best for your animals. All of us have been new keepers at one time or another, and we've all made mistakes. We're here to make sure the mistakes don't continue and to help you and your critter have a long and healthy relationship.

Please listen to the advice being given... it's all meant with the absolute best of intentions.

I don't think you people realize how unfriendly you often sound. I came on here concerned that my snake might be getting burned alive, and then you all start telling me, "Everything you are doing is terrible and wrong". I have a good understanding of what I'm doing. I didn't realize that UTHs can get so hot, but outside of that she's been doing good. I don't think she's actually even burned, but nonetheless I'm going to bring her to the vet. I'll buy a thermostat, and I'm going to switch her over to bioactive once she is all good. Yes I have another source of heat. I already said that. Yes I have a second hide. I don't know if I said she only has one, but that's not true. She rarely ever uses it, but it's there. I shouldn't have said that she never had a good shed because she was fine over the summer, fall, and even the earlier parts of winter. It was one hiccup, and yes it was a big one, but if you guys did your own research you'd see it's not plastered everywhere as a necessity. It may seem basic to you guys because you are all active on this site, and very experienced, but to someone who is a newer reptile owner it isn't. Also somebody please tell me what temp to set the thermostat to. I know you said it doesn't matter, but it kinda does. I need to know what temp it can get too before it starts getting dangerous for her. I know you all mean well, but some of you guys really need to change your tone. You can very easily come off as snarky, and elitist. I can't bring her to the vet until May 4th so what should I be doing in the meantime in case it is actually a burn? Also here are the pictures. I'd say she's a little more red in person, but not by much. Sorry if I'm coming off as obnoxious, but I don't like people telling me how to handle my snake when I'm already following most of the advice given. Also I'll handle her for over an hour if I want to. It's not an hour plus every day, and I'll avoid handling her until I know she's okay, but when she is okay I'm going to handle her for long periods of time. And I wait at least a full day before handling her after she eats. She hasn't shown any signs of stress yet, and plenty of people get along fine doing the same thing.https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui...2c0d&zw&atsh=1https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui...2c0d&zw&atsh=1

Also to the person who asked. I'm 16. I'll be 17 in a few days. And guess what? Probably going to lose all the money I have at the vet. I'm more than willing to throw money away if it means helping her, but I just want you to realize that a trip to a vet isn't a simple thing for me.

Hi,

You can get the temps from here. That gives the temps we recommend inside the hot and cool hides but it depends on your room and other factors what you need to set the thermostat to to get them dialed in. :)

Bear in mind you need to check under any substrate too and adjust the depth/ type if it gets over 95f under it. Snakes can burrow or crawl under things - and usually do so when you are really wishing they wouldn't. :rolleyes:

Tone is very hard to read in text unfortunately - but, knowing these people they really do have your snakes interests at heart. Oh and it might be a good forward planning move to not handle her for two days after feeding so as to avoid problems when you increase prey size. It depends on the snake really but if you are feeding small or medium rats then one day isn't enough to digest it and it may cause a regurge if she freaks out. :)

ETA: I had a look and the picture problem is because you are using a secure google mail account - you can see them because you have permission to access the page but nobody else can see them as they ( rightly ) do not.

You can put them in the free gallery space on here or you can host them on any of the image hosting sites and they should show up just fine for the rest of us.

Tone or no tone, you are keeping your snake in a poor way

I know sometimes people here can come off as rude, but they really do have the best intentions at heart. They have seen many a new person come on here with similar issues and not take the advice given and end up with an injured or dead snake. They know have seen all this stuff first had and don’t sugar coat it because if they come off to nice what they are saying won’t seem as urgent as it is.

I would just ignore the tone and take the advice because the advice is great and will really help you Snake in the long run.

As for the vet, keep everything as simple as possible. Unplug that UTH until you have a thermostat and use paper towels as substrate so you can monitor its belly better and so it won’t get dirty. As for the thermostat you want to set it to a few degrees higher then what you want the belly heat to be, so about 95 or so. Then you’ll want to make sure to check the temperatures of the substrate and glass with a temp gun to make sure they don’t get to hot. The ideal heat you will be looking for max in the enclosure is about 91.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Tone or no tone, you are keeping your snake in a poor way

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Well I won't try to change your opinion. You're free to think that. I'm not here to be told I'm doing my snake harm. I want to know what I can improve upon. Thanks. Also I want your opinions on how her belly looks. To me it doesn't look bad, but it's not like I commonly see tons of ball python bellies.

I think you are feeling beat up, so here is some encouragement!

You are 16 years old and discovering the word's greatest hobby - how cool! I wish I was that cool at 16. I didn't get into this until my late 30s. I think you are trying really hard to do it the right way and will make an excellent snarent. It's obvious you want what's best because you are here asking for help.

We certainly DO NOT want you to bail on this site because you are feeling attacked. You need us! And your snake needs us. Once you get this stuff figured out it will all be easy breazy from here on.

Now the tough love:

The tone you are hearing is for a reason - you don't have a second to waste in getting these critical elements of your husbandry corrected. Too much heat on your snake can not only cause physical pain and scarring to your animal, but can cause neurological issues as well.

Nobody is chewing you out because they feel like it, or because they are mean spirited, but because this is a HUGE issue you must fix immediately. So that's the tone you're hearing, not mean-ness, but more like a slap to someone who's unconcious. Just a little jolt of reality. Truth is - this is one of the kindest, most supportive resources out there for reptile keepers. You want mean? Join some of the FB groups for bp lovers. (just kidding, don't do that - those people are awful)

I think you've got the picture now and you're making your adjustments. We love nothing more than someone who admits mistakes, listens to advice, acts, corrects, and comes back here with an update on how wonderful everything now is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Also I'll handle her for over an hour if I want to. It's not an hour plus every day, and I'll avoid handling her until I know she's okay, but when she is okay I'm going to handle her for long periods of time. And I wait at least a full day before handling her after she eats. She hasn't shown any signs of stress yet, and plenty of people get along fine doing the same thing.

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Annnnnd you sound 16 here. Sorry, but the immature attitude of I'll do what I want whether it's the best thing or not... not really helping your snake. Good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

Annnnnd you sound 16 here. Sorry, but the immature attitude of I'll do what I want whether it's the best thing or not... not really helping your snake. Good luck.

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Well I'm saying that because I'm trying to be honest here. I'm not going to stop handling my snake when there is no reason to. I value your opinions, but when it comes to things that vary from snake to snake I'm more experienced than all of you when it comes to Nausicaa. When it comes to handling her (When I know she is healthy of course) she is fine with being out for hours. She has never shown any signs of stress.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Well I won't try to change your opinion. You're free to think that. I'm not here to be told I'm doing my snake harm. I want to know what I can improve upon. Thanks. Also I want your opinions on how her belly looks. To me it doesn't look bad, but it's not like I commonly see tons of ball python bellies.

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You say you want to know what to correct, yet you were given a valuable piece of advice on your handling sessions being too long. You shot it down... So what makes us think you really want what's best for your snake?? If you really want to help your snake be open to the suggestions and we'll be happy to explain why you shouldn't have your BP out that long. Taking our advice showsyou care. Disregarding it shows you're selfish and putting your desires ahead of the snakes health and we'll being.



Look, we're here to help...because we care.
I get it, you're young, but you need to learn to accept constructive criticism. If you truly care for your snake you'll take the advice given. The people trying to help you have decades upon decades of proven success with thousands of animals.

That being said, is there more than one way to do things? Of course. But until you've got the experience to identify stress and other behaviors it's best to stick to basics.

To answer your question on what to set your t-stat at, you'll have to experiment because it's different for everybody. Set it, then a little while later check the temp with a temp gun (on the surface, not the substrate). If it's too high, lower the t-stat. If it's too low, raise it. It'll take some trial and error to get it dialed in.

So, as you can see, we're here to help. Whether people continue to offer there time and experience to you is up to you. If you're mature, receptive and apply what you learn we'll continue to want to help you. If you're argumentative and combative and pick and choose what advice you take, less and less people will choose to help.

I wish you and your snake the best...

Maximum cleanliness, silver sulfadiazine cream (SSD, sold under names like silvadene), and monitoring for infection (signs of pus, injury getting worse instead of better, inflammation, increased/different discoloration sometimes) are usually best for burns outside of the vet visit. And of course, fixing the issue that created the burn.

Just as a note since I do have a bioactive setup - doing bioactive well is expensive and somewhat tricky. Just be aware of that since it sounds like your funds are pretty limited.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Well I'm saying that because I'm trying to be honest here. I'm not going to stop handling my snake when there is no reason to. I value your opinions, but when it comes to things that vary from snake to snake I'm more experienced than all of you when it comes to Nausicaa. When it comes to handling her (When I know she is healthy of course) she is fine with being out for hours. She has never shown any signs of stress.

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This is a perfect example of your selfish needs ahead of the snakes well being.
Learn more and then eat your words because you're wrong. And your snake deserves better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kcl

Maximum cleanliness, silver sulfadiazine cream (SSD, sold under names like silvadene), and monitoring for infection (signs of pus, injury getting worse instead of better, inflammation, increased/different discoloration sometimes) are usually best for burns outside of the vet visit. And of course, fixing the issue that created the burn.

Just as a note since I do have a bioactive setup - doing bioactive well is expensive and somewhat tricky. Just be aware of that since it sounds like your funds are pretty limited.

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It isn't going to be anything major. It obviously isn't going to happen for a while now, but I just plan on adding a few plants to keep up humidity, and maybe some springtails to keep the soil fertile.

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Well I'm saying that because I'm trying to be honest here. I'm not going to stop handling my snake when there is no reason to. I value your opinions, but when it comes to things that vary from snake to snake I'm more experienced than all of you when it comes to Nausicaa. When it comes to handling her (When I know she is healthy of course) she is fine with being out for hours. She has never shown any signs of stress.

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Now the problem with this is newer owners tend to not be able to recognize when their snake is stressed out. Even my biggest, tamest boy I don’t hold for more then 45 minutes or so. Could he go for longer? Probably sometime, but why take the risk of stressing him out when there is just no need.


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I'm pretty sure the point has been made... I think the thing is that while peeps on this site definitely know what they are talking about, they tend to be really passionate, downright zealous sometimes, and have a tendency to "dogpile" on people... or maybe it should be called snakepile in this case.. ;)

So, skylord, a vet visit is a good idea, definitely get a thermostat and keep the warm spot between 88 and 90f, and remember that most snakes tend to do best with short handling sessions... think of them like introverted people, socialization is good, but they can only tolerate so much before it wears on their nerves. They are simple creatures, and the world is so big and loud and bright... it's alot for them to process.

The only bad keeper is one who refuses to correct their mistakes, and we all make them.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

This is a perfect example of your selfish needs ahead of the snakes well being.
Learn more and then eat your words because you're wrong. And your snake deserves better.

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Alright then. Why is it so bad? What are the signs of stress? Have you interacted with my snake? Listen I know I still have a lot to learn, but there has been nothing to suggest that she is doing poorly because of handling. So if there is something I should know about stress, and identifying stress TELL ME, please. Telling me it's wrong does nothing for me. I need evidence, and reasoning. If it is bad for her of course I'll stop, but there isn't any reason to currently. Well outside of possible burns, but after that not really anything unless you change my mind. Also it is rare for me to handle her over an hour. Maybe once every couple weeks, but usually it is around 30 minutes. I'm sorry if I made it sound like it's everyday, which I definitely did do so my bad.

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

The only bad keeper is one who refuses to correct their mistakes, and we all make them.

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Perfectly said.... I'm done helping OP. I have better things to do with my time than argue with a child.

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Alright then. Why is it so bad? What are the signs of stress? Have you interacted with my snake? Listen I know I still have a lot to learn, but there has been nothing to suggest that she is doing poorly because of handling. So if there is something I should know about stress, and identifying stress TELL ME, please. Telling me it's wrong does nothing for me. I need evidence, and reasoning. If it is bad for her of course I'll stop, but there isn't any reason to currently. Well outside of possible burns, but after that not really anything unless you change my mind.

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Okay, while we of course don’t have any evidence that your snake is stressed we also don’t have any evidence of the contrary.

Yes you say that your snake isn’t stressed, but as I said before many newer owners just simply don’t know how to recognize it. All we have to go off of is that the vast majority of snakes that are held for that period of time are stressed out by it. Are there exceptions, of course there are exceptions to everything but as I said we are going off of all other similar cases where the snake was indeed stressed.

Stress can cause a snake to not eat and can even lower its immune system so stress could very much be the cause of a sick snake.


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Originally Posted by BluuWolf

Okay, while we of course don’t have any evidence that your snake is stressed we also don’t have any evidence of the contrary.

Yes you say that your snake isn’t stressed, but as I said before many newer owners just simply don’t know how to recognize it. All we have to go off of is that the vast majority of snakes that are held for that period of time are stressed out by it. Are there exceptions, of course there are exceptions to everything but as I said we are going off of all other similar cases where the snake was indeed stressed.

Stress can cause a snake to not eat and can even lower its immune system so stress could very much be the cause of a sick snake.


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Now admittedly when I first got her I did have struggles feeding her, as I think a lot of other ball python owners initially have. I definitely was too excited to have finally gotten an animal that is my sole responsibility, and I started handling her too early. She wouldn't eat anything. She just got real close to the mouse and smelled it up. But then I started feeding her in the morning, and I haven't had a problem since. I think she was too timid to strike because she was confused if it was some weird moving tree thing reaching into her cage again or food lol. I don't know if this is related, but she gives up on food easily. She never hesitates to strike a rat in the morning on the initial strike, but she will quickly give up if she grabs it at a poor angle, or position. She sometimes powers through it, but sometimes she just lets go of it after attempting to unroll herself, and then begin swallowing it. If I attempt to feed it to her again she typically reverts back to how she acted when I first got her(intense staring match).

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Now admittedly when I first got her I did have struggles feeding her, as I think a lot of other ball python owners initially have. I definitely was too excited to have finally gotten an animal that is my sole responsibility, and I started handling her too early. She wouldn't eat anything. She just got real close to the mouse and smelled it up. But then I started feeding her in the morning, and I haven't had a problem since. I think she was too timid to strike because she was confused if it was some weird moving tree thing reaching into her cage again or food lol. I don't know if this is related, but she gives up on food easily. She never hesitates to strike a rat in the morning on the initial strike, but she will quickly give up if she grabs it at a poor angle, or position. She sometimes powers through it, but sometimes she just lets go of it after attempting to unroll herself, and then begin swallowing it. If I attempt to feed it to her again she typically reverts back to how she acted when I first got her(intense staring match).

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Ball pythons are super finicky eaters and any little thing can cause them not to eat. I would for sure recommend the shorter handling sessions, IMO anything over an hour is just to much for these timid little guys and for some even an hour is to much :P

Just test out the shorter handling and see if it makes a difference. It is ultimately your animal so if you truly think it’s not benefiting it at all then you can go to longer sessions if that’s what you want.

Another way to help with the feeding issue is when you heat up the mouse, focus the heat of the head that way when they strike they will aim for the head and hopefully won’t end up striking in a weird position and give up.

I hope this helps :P


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Originally Posted by BluuWolf

Ball pythons are super finicky eaters and any little thing can cause them not to eat. I would for sure recommend the shorter handling sessions, IMO anything over an hour is just to much for these timid little guys and for some even an hour is to much :P

Just test out the shorter handling and see if it makes a difference. It is ultimately your animal so if you truly think it’s not benefiting it at all then you can go to longer sessions if that’s what you want.

Another way to help with the feeding issue is when you heat up the mouse, focus the heat of the head that way when they strike they will aim for the head and hopefully won’t end up striking in a weird position and give up.

I hope this helps :P


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Alright I'll try limiting it to 10 minutes once every 2 days with no handling in between as much as it will kill me. At least with a drastic change like that results will be gained quickly, and in a large manner. Of course it will have to wait until she is checked on.

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Alright I'll try limiting it to 10 minutes once every 2 days with no handling in between as much as it will kill me. At least with a drastic change like that results will be gained quickly, and in a large manner. Of course it will have to wait until she is checked on.

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Yes of course the burn will for sure come before any of this! Make sure to keep us posted on how she’s doing, and I wish you and her the best of luck!


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Originally Posted by BluuWolf

Yes of course the burn will for sure come before any of this! Make sure to keep us posted on how she’s doing, and I wish you and her the best of luck!


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I’ll be sure to update this with the results of the trip to the vet, and with the handling thing.

OP, you could also go to the library or buy some books on BPs.

The best thing i ever did for my pythons was get spend some time and money and get the temperatures perfect.
I followed all the solid advice from the experts here in the forum and finally got it right!

1)ambient temperature/air temperature/“cool side” temps.

I have a heavy duty oak enclosed snake rack with ventilated tubs, because my rack is so well insulated, the heat tape in the rack brings the ambient air (cool side) up a few degrees from room temps.
Then I use an infrared space heater to make sure the room temps stay about 75-77, (This combined with the rack heat, brings the ambient rack tub temps to 78-80.)

If I had one snake in a glass tank, i would use a Ceramic heat emitter, (or a radiant heat panel) plugged into a THERMOSTAT to keep the ambient cool side air temp between 78-80

2) hot side temps, (belly heat), i use heat tape in my rack, on a dimming THERMOSTAT (herpstat EZ2), running the heat tape around 88-90, which the gives the pythons a hot area where one of their hides is located so they can warm up there when they want to.

3) i measure all temps with an infrared thermometer, (laser temp gun)

So you need TWO heat sources, one for air temps, and one for a hot spot. EACH of these needs a thermostat with probe sensor. So you need TWO thermostats. And you need an infrared thermometer.

This would will prevent your snake from getting burned, from getting respiratory infections, digestive problems or fatal organ failure.
Its a lit of money to buy all this gear, but it is critical to keeping a tropical species in a foreign environment.

The reason lots of pet stores dint recommend all this equipment is
1) ignorance, not realizing how critical it is to regulate tropical snake species temperatures.

2) if they told everyone they needed to buy two heat sources and two thermostats, they wouldn’t sell as many snakes and tanks, as many people woild be intimidated by the complexity and cost of the temp equipment, and they want impulse buyers to walk out with a snake in a glass tank with one unregulated heat source, because that is how they think it works... sadly many snakes die from this practice

Alright for anyone who manages to see this she wasn’t burned as I expected after a couple of days. I have the thermostat in place and works fine. I tried handling her less, and there was no noticeable effect after 3 feedings(around 2 weeks) she is still as finicky as ever. Back to daily handlings.

Ignorance is bliss for you, I suppose. For your snake, your ignorance is something awful.

You're going to get pummeled in the responses to this, if anyone even takes the time to respond, and you should. Your "update" was full of snark and everyone had been trying to help you understanding you are young and new to this.

But now tough love. Dude, grow up. It's not about you and your wants and how much interaction is good for you. It's about that creature who doesn't get a choice but to live with you. Learn some respect.

Did you even go to the vet???

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Alright for anyone who manages to see this she wasn’t burned as I expected after a couple of days. I have the thermostat in place and works fine. I tried handling her less, and there was no noticeable effect after 3 feedings(around 2 weeks) she is still as finicky as ever. Back to daily handlings.

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Wow, just wow. It's a good thing a competency test isn't required to keep a snake...
I feel bad for that poor animal.

Where is a beating a dead horse emoji when you need one?

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Originally Posted by skylord0110

Alright for anyone who manages to see this she wasn’t burned as I expected after a couple of days. I have the thermostat in place and works fine. I tried handling her less, and there was no noticeable effect after 3 feedings(around 2 weeks) she is still as finicky as ever. Back to daily handlings.

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Cool beans.

Prime example of an owner who values their personal needs over their pet’s well being. I can only hope you DID take your poor snake to the vet that told you it wasn’t a burn rather than you coming to that conclusion alone. If she’s still a finicky eater that only tells us your husbandry is off.

Next time do more than just “dozens of hours” of research before diving into another pet, then you wouldn’t have these issues in the first place. Good luck, you’ll need all the luck you can get at this point. Your poor bp needing it the most.

Well like I always said you can lead a horse to the water but you cannot make it drink so let's put that one to rest we are not going anywhere .

OP food for the thoughs, we were all 16 at some point and though we knew it all, and we did not.... you can learn that lesson now and become more receptive and you and your animal will benefit from it or your can persist in you ways ultimately it's your choice.

And now that all folks ;)