S.o.s!!!

First of all Hello :)

Here it goes....

I rescued a balled python over the weekend and I haven't got a clue as to how to care for it. The person bought the BP from a flea market 6 months ago...he informed me that the snake has not eaten since he has been in his possession :mad: He said that he attempted to feed it a mouse once but he took it out because it was biting the snake. I offered to take the BP off his hands because I could not stand to see it suffer any longer. He had in a 20 gallon aquarium with two rocks and a large bowl of water. I'm afraid that if he does not eat like yesterday ..he going to die :(

From what I have been reading I know that first thing is the temperature in the tank. When I brought him home I put a towel in the aquarium and he immediately wrapped up in it. I'm assuming that he will not eat because he is not happy:( Someone told me that the VET would force feed him if he won't eat....is this true?? How long can he live without eating?

I am so concerned about him and he such a beautiful snake. I'm going to take him to the VET to make sure that he's not suffering from something else. His skin is very smooth no spots or anything....he is very friendly towards me but jumps when other people come near him....

any advice you guys have to offer would be more than appreciated....

Welcome.. and good for you for rescuing a poor ball python.

First off, read our care sheet. It covers all basic aspects of ball python husbandry: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

Going to a reptile vet is a great choice. If you need help finding a reptile vet (dog/cat vets are not going to be much help here) go to this site.. it's a directory of reptile vets. http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm

How is the tank set up now for him/her?

EDIT: oh I forgot to add that a ball python can live for a VERY long time without eating. Most likely it hasn't eaten because it has been stressed by being in an improper environment. Is it possible for you to post a picture? Then we can tell you how underweight it is.

You can start off by reading these two threads, one is a caresheet, the other is a FAQ:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=31102

Welcome to the forum! There have already been some great links given, but I thought I'd add a little to what has already been said. First off, it's nice to see that your snake is now in a caring environment. :)

Ball pythons can go quite long without eating, but much depends on the weight, size and age of the snake. Six months isn't too long and force feeding is probably premature at this point. The best thing you can do is to provide a nice envirnoment per the caresheets, then leave the snake alone for a couple of weeks. If everything is set up okay, you might find that your snake will eat as soon as you offer him a meal. A live mouse would probably be your best bet initially.

One more thing, you mentioned that you will be taking your snake to the vet. If at all possible, try and take him to a vet that specializes in reptiles. Good luck!!

Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much....very helpful info

I still have him in the aquarium in my room which is REALLY warm...there is nothing in the tank with the exception of two rocks, a bowl of water and a towel I put in there to keep him comfortable...hehehe...I know it's not a puppy....the guy told me that he had heated rocks but from what I'm reading we should not use those? When I get off work I'll go buy a heater and thermometer....

Get this when I went over to the person's house I asked where the snake was...he had him in a pillow case and said that he had been in there for 2 weeks..I was SOOOO ticked!

I'll take a picture of him to post.....thank

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NikkiRay

I still have him in the aquarium in my room which is REALLY warm.

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Not warm enough. Ball pythons need access to heat in the low to mid 90's. Without it they can potentially develop a respiratory infection and possibly die. Your first priority should be immediately setting up a heat gradient that goes from 82-84 on one end of the tank to 92-94 on the other so that your snake has the temperatures it needs to survive ... THEN worry about the snake eating.

Hope this helps.

-adam

Ok you need to go to walmart or target or.. whatever and get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer/hygrometer (humidity reader) Make sure your warm side temperatures are 92-94 degrees, and cool side is 82-84. Snakes need a temperature gradient to be healthy.

Hot rocks burn reptiles.. they are killers.. NEVER use one. An under tank heater is your best bet, however you need a thermostat for it to be safe. Without a control, pet store under tank heaters will get hot enough to burn your reptile too.. though they are not quite as bad as a hot rock. Expect to pay at least $70-80 for a good thermostat. Ranco or Johnson Controls are good ones. Make sure you get one that is already wired. If you have more money, a proportional thermostat (Helix or Herpstat) are the best. They are around $130 though.

Your snake needs hiding spots too. These are mentioned in the care sheet. A BP without hides is a stressed animal.

Roger that!!

I will make a trip to Wally World as soon as I get off!!

Thank's so much guys I was going to worry myself sick...I swear I can see the sadness in his little eyes:(

s.o.s...

its s.u.s.
stirring up singles!!!!!
ohhh koolaid...you make me smile!

Hi and welcome! :handshake:


I just wanted to add something to April's comments about the heating pad and thermostat. You absolutely MUST get a reliable heat source for the tank...preferably one that goes under it, as has already been mentioned. And an Under-Tank-Heater (UTH) absolutely must have some kind of control, otherwise it will get too hot and be just as dangerous as a heat rock.

April mentions thermostats, which are the very best way to go, but they may be considered pricey for some. And it may also take several days to a week or more to aquire one. An alternative to thermostats is a rheostat (aka light dimmer) that you can buy at your local hardware store. They make them so that you can plug the heat source right into them and control the amount of heat it puts out.

It's not the ideal way to go, but it's by far better than nothing. If a t-stat sounds too expensive, or you have to wait awhile to have one delivered, run to Lowes or whatever, and get yourself a dimmer switch.

Welcome to the site. :colbert2: Like everyone said, give him a hide and the right temps., Let him get used to things. Then later attempt a live mouse. If he doesn't eat remove the mouse to prevent any bite injuries. If you take time to read the care sheets and the help given on the site you should be very happy with your new snake. Again welcome aboard!!:handshake

Glad you took the BP out of that awful environment. Now the priority is getting it set up in a better way. At this point with the heat unstable, no hides, etc. if you fed it it's either likely to refuse or regurge (vomit) back the prey....both things you just don't need right now...so just focus on getting it's home set up fast.

Heating has been covered so I'll just mention hides and substrate. Get the towel out of there, it's a bacteria nightmare in the making....go with layers of plain old newspaper or papertowels for now. Hides don't need to be anything fancy or expensive. A lot of the pet store half log hides and so forth are overpriced and BP's won't use them anyways. You want two identical hides that are barely bigger around than the snake is when curled up tight. Think very tight, very dark, very sturdy and made of plastic so you can keep them clean (BP's will take a dump in their hides). Things like plastic plant pots, cereal bowls, pet dishes, etc. work well and cost nearly nothing. Just put an entrance hole in either the top or side.

Since you do not have a lot of rescue/snake experience it is possible for us to help you find someone to take over it's rescue. Not saying you can't do it but rescuing snakes sometimes takes a fair bit out of a person both financially and emotionally and some just don't make it or take months to recover. If you at any point feel you need help that way or it would be in the snake's best interest to go to an experienced person, please do not hesitate to ask if there is anyone on the forum that lives fairly close to you and would be able to rehabilatate this poor creature.

welcome to the site, it good to see some one who cares and really is looking out for the well being of their animals.


theres nothing really i have to add except that
1. please please please dont consider force feeding, it only stresses out the snake and can cuase it to regurgitate the food (think of throwing up an entire rib stake at once) which ill further stress the snkae

2. and also dont worry about the prolonged abscence of food. my Monty just finished fasting and he was going on 170 odd days (almost 7 months anyways) and hes fine and quite active now.

Howdy all!!!!

I'm back with very exciting news about Sasha (that's what I named her :))

Guess all my time and frustration has paid off because she ate last night and I'm still stoked!!!!

I have never witnessed a snake eating a mouse before and I must say it was AMAZING!!!!

I fixed up her tank for her.... followed all the directions as far as heat,hides,etc....

I bought frozen mice and attempted to feed her for weeks.... she would not touch them :confused:I bought her a live baby mouse...didn't even have hair on it...she would not eat it :confused:yesterday my boyfriend brought home an adult rodent.... I am not too fond of mice so I was afraid that I would be stuck with the task of fishing the rodent out of the tank :O

Well we dropped it in the tank....Sasha was in her warm hide...she came out and started sniffing around...then she perched herself on one of her rocks and waited...

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

she pounced on that sucka and swallowed it:D

I didn't know that she could move that fast!!!

She looked like she wanted another but I decided to wait until the weekend...don't want her to get a bellyache...

THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!

I'm going to post pictures of her....

Oh I forgot she shed her skin and it came off in two pieces...she has just a little on her face...should I pick it off? Or leave it alone?

I'm so happy!

That's awesome news! Congrats!!


I would wait a full week before trying to feed her again. And give her the same thing she got this time.

As for the shed...she'll likely rub it off herself in time. I would leave it alone until she's at least eaten a couple of meals, which indicates she's starting to feel secure in her home. Don't want to ruin that by pulling her out and messing with her face. ;)

Thanks!!!

I'll leave her alone for a while.....I think I remember reading not to pick her up for a few days after she has eaten....

I think she likes me!!!

She likes to smell my hand when I put it ove the tank...

hey I have a really dumb question.....does she have any teeth in there?

lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NikkiRay

hey I have a really dumb question.....does she have any teeth in there?

lol

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Hehe....yep....she's got teeth. Really sharp ones. But they're little and they sort of blend in with her gums. If you search around, you should be able to find some great open-mouthed pics of BP's that show their teeth really well. If I find one, I'll post it here.

you're correct, dont handle her for atleast two days. i dont handle mine fore 3 days.

yes, she does have teeth but they're pretty small. they can draw blood though.