pics of snake i rescued...these are sad.

here they are, i can't seem to use my camera right the really good ones turned otu fuzzy, but here are the clearest ones i got...there's atleast 2 retained sheds on him (?) and prob more on head...and he's very severely under weight you can see spine and all...makes me sad thinking about it. he's in a good place now though :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John005.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John014.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John015.jpg

ugh, poor thing, where did you get him/her from, props for the rescue

i hope to see post-sheds pic as soon as possible

Oh dear. Well much better place now. Keep us in the loop on their progress and post after pics in a few months!


Where were they rescued from? somebody's house?

this thread explains...it's a novel though.


http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=38885

Wow! That really is horrible! :rainon:


It's heartening to know that he's in a good home now, though. Take heart yourself...BP's are extraordinarily resiliant animals...and with lots of patience and TLC, in a few months you won't even recognize him! :salute:

Ugh. That's -exactly- what Norm(n) looked like when I got her(him).
I can't remember if you said in your other thread if he'd seen the vet yet, but I'd have him seen and dewormed.
My kiddo hasn't refused a meal in the two months I've had him, and sheds out fine now, so they can certainly recover from a state like that! Big kudos for your rescue.

i'm gonna get him in as soon as he has his first urate, and have it all checked out at once!!





i hope...i misted him a littl etoday and the tank also...he ate yesterday 2 med/large mice and he's in his cage hunting right now...shoudl i feed him again tomorrow if he'll eat? i have a petco abotu 1.5 miles away i can get him some food no prob.

it just realy confuses me on how docile he is and active for being in his condition. he wont go into any hides though...and temps are right. i'm just gonna give him time....should i be fedding him larger mice or small rats cause he had a hard time killing the smaller mice i think they were a little small for him to constrict. here's some pics of brutus...my healthy one...he's growing fast!!!! look at the last pic, he could prob handle bigger prey, judging by the lump in his throat as he's swallowing what do you think???

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John019.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John020.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John021.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/John012.jpg

Unbelievable. I am just glad that you have him now and you can improve his life.. horrible retained shed and underweight.
I hope that you keep us informed on his progress; there are several people on this forum with rehab experience.. I never rescued one in that bad of confition myself.. but I am glad you have him now.

I didn't rush the feeding...two mice or one small rat (depending on availability) per week, and he's gained 200g in two months. I left him alone except for feeding and minimal cleaning until he'd had two good feedings in. Mine has a great personality too...really calm and friendly and outgoing.

yeah it's just weird, he's not head shy or anything....can you believe the jerkoff i got him from had a freaking space heater in with him!!! i found pieces of him stuck to everything in his enclosure...i can wait to get this shed off so i can really take a good look at him for burns and such.

now that i have 2 snakes i think i'm gonna start the old breeding my own mice venture, until my younger one is big enough for rats than i'll switch...it will prob be cheaper in the long run....here i go i'm really hooked now...lol

gotta get soem sleep 2am comes real quick

thanks for all the responses...makes me feel better about the situation.

Dan

Just some random thoughts that come to mind while reading this thread...


I've heard many rescue stories, and sometimes the person is amazed at how docile the snake is when it is in such sad condition. Only to later be caught completely offguard when the snake does a 180 and becomes hissy and defensive. It's possible that the snake seems so docile simply because it feels so lousy. Once it gets past all this roughness and starts to feel stronger and healthier, it may very well have an entirely different personality. That's not to say that HAS to happen...just that it is a real possibility to be aware of.

Also...please don't rush the feeding schedule. I can understand how anxious you must be, but if you rush it, you may end up doing more damage by causing regurge or at least refusal of meals. The snake's emaciated tummy will need some significant time to adjust to regular, decent sized meals....take it slow and gradual. (And that's slow by snake standards...not mammal standards! LOL)

And lastly, it's not uncommon for a BP to not use its hides for a few days or more after moving into a new home. Even if he's in the same tank as before, everything has changed around him and he's in all new territory. It may take awhile for him to relax and realize that those cozy little caves aren't occupied by some other animal. ;)

And I guess that wasn't "lastly" because one more thought pops up.....don't wait too long to take him to the vet. So far as I know, they can't do a fecal float with urates anyhow, so that is not worth waiting for. And if you wait for him to poop, you could be waiting for a LONG time...in the meantime, your snake may have issues that the vet could have discovered much earlier.

A good, experienced herp vet will be able to help you rehab your snake, and may prescribe some general de-worming, even if they don't have a fecal to start with....not to mention he may catch even worse health issues that you can't see right now, such as an early stage RI or scale issues.

Dan, Judy touched on some important issues in her post (great post btw Jude!) A vet can check the snake for internal parasites without a fecal sample, as far as I know they don't check the urate so I'd get an appointment as soon as you can. As Judy said, don't rush the feedings. Digestion in and of itself is a laborous process for a snake so going constantly in and out of a digestion cycle just can't be good for it. Weekly feeds of an appropriate sized rat or a couple of mice are likely best but again, your herp vet is your best friend if you are going to do rescues that is a reality of your life (and wallet), so check with the vet about feeding schedules, meds needed, etc.

awww....poor guy:( Glad that you have him and he can get proper care. Post more pics as he comes back around to the healthy side!

oh poor baby! I'm glad to see he is in a much better place!
makes me angry when people abuse animals. :colbert:

Huge points for the rescue!! I do all the local rescue's for my city and I know how hard it is not to want to knock that guy out. Let's hope he learned his lesson and won't bother to try another snake in the future. Thank YOU!! For caring enough to take the poor guy in and rehab him. Sometimes it seems like there are too few people willing to take on the challenge. Good Luck!

Cheers,
Kat

[QUOTE=JLC]Just some random thoughts that come to mind while reading this thread...


I've heard many rescue stories, and sometimes the person is amazed at how docile the snake is when it is in such sad condition. Only to later be caught completely offguard when the snake does a 180 and becomes hissy and defensive. It's possible that the snake seems so docile simply because it feels so lousy. Once it gets past all this roughness and starts to feel stronger and healthier, it may very well have an entirely different personality. That's not to say that HAS to happen...just that it is a real possibility to be aware of.

QUOTE]

This happened to us very recently, a friend brought over a 3 year old who was very malnourished weighing 590 grams:( Once we got some food in him on a regular basis he became a real handful. The second we opened his tub to feed he was half out of the tub before I reached the tub with his supper. Needles to say it was the most intresting feeding and getting him back in was worse he struck repeatedly me. So I filled up his enclosure with newpaper and left him be. He is now all calmed down, but that was something Id never expected.
Good for you for taking him in, best of luck.

Its great to see he is with someone who cares and is willing to put in the work to help this guy.
good luck with.


Eric

i was calling urates poop for some reason...and yeah i realize it may take awhile...did not know that vet could check with the fecal sample...i will try and get him in tonite...and i totally understand that he may do a 180 turn, and i'm kinda expecting it after reading other rescue stories. i do not let him near vital parts of my body nor my face, same with my healthy snake roo. lol...they are animals still. thanks for all the advice, i will get him in and talk wit vet and see what he thinks....hopefull he has something open....

thanks
Dan

They sure can change once they feel better but that's a good thing sometimes. Our rescue W/C female was always docile, balled up and obviously stressed. Recently when I was doing routine water changing and cleaning she hissed at me....a big, low, adult BP "back outta my tank NOW" type hiss. Raised the hair on my arms LOL and I sure kept the hide between her and me let me tell you. I couldn't have been more happy and proud though. Finally Ms Saoirse must be feeling so healthy and secure that she feels she can defend her space and be a bit fiesty! How cool is that! :)

wow, poor thing :(, but ur awesome for taking it in :carrot:

thats what the snakes in my pet store look like...u can see their spine cuz they take terrible care of them :mad:

ok...here are some updated pics...i got 3/4 of the retained shed off...bumped humidity upto 75% hopefully she'll get the rest off herself...i discovered 3 layer of retained shed and 4 in some places.....she looks alot better now. i tried the pillow case thing but it didn't work out too well. an di think i need to get a new humid hide, cause i think openign is too small she wont go in it. i coiled her and set her in it and was able to close lid so i figured it woul work but i think she needs a bigger opening. i can't wait to get the shed off of her head, she has some very nice blushing that starts behind the thick part of her head and extands all the way to the tip of her nose. you cna't see it with pics now...hopefully in a week or so she'll get it off.

here are some pics.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/girl002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/girl003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/girl004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/girl007.jpg

She looks way better. Good job on the rescue and saving this lil girls life. Btw whats her temperment like?

KUDOS to you mate :D
I just read this read from the beginning , poor thing what a state she was in :( (some people arggghh :mad: )
thank god she found you :D and she looks so much better now in those new pics of her :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vomitore

She looks way better. Good job on the rescue and saving this lil girls life. Btw whats her temperment like?

---

thanks for the props everyone!!

her temperment is awesome right now...hardly ever goes into the s shape defense...never struck and will just lay on my lap for however long you want her to.

she's pounding down a meduim sized RAT right now..she took it and didn't bite it right and wasnt able to sqeeze hard enough to kill it so i gave it a whack now she's swallowing it....pre-killed switch with this one wont be very hard at all....in a few weeks i'll try F/T and see how she does.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by racer69

she's pounding down a meduim sized RAT right now..she took it and didn't bite it right and wasnt able to sqeeze hard enough to kill it so i gave it a whack now she's swallowing it....pre-killed switch with this one wont be very hard at all....in a few weeks i'll try F/T and see how she does.

---

Just a little friendly advice....you've rescued him...got him eating....clearly he's bouncing back.

I have 2000+ gram girls that I feed no larger than small rats. A medium sized rat for a snake that size is a VERY large meal. Right now, he would benefit from a LONG period of *consistent* care. If you are feeding live small rats right now, keep feeding live small rats and establish a solid pattern of eating over a period of MONTHS, not weeks. Given that, I would probably say that you shouldn't try switching him to f/t until an more establish pattern of husbandry has taken place.

they called it a medium but looked small to me abotu 6inches in length sprawled out dead with otu tail. you can't even see it in her belly. i have a pic of her when she bit it's head and constricted it.


how long are your 2000+ gramers? this one is 4' or more.

here are the pics...this is what they called a large mouse...



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/girl008.jpg

and here's what they said was meduim rat..thias was the smallest they had. can't see it too good, but you can see how she bit it's face...lol...she got so frustrated with this that she just let it go, so i grabbed it and gave it a conk and then she smelled it all over and swallowed it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...or/girl009.jpg

It is hard to judge by what each pet store calls each size. I recently needed to buy a few extra feeder rats as our own supply was a bit low that week. The pet store I dropped into tried to sell my barely weaned size rats and called them small! Like I would willingly pay $4.00 for a weanling rat when I had lots of that size at home and just needed 3 more smalls LOL. I told the guy to take his itty bitty weanlings back in the back and feed the poor buggers up before he tried to pawn them off as smalls and took my business elsewhere.

Brad gave you excellent advice though. Don't push too fast too soon. Find a nice size (smaller is bettter) rat and stick with it week after week. You'll see a nice healthy and consistent weight gain that way I bet. Same with feeding method, pick the one you like best and the snake will accept then stick to it. BP's love routine!

yeah i think i'm gonna stick with rats.....read about them and heard they will help ptu weight on faster and healthier than feeding 2 mice at a time. correct me if i'm wrong though. cause it would be alot easier for me to breed mice than rats..lol

Possibly but remember how badly mice smell compared to rats :)



dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Possibly but remember how badly mice smell compared to rats :)



dr del

---

Ugh. The mice smell. I hate mice.

i did notice that, ths was the first rat i've offered so far, and there was even a smell compared to opening the mouse container...so...i agree.

In the end it won't really matter what's easier for you or smellier LOL it will matter what your snake will accept on a consistent basis with a strong feeding response. That's what you end up feeding (and also the method of feeding as some won't take anything but live, others are quite happy with f/t or pre-killed).

As far as the thing about rats vs mice that's just not a proven theory. Practical evidence stated here many times over by breeders with 100's of BP's over many years is that it's not about rats or mice. It's about an appropriate volume of prey on a weekly basis. In other words, feed what the snake likes, feed it the correct amount for it's size, whether that's a single rat or multiple mice, and it'll grow to the size it should in a nice, healthy manner.

Here's a small example from our own collection. Four 06 BP's, all about the same size and weight (give or take)...all born within a few short weeks to months of each other....pick out the rat eaters vs the mice eaters (and there are both in that group of 4).....(no cheating and looking up my posts about who eats what now LOL)...

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=38886

i would guess Muirne and Riordan are the rat eaters...i did not peek. thoses are 06 hatched? when were they hatched? my wife got my first BP from Petco (urghh) for me on sept 10th and they sai dit was 6-9 weeks old when seen the vet a few weeks later he said he's alot olde rthen that...but mine are no where near your's sizes, he weighs in at 225 grams

Judging from the pic with your ball eating the medium sized rat, I'd say that meal was a little on the big side. I'm not sure if that pic was taken during or right after constriction, but a snake that has to use its whole body to wrap two or three coils around a prey item is eating something entirely too big.

Just go nice an easy on him.

she wraps mice liek that too...she's literally all skin and bones so theres not any girth to help with constricting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by racer69

i would guess Muirne and Riordan are the rat eaters...i did not peek. thoses are 06 hatched? when were they hatched? my wife got my first BP from Petco (urghh) for me on sept 10th and they sai dit was 6-9 weeks old when seen the vet a few weeks later he said he's alot olde rthen that...but mine are no where near your's sizes, he weighs in at 225 grams

---

Actually Muirne is and always has been a mouse eater and Riordan has accepted both, though is now on rats. The other mouse eater is Cara, Helori being a rat eater.

Muirne is a May 06 female - mouse eater
Helori is a June 06 female - rat eater
Cara is a also a June 06 female (different clutch) - mouse eater
Riordan is an August 06 male - was a mouse eater but took to rats easily

I don't have weights this week on them but they are all actully in the 200 grams or so range. I'll weigh them all next week likely. The point here Racer was to show you that really rats or mice, as long as they are eating appropriate amounts of prey...they are all gaining about the same rate. Sure where Helori and Riordan may eat a chubby rat fuzzy, Muirne and Cara will eat two mouse hoppers but they all are receiving the same weight of prey so are gaining about the same (allowing of course for genetic differences in growth patterns).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by racer69

yeah i think i'm gonna stick with rats.....read about them and heard they will help ptu weight on faster and healthier than feeding 2 mice at a time. correct me if i'm wrong though. cause it would be alot easier for me to breed mice than rats..lol

---

OK - you're wrong! :D All of mine are currently mousers until I get my first litters of rats (I happen to not like breeding mice).

My mousers get no more than 2 mice a week and are still gaining 100 grams a month on average.

Robin and I actually did a thread on this on another forum months back. She showed pics and weights of some of her females, I did the same. All our females were about the same age and about the same weight/length. Hers all eat mice, mine all eat rats. Not enough of a difference in growth to even consider it anything but normal variance. We hoped it would dispel some of this myth that one is "better" than the other.

My mousers - see how "thin" they are! :D They all get 2 mice a week, nothing more.

Echo - over 1000 grams
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...o/EchoNov3.jpg

Pandora - over 1000 grams
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...ndora-Aug4.jpg

Sierra - over 1000 grams
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...uneSierra5.jpg

J-Lo - '06 400 grams
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...o/J-LoNov5.jpg

That medium rat does look a bit on the large side for your new snake, I think we probably don't give the snakes enough credit and if he was able to kill and eat it then it probably isn't anything to worry about. Generally speaking though that's a huge meal for a BP even if well fed and think given the wasting of your snake I'd go for weaner rats at the moment.

Kudos for the rescue though he already looks 300% better!