Pix of the rescue pastel...and a rant.

Well, Just brought the two new snakes home. Here are some pix of the abused pastel.

Just before being put in his new home. You can kind of see the location of those broken ribs 1/2 down his body near the tail. (My little finger is right under it)
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...Newpastel1.jpg

In his transport box, the kinked part is the injury.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...Newpastel2.jpg

Poor little thing is so undersized and underfed... He didn't eat there at the store, but I'm not surprised since there was really no where for him to hide in the little keeper they had to put him in. I'm just hoping that he'll pick up in a nice warm secure tank. At least he can move his whole body and seems interested in his surroundings, since he is currently climbing over his hides.

Now for the rant: As some of you know, I took my Amel het Snow corn snake in today to trade for a much calmer and sweeter Amel corn. Well, when my friend takes him out of the box, he tells me that that was no male... I had a female all that time! :O
Now I feel really dumb for not double checking, and kind of upset with the breeder that sold 'him' to me. Oh well, it was still a good trade, since they know a corn breeder who was looking for a het snow female, and since I got myself the nicest male (probed) Amel in exchange. Now all I need to do is pick out a good female at the first spring reptile expo.

That is so sad....

But it is good that you took it in and are caring for it! Kudos to you!

So has anyone spoken to a vet or had this snake seen by a vet yet?

Not yet. But I will be talking, at least, to my vet on Monday about him. I wanted to get him into a proper environment with good temps and humidity first, plus the clinic isn't open on weekends except for emergencies. He's a pretty alert little guy, and was climbing all over his cage on the initial explore, so his injury hasn't affected his mobility. The main thing now is to see if he eats.

Perhaps I'm being overly cautious but I wouldn't say the main thing is to see if he eats. For me the main thing would be having a vet confirm that whatever damage is there, the act of constriction/feeding won't make it worse on the snake. Personally, I wouldn't feed this snake until a vet confirmed what's going on damagewise with this snake. It's obvious from what you've said that something traumatic occurred during the time this snake was at it's first owner's home. For me figuring out exactly what that injury is and how much actual damage was done, would be my first priority (other than getting it into appropriate housing of course).

I would want to get him to a vet asap. I probably would even have gone in before bringing him home.. and the store who had him would definately get a piece of my mind abot keeping a broken-up animal without getting it to a vet! I would actually be worried about feeding at all, until I knew just what the extent of the damage is.. but I wish you luck in all of this. And I hope that whoever injured her gets their karmic payback.

Oh believe me, I understand that concern. I wouldn't even think about feeding him until after he was totally settled, injury or no, and the injury just brings even more caution.

I will be speaking with my vet about him tomorrow, and most likely he will give me a time and day to bring him in for a total look over.

He's currently curled up on his cool side behind the hide with his head poking out from under some leaves. He hasn't discovered the hides yet (probably because he never had any before :mad:), but his temps are staying constant and he seems nice and alert.

Thanks again for the concern. He's such a sweet little guy, he deserves a second chance.

What store did you get this guy from ? That is so sad, did they have any story as to how he got injured?

Neil

did you get them from a shelter or a pet store. because there is no such thing as a rescue from a pet store. by buying from a pet store that treats animals like this all you have done is put money in there pocket and opened up room for them to get two more snakes in to be not taken care of. sometimes the best thing to do is walk away even if it breaks your heart. or call animal controle and have them take a look at the animals.

She posted about this snake last week, here's the back story:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=57337

Thanks, Robin. :) As to how he might have gotten injured, that's anyone's guess. The guy that owned him before just brought him in without a word, and when I showed interest in the poor little guy he just said I could keep him and left. Based on how the injured area looks, I would say he either had something land on him or he was squeezed way too hard. It's sort of shaped like a squished Hershey's kiss.

We'll see what the vet doth say.

I'm glad he is getting the care and attention he needs. You are a saint among serpents. :D I wish you both the best of luck. Please keep us informed! I'm sending positive vibesss your way.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

She posted about this snake last week, here's the back story:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=57337

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wow what a crazy story. you would of proabbly been better off bringing it home and qt ing it rather than keeping it at the pet shop. ( RI is not like the common cold that can spread. it is like pntumonia (sp) not contaigious)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MATT FISHER REPTILES

wow what a crazy story. you would of proabbly been better off bringing it home and qt ing it rather than keeping it at the pet shop. ( RI is not like the common cold that can spread. it is like pntumonia (sp) not contaigious)

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Ah...I didn't know that. :doh: Well, now I do.
I had to leave him there at least a day or two, though, cause I needed the time to get a QT cage set up.

He's been pretty good so far, and can move his whole body with no problems. Heck, I even found him all wrapped around one of his plants last night. And when the acurite I put in there suddenly went on the fritz (it was reading 23 and 25) and I had to replace it with another, he just backed away from my reaching hand and sat there watching.
In fact, as I was getting the new meter set up and had the cover off the front of the tank, he was cruising along pressing his face against the glass to test that 'new clear area'. I don't think he was freaked out by it, just testing it, as his movements were slow and calculated. Heh, you could just hear him thinking "What is this? There's some sort of force field here..."

So, today is the telling day. Not only do I talk with the vet about this little guy, but I also go to the bank to see if I can't find a way to get about $5,000 for living till May while my BF finds a job. Since neither of us has a job, and I maxed out my financial aid for the year...I'm really hoping there's a way out there to get the money.
Anyway...I shall indeed keep everyone informed on the little one's progress. Thanks for the great comments! :)

UPDATE - I spoke with my vet and, through his recommendation and some talking with technicians, I have an appointment for the little guy on Thursday with Kevin Fitzgerald. :D Too cool...always did want to meet him. They even said that he might wave the wellness exam fee for this poor Bio student. Even if they don't, I found a new patient coupon for $30 off.

So, I really hope Thursday is nice and sunny like today and I will keep you all informed.

Hey, isn't he that guy on Animal Planets Emergengy Vets? He is awesome, I have watched him for years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by catawhat75

Hey, isn't he that guy on Animal Planets Emergengy Vets? He is awesome, I have watched him for years.

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yep i believe it is him. Too cool!

Seriously...you should drop bp.net to him and tell him to swing by :D

:D :D :D
Not sure if he has the time to do stuff online, but I certainly intend to mention the site to him. Can't wait to meet him in person...I used to watch that show all the time.

Take the camera, I want pics of Kevin LOL. He was always my favorite vet on that show so I'm a bit of a fan of his. Doesn't hurt that he was apparently once a roadie for the Rolling Stones. :banana:

Hope it all goes well for the little snake.

About your Acu-Rite...are you sure it just didn't flip over to a celcius reading. Sometimes they will do that and you can just pop it back over to fahrenheit. 23 C is 73.4 F, 25 C is 77 F by the way.

That guy is seriously awesome! I always wished I lived there just so I could take my animals to see him. I wish you and the snake a lot of luck!!!! Keep us updated!

Is that the QT with the "Sam Elliot" mustache!?!?!?

I adore him!

Best of luck sweetie... please keep us posted. :)

Yep sure is Laura (we can sit on the couch together and be the rabid Kevin fan club if ya like hon). :D

How cool to take him to see Kevin Fitgerald! My own vet looks a lot like him and has similar mannerisms!

UPDATE!
Kevin is the coolest! He's also the busiest and fastest...hardly got to talk to him (tho he apologized for it). It was so neat meeting him in person. :D

So... poor little snake. He was dehydrated, underweight and constipated with a huge blockage and what seemed like a kidney stone! No wonder he seemed so miserable. Kevin evacuated everything and gave him a good dose of fluids, then told me to try feeding him the absolute smallest pinky I could find or even a few mealworms to start...that's how underweight and weak he is. There's also the chance that old injury could be interfering with his digestion/evacuation abilities. He handled it all well, though, and is currently hiding behind his warm side hide.

I am to call Kevin with a progress report on Monday...and I didn't have to pay a dime! I love that guy now more than before!

I'll get the poor little guy a tiny pinky tomorrow and see if he has any interest. Hopefully there will be some good things to say...

Thats all fantastic to hear. I'm glad you had such a great experience, and the snake was able to be properly evaluated. The poor thing! Hopefully he will be on the road to recovery soon. It isn't too late for a Christmas Miracle! ;)

A thought as to why he isn't using the hides; maybe he needs more room than they provide because it hurts too much to coil into the space with the injury. Perhaps providing a larger hide than you'd normally give a snake that size will help him get some privacy without the need to coil tightly as he normally would.

Thanks for the update!

That's a well thought out guess... but I doubt it since he coils up pretty tight to hide behind them. See:

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

I don't think that injury causes him any pain anymore, since he's 'adjusted' to it. He slides through tight areas in his cage and in his travel box with no problem. The concern now is if that injury is impeding his lower internal workings.

A Christmas miracle would be really nice...though I haven't named him, just in case, he is still a beautiful snake that deserves a chance at a good life. :)

I friend of mine hatched out a baby this year that was kinked in a similar location as yours (his was MUCH worse though). But that baby either could not pass stool, or had some type of kidney problem. The back half of its body past the kink always looked dry and dehydrated even after soaking regularly. The baby died about a month after he was born even though he did eat on his own. Hopefully your snake does not have the same problem. Good luck.

UPDATE: HE ATE!!! :fest2::pinkele::fest::sunny:

I just offered him a tiny pinky mouse, as instructed, and he nailed it! So he still has interest in eating. Now we just have to see if he keeps it down and, if so, digests it properly.

But the first step is a success!!!

Also, regarding Nagini (who refused her meal again tonight), I realized that she may be 'catching up' food wise because I was giving her mice as big around as her the last three times she ate. So, I'm not nearly as worried about her anymore either. :D