i need alil help

i just purchased a baby bp 0.0.1, it is starting to get flakey. its eyes aren't clouded over, it has only eaten 1x this month, i offer it every 4days. fresh water, 2 hides 1on each end. idk what i did/am doing wrong. i've had corn since i was 8, i m 21 now. yes i know bp's and corns are different. but i am using this as a gauge as to what type of snake owner i am. there's NO BUBBLES by the nose, NO WEEZING, NO mites that i can tell, but all it does is stay in its hide. any help would be greatly appreciated.:cens0r:

What are you using to measure temps and what is your heat source? Humidity? A lot more info is needed.

Have you tried feeding at night?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nybp

i just purchased a baby bp 0.0.1, it is starting to get flakey. its eyes aren't clouded over, it has only eaten 1x this month, i offer it every 4days. fresh water, 2 hides 1on each end. idk what i did/am doing wrong. i've had corn since i was 8, i m 21 now. yes i know bp's and corns are different. but i am using this as a gauge as to what type of snake owner i am. there's NO BUBBLES by the nose, NO WEEZING, NO mites that i can tell, but all it does is stay in its hide. any help would be greatly appreciated.:cens0r:

---

What do you mean "flaky?" Are there bits and pieces of skin on it? That's the only thing I can think of that you might mean. In that case, it is a stuck shed and you'll need to soak the snake in water (measure the temperature of the water! "warm" to us is scalding hot to a snake. You want it at about 86 degrees.) for about 30 minutes - WITH SUPERVISION - and then let it crawl through a soft towel to hopefully pull the bits and pieces off.

Secondly, I would not offer food every four days. You only need to feed the snake once every seven days, and if you put food in its face more often than that, the only thing you're accomplishing is stressing it out. It is very normal for him or her to hide all the time. It means he or she feels safe there, and so that is where the snake wants to be. Just be thankful that your ball python is exhibiting normal behaviors. :) Ball pythons are not display animals like corn snakes can be.

You'll also want to examine your humidity and make sure you have the right levels in the enclosure. Stuck shed is the result of the air being too dry. If you have a way to measure the humidity, it should stay at 50% or slightly higher. If you don't have a way to measure it, then that's part of the problem and you should purchase a digital hydrometer.

Can you give us a little more detailed information about your set up?
1.)What size tub/tank is your BP in?
2.)What are the temps on the hot/cold side, and what are you measuring them with?
3.) Are your two hides identical? And are they tight fitting to where your baby BP is snug on all sides?
4.)What prey item are you feeding your BP
5.) Do you know what the breeder/store was offering as prey before you bought him?

the tank is a 20g long, the one hid is a "half log" from the store, teh other is an open "tree" from the store. i have 2 themometers on opp. ends of the tank, the ones that stick to the wall the temp is 88 deg. farenheit in the hot, 82 cool, yes by flakey i mean looks like stuck skin. i asked what they were feeding it before i purchased and they said f/t mice. the only reason for me offering it so often is bc i hate seeing it look "skinny." im so used to corns and kings, that im prob. basing my judgement of its behavior on them. thanks for the help. i really appreciate it

Loose the stick on thermometers get an accurite with probe from walmart or lowes (the probe goes directly under the warm side hide), you do have a uth?Loose the log and tree hides, get two identical cave hides (there is a sticky on how to make them cheap) cover top of screening with aluminum foil and aluminum foil tape to keep humidity in, invest in a temp gun. I know I'm prolly leaving something out, but someone else will notice and chime in

And for the stuck shed, place snake in a tupperware container with tepid water(just enough water to cover 3/4 of the snakes body, cover with lid and leave for 30 minutes (there is a sticky on this also) then let snake go thru your toweled hand shed will come right off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mindibun

Secondly, I would not offer food every four days. You only need to feed the snake once every seven days, and if you put food in its face more often than that, the only thing you're accomplishing is stressing it out.

---

shouldn't a baby be offered food more often than every seven days?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ponthieux

shouldn't a baby be offered food more often than every seven days?

---

Depends on prey size and the individual BP. Small prey every 5 days works for me with babies. Once they hit 150 grams or so, I move them to every 6 days, and over 250 grams, I go to once a week. Every one does it a little different, and it's important to observe your BPs. They are each unique and don't all respond to the same feeding schedule. Hunt and peck till you find what works for your animal's needs.

Um, are you feedng f/t? Because once, i fed one of my boas f/t and it exploded a bit and got on him and then dried an he got flaky.. Try giving your snkes a nice bath and rub his his skin with the water and basically wash him for about 15 min. Then pt him into a fresh and cleaned enclosure that is misted lightly. Leave him alone for a day, and check back up on him later and see if he's still flaky...

Follow These instructions... http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43403

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DBD

Um, are you feedng f/t? Because once, i fed one of my boas f/t and it exploded a bit and got on him and then dried an he got flaky.. Try giving your snkes a nice bath and rub his his skin with the water and basically wash him for about 15 min. Then pt him into a fresh and cleaned enclosure that is misted lightly. Leave him alone for a day, and check back up on him later and see if he's still flaky...

---

Not quite right.. My female hasn't had a good shed with me yet.. After asking advice around here, I did what I was told.

here's what I do for stuck shed:
1) Get a tupperware tub, make sure it has a lid for obvious reasons.
2) like said above, fill it with water to about 3/4's of the way up the snakes body.
3)I do this, I take the probe out of the tank and put it under the running water to make sure the temperature isn't too warm.
4) Put the snake in the tub, put the lid on, put the snake back in the eclosure over the warm side for about half an hour to 45 minutes.
5) when the snake comes out, take towel and run the snake through the towel, this should take the excess skin off from the last shed. :gj:
Goodluck!

I offer my snakes f/t every 5 days, the female is starting to slow down now(refusing) so she's going on a different schedule now.

Post some pictures! :)

so the update for my baby is that i have increased the humidity to 55%, and i have 2 identical hides. the eating is still alil sketchy, but i've gotten it to eat another f/t since i lasted posted. i really appreciate everybody's help. i'll keep everybody posted.