Craigs list: poor ball python

I saw an add on craiglist for a female ball python. Of course I had to ask a few questions. They wanted 100 for her. They said they had paid that for the "tank" alone. I said I didn't need the tank and they said they wouldn't go below $30, so I decided to go look at her.

When I got there I was saddened by this poor girl in a 55 gallon aquarium, no water, no hides and on pine shavings. I picked her up and she was very dehidrated and had bite marks all over her body. I couldn't leave her there. I now have her quarintted in a shoe box and have the humidity up and a bowl of water. I am not sure what to do about the bites, except keep them clean.

Here are just two of the injuries on her (sorry about the bad photos).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...s/P1050920.jpg

you can see the open, red spot just above her marking, close to her topline.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...s/P1050921.jpg

she had marks like this all up and down her body.

i give you a thumbs up on that one. Good thing you saved her

Aww, poor little girl. That kind of looks like some sort of scale rot or a pox rather than bites. There's just so many of the wounds. :O I'd get her to the vet for some injectable antibiotics to give her system a jump start if she's doing that poorly.

aww poor baby. kudos to you for rescuing her. I agree, vet visit. good luck with her, and from what I can see, she looks like a beautiful snake.

These "rescue" stories just never seem to amaze me. I try to wonder how and why ppl would let a living animal get in the shape they let them get into. Good lookin out!

oh poor baby!! I'm glad she has a new home.

Good job!!!

I have seen bites like that before, they are from leaving a large (too large for the snake that is) rodent in with the snake unattended. For the most part they will heal up on their own.

Also, you will problably want to schedule a vet. appointment.

Best of luck with her!! :gj:

Things like this make me wonder why people ever get pets. If you can't care for it, don't get it, duh! I wish everyone knew that.

Good thing you rescued her. She probably would've been a goner.

Leaving any living creature without water is just insanity.

In the meantime give her a warm soak in a betadine solution

Big Karma to you for taking her out of that environment.

I completely agree. Definite karma points for rescuing that poor girl. Just please keep us updated, and ask whatever you need. We're here for y'all.

poor thing. grats to you for saving a creatures life :)

BIG TIME Kudos for rescuing that poor beauty! People who would let their animals get like that deserve a taste of their own medicine...

Poor little BP...Good job rescuing...

Good for you to rescue that snake. It looks awfully skinny in addition to being bitten up. :gj:

Thank you everyone. The vet said to keep her clean with a bowel she can soak in if she wants, I have to put some salve on her 2x a day (and take the water out for a few hours so she doesn't wash it off). She has a hard life. I will wait a week before offering her any food. She has a sweet temperment and is rapped around her water bowel as we speak (the water bowel is on the hot side to give more humidity). Some of the wounds where worse than expected and he (the vet) gave her a 50/50 chance of making it :( She is half starved. She got sub q of fluids to help her rehidrate. X-rays where taken because the vet thought she might have had a few broken ribs. Good news nothing was broken but she had a few fractures.

It is a good thing she only cost me $30, because the vet bill was $248. But she is well worth it. So send good thoughts her way and hopefully she will make it.

Its a great thing you rescued her. Great job!

i see this kind of stuff all the time on craigslist. people get these snakes and jus don't want them anymore or they say it's to much of a burddonon them. there was this one add i saw a guy want to adopt his red tail out saying it was to hard to keep up with and when i told i would ake it in he say great know i can start saving my money for a horse . i was like are you kidding me it saddneds me how dumb people are a horse damn itcome on. the promblem i see is that most of the snake i do see on there are way to pricey and snakes are in such bad shape and to them they seem fine . i wish i caould take them all in myself ...

man that a shame that some people are allowed to have a pet. I have a bp that was similar shape whe n Igot him from his owner. they were keeping a live gerbil inthe cage forr 3 weeks . the snake has done a wonderfully turn aroun in the little over a motnh it been in my care it eating has shed ( heaklling up great ) and very tame and enjoys being handle I guessin cause it will just hang around on my shoulders for an hour are so whiel he watches my figner move around onthe keyboard. i gonig ot remove him from qt a little early sinc e i having trouble keepnig my room warm. and just place him over with the asf tanks in the bp room for a couple days .

Congratulations on your new snake, I hope she turns out to be the best for you. I'm curious though, do you have any idea how she got the fractures? Are rat bites strong enough to cause fractures or was she thrown against the wall or something? I'm puzzled????

poor baby. I hope she survives and thrives!

The guy said they moved her from a 10g tank to the 55g tank because she was always trying to get out. He said that he tried to "teach" her not to by shutting the lid on her, but she wouldn't learn. They where happy that I didn't want the tank because they where going to get some chinchillis (sp?). I hope they take better care of them than they did with the poor snake.

WOW. Thats one of the dumbest things ive ever heard. It tried to get out...so we shut the lid on it to teach it. morons.

UGH. I'm a little sorry I asked. Poor snake. Poor chinchillas. They'll probably slam the cage top on them too.

Quote:

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They where happy that I didn't want the tank because they where going to get some chinchillis (sp?)

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Chinchillas are NOT supposed to live in tanks :( They need very large cages (mine is almost the minimum at 30”w x 24”d x 36”h) :(

Kudos to you for rescuing the poor girl! I hope she makes it!

Marx came from a Criagslist post too, his owner was feeding him pinkies every 2 weeks, his intentions were good but he was ill informed. Marx is getting his first mouse tonight :)