Stuck eye caps?

My B-p has stuck eye caps. I've decided thats why she wont eat. SHE CANT SEE! very well anyway. Ive tried soaking her in warm water and rubbing them with a towel or moist Q-tip. I even got some shedding aid. The temp and humidity in her enclosure are perfect any sugestions or should i just wait till the next shed?? Thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by womensitdown

My B-p has stuck eye caps. I've decided thats why she wont eat. SHE CANT SEE! very well anyway. Ive tried soaking her in warm water and rubbing them with a towel or moist Q-tip. I even got some shedding aid. The temp and humidity in her enclosure are perfect any sugestions or should i just wait till the next shed?? Thanks

---

I highly doubt that is the cause of her not eating..
Keep the humidity up. If they didn't come off with a soak once or twice, then wait until the next shed.

If your snake is not eating, it could be a husbandry cause. I don't know if you have another thread about it, but listing husbandry details could help us determine why she is not eating.

The only reason I think thats the cause is because she strikes at her food, but misses( She only strikes two or three times then gives up) It could be husbandry but lately I've more anal than usual about everything.

Ive got aspen shavings for subsitrate. A tupperwear with water that i change daily. Im looking right now and the temp is 80.9f on the cool side and 90.8 on the hot and the humidity is 67%. I'm pretty sure the enclosure is 40 gals. The top of the enclosure is glass on both sides with screen in the middle. I put aluminum foil around the light so it covers the screen where the Lights are not. There are two card board boxs with holes cut in it on the hot side it sits on top of an undertank heat pad and a box on the cool side.

My she has stuck caps and is fasting?

Ball Pythons are not sight hunters having evolved to hunt mostly in dark rat burrows and so forth. The strikes are not likely true misses but more likely defensive "get away from me rat" type strikes.

How big/old is this snake? A 40 gallon is a lot of open glass for these shy snakes. Where is the tank in your home? (quiet room, busy room, etc.) How long have you had this snake and what is her feeding history prior to you owning her? What is your feeding routine so far? Are you handling the snake at all right now?

Are you feeding live or f/t? If f/t, make sure it is warm enough. BPs can "see" with their heat pits, but if the prey isn't warm enough that might make it harder for them.

Sometimes BPs strike and miss because they are not trying to capture the prey; they are just striking defensively. This could be an indication that she doesn't feel secure because her temps are off or her hides don't feel secure enough to her or her enclosure is too large, or anything else along those lines.

As far as the eyecaps, it seems to be safe to leave them until the next shed. You should measure the humidity with a digital hygrometer. When she goes blue next time, make sure her humidity is plenty high enough, and she'll probably get the eyecaps off by herself.

I feed live and she has always been a really good eater. I got her at the local pet store (where i will never buy another animal i found a breeder close to here for when i get much more experiance). when i got her she had ticks and mites shes been to the vet twice since oct. The first time she got shots and what not but was healthy the second time was two or three weeks ago. They did some test and said she was in good shape. When i mentioned her not eating the vet said try again next week and so i tried yesterday and no go. She is a 3 year old female i forgot her weight I left the papers at work. Shes 3-4 feet long i keep her in my comp room where im the only person usually. and i havent even held her since we went to the vet.

Pet store - ticks and mites - not eating. My gut says you've got a WC fresh out of shipping and another rotten pet store has done it again. *sigh*

Let me see if I can dig up my stuff on working with WC's and see if it can be of help to you.

When you say she's always been a good eater... was that for you when you first got her, or what the pet store told you?

She assured me she bought her from a breeder but I would think that she would'nt come with the exo-parisites if that were the case its partly my fault also. I should have done much more homework before i got a snake but thanks to this site and my vet (who i think wishes i would lose his phone number, But likes to take my money) Im learning alot about them. The pet store also doesn't have heat pads, hides, of correct humidity. I threw a huge fit after finding ticks and mites on her, and finding out what snakes really need to be comfortable and now i have to buy rats 40 miles away, but it was worth it to listen to her studder and try to tell me I was wrong, But thanks so much for all the help everybody!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kc261

When you say she's always been a good eater... was that for you when you first got her, or what the pet store told you?

---

I have had her for 5 months she has eaten every sat since oct, Until about a month ago.

Not to say some lady I've never met is a liar but hmmmm....a sexually mature female snake that has ticks and mites and she's trying to tell you a breeder sold it to her. Well either that's one nasty breeder or she bought it healthy and she runs a nasty pet store. Neither option makes it a place you should ever buy from again because either someone is lying to you or someone runs a dirty operation. :mad:

Btw I sent you a PM. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by womensitdown

She assured me she bought her from a breeder but I would think that she would'nt come with the exo-parisites if that were the case its partly my fault also. I should have done much more homework before i got a snake but thanks to this site and my vet (who i think wishes i would lose his phone number, But likes to take my money) Im learning alot about them. The pet store also doesn't have heat pads, hides, of correct humidity. I threw a huge fit after finding ticks and mites on her, and finding out what snakes really need to be comfortable and now i have to buy rats 40 miles away, but it was worth it to listen to her studder and try to tell me I was wrong, But thanks so much for all the help everybody!!

---

If it's easier, you could buy a bunch of rats at one time online frozen and have them shipped. It's not over expensive for the rats and shipping either.

To try for feeding issues, I would suggest putting her in a smaller enclosure. If she's a baby, go for a 10 gallon. If it's an adult, a 20 gallon would be fine. Just my suggestion though. :]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

If it's easier, you could buy a bunch of rats at one time online frozen and have them shipped. It's not over expensive for the rats and shipping either.

To try for feeding issues, I would suggest putting her in a smaller enclosure. If she's a baby, go for a 10 gallon. If it's an adult, a 20 gallon would be fine. Just my suggestion though. :]

---

The tank is 4ft x 16in x 17in whatever that calculates to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by womensitdown

The tank is 4ft x 16in x 17in whatever that calculates to.

---

Much too large in my opinion. Maybe a large adult would be happy in it, but I'm not too sure about anything younger.

well I do have a ten but thats prolly to small huh.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by womensitdown

The tank is 4ft x 16in x 17in whatever that calculates to.

---

Thats probably the equivalent of about 60 gallons. Just a guess, as 4ft x2ft x18 inches is a little over 80.

That is a pretty big enclosure for a BP. Since she is 3 yrs old, I do believe she'd be a little cramped in a 10 gallon, but she might prefer that to feeling insecure in that huge tank. Do you know how much she weighs? Depending on her history, a 3 yr old could still be pretty small.

Probably the best solution as far as being quick easy & inexpensive is to buy a plastic tub and set her up in that.

Are you having trouble maintaining the proper temps & humidity in that big tank? If so, I'd definitely ditch it. If not, since I am assuming she was in there the first few months you had her and she was eating ok, you could try to get her feeling more secure in her big home, if you wish. Add lots of stuff in that big tank to make it feel more secure to the snake. BPs don't like big open spaces; they'd rather be cramped. So try adding in a few extra hides and then fill the rest of the empty space with something like crumpled newspaper or fake foliage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by womensitdown

The only reason I think thats the cause is because she strikes at her food, but misses( She only strikes two or three times then gives up) It could be husbandry but lately I've more anal than usual about everything.

---

If she strikes and misses, she is most likely not trying to constrict the prey. She is probably stressed out and is trying to bite the prey so it will go away.

My little guy has stuck eye caps to. At least I think he does. . I can't really tell if it is wrinkles or actual stuck eye caps. But I'm waiting for his next shed to see if they come off. He did eat this weekend though. The second mouse he ate he struck at and hit the mouse but couldn't get ahold of it really good so he attempted it again and got it that time but so far no eating issues and he does seem to know where the mice are at so I'm pretty sure he can see.

Siarah,

Wrinkled eyes are usually a sign of dehydration and low humidity. Do you use a digital hygrometer? Make sure your humidity is high enough, especially once he goes blue and you know a shed is imminent. Otherwise, you might end up with a bad shed and stuck eyecaps even if you don't have them already.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kc261

That is a pretty big enclosure for a BP. Since she is 3 yrs old, I do believe she'd be a little cramped in a 10 gallon, but she might prefer that to feeling insecure in that huge tank. Do you know how much she weighs? Depending on her history, a 3 yr old could still be pretty small.

Probably the best solution as far as being quick easy & inexpensive is to buy a plastic tub and set her up in that.

Are you having trouble maintaining the proper temps & humidity in that big tank? If so, I'd definitely ditch it. If not, since I am assuming she was in there the first few months you had her and she was eating ok, you could try to get her feeling more secure in her big home, if you wish. Add lots of stuff in that big tank to make it feel more secure to the snake. BPs don't like big open spaces; they'd rather be cramped. So try adding in a few extra hides and then fill the rest of the empty space with something like crumpled newspaper or fake foliage.

---

I painted the sides and the back of the tank black last weekend, and put a whole bunch of drift wood and fake plants in with her you think that will help?

It wont let me attach photos