Brought home a severely underweight BP baby. Please help me get her back on track

Poor thing,good luck with her progress, I think after a good soak she will feel a bit better,looks like it could be a burn but not sure from the pics ,should heal up after a few sheds ,I would still get it looked at by a vet,just in case of infection
Fingers crossed for you


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Well, she got her bath. All I had on hand was a 10 gallon (I wanted to do the dollar per gallon sale on a tank but they only go up to 29 and I know she'll outgrow it) but it suits her for now. I took Argus's thermostat and hooked it up for her, he will be fine for a few days without. She's now all snug inside her warm hide. I will give her some days before trying to feed. She will be okay for a few days? I want to offer as soon as it'll be okay to do so.

https://i.imgur.com/Oe2daP6.jpg

Yes, she's OK for a few days. You did good...let her rest.

you said they were feeding pinkies so it going to assume Petsmart! Grrrrrrrrrr!

ok what you need to do it start her small si ce she lost so much weight. Start with fuzzies. I hate starting so small but she is dehydrated and starving. One fuzzy every 4 day for 4 feedings. Then 2 fuzzies every four days for four feedings, then one hopper every four days for four feedings, 2 hoppers every four days then go to adult mouse.

Omg that poor baby! I hate petsmarts snake protocol. They just piss me right off!

Not PetSmart. I won't name it but that doesn't exactly leave many other choices, haha.

I dont think ANY big box store has an appropriate snake care protocol. You can't just have a set of written in stone rules when it comes to animals and expect them to work for 100% of animals that come in. Poor babies. I have good hopes for her though. She perked up quite a bit. She still hangs pretty limp when I picked her up to put her away after her bath, but she seemed a little more active and less like a wet noodle.

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

Why would anyone care if you soak a snake? I have given mine baths, typically I do this mostly after just getting them to encourage them to drink and hydrate, so there is a time and a place for it.

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Some do disapprove and quite strongly too ....


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spoons

Well, she got her bath. All I had on hand was a 10 gallon (I wanted to do the dollar per gallon sale on a tank but they only go up to 29 and I know she'll outgrow it) but it suits her for now. I took Argus's thermostat and hooked it up for her, he will be fine for a few days without. She's now all snug inside her warm hide. I will give her some days before trying to feed. She will be okay for a few days? I want to offer as soon as it'll be okay to do so.

https://i.imgur.com/Oe2daP6.jpg

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Somebody just suggested feeding her something smallish to start with and I tend to agree ..

I myself would leave her alone for 7 days now , just make sure she has access to clean , fresh water .

She's had a short soak and should feel better but still needs time to settle in and recuperate- in my opinion.
Just remember to try the hairdryer method at least for the first feeding attempt then once she's fed you will both have more confidence.


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As regards her soak .... how deep was the water ?? Did she have her head under water at any time ??

I've noticed that if it's deep enough and has a lid with air holes - they sometimes make a point of staying under for a while and they must drink some when they are as they look so much plumper straight afterwards.


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Everything I've ever read says to keep the water no deeper than half of the thickest part of their body, so that's about how deep it was. I didn't see her head under at any time, she mostly poked around at the lid and wanted out.

I will have to buy a hair dryer. I'm a woman, but I still don't have one! I've always used just hot water. But then again, I've only ever been feeding a ball python with a healthy appetite, and now I'm also feeding a sick (and picky!) Sand boa and an underweight, dehydrated baby ball. Might be worth it!

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Originally Posted by Spoons

I will have to buy a hair dryer. I'm a woman, but I still don't have one! I've always used just hot water.

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Nothing wrong with using warm water to bring a f/t feeder up to temperature, especially if the snake is dehydrated. Eating a wet feeder will help rehydrate the snake.