5 month old ball python

[mikev204]

hey guys, i saw an ad on kijiji about a 5 month old ball python for sale. so i went to check it out.

she is really skinny and there are a lot of folds on her skin. she barely even moves. i purchased her because i wanted to save her, the guy didnt really know what he was doing with her. i had asked him when was the last time he fed her, he told me 2 weeks ago.. i didnt want her to suffer anymore. he kept her in a big 30ish gallon tank with a huge hide and no UTH, but a heat lamp.

ive been on this site for a while researching all i can when i purchased my first ball python a couple of months ago..

heres a picture of her in comparison to a loonie.



any advice/tips on her please? she doesnt seem to have an respiratory infection, her spine is really sticking out and she lacks a lot of energy. i tried to feed her a f/t mouse hopper but she didnt bother with it. thanks.

[JUNKyardHOE]

well I would work on the tank asap... get her smaller hides(yes plural) especially if you are going to use that large of a tank and make sure you clutter it with sticks and stuff... idealy you should get a 10g with two identical small hides like this one make sure you get UTHs and get the temps right then let her settle in for a week or so before you do anything with her

[mikev204]

tank is all set up. thanks. as for feeding her, would the hopper be alright for her or should i start on something small when i decide to feed her again? thanks.

[RichsBallPythons]

at her size start her on one fuzzy every 4 days. One she has a handle on them move up a size gradually till shes big enough to take adult mice or rat pups.

[mikev204]

ok, will do. thanks.

she looks very unhealthy, and barely moves at all. it looks like shes going to pass away should i see a vet after a couple of weeks of not eating? because im pretty sure she hasnt ate for more than the 2 weeks that the guy said .

[Kaorte]

My god she looks smaller than my hatchling!

Can you post a picture of her tank setup? There might be some things we could recommend to you that will help the snake fel safer and hopefully eat sooner and better.

[mikev204]

yeah shes a very tiny girl. especially for 5 months.

ill have a picture of her setup up soon. lacking a camera at the moment

[Oroborous]

Looks like she just needs a few good meals. Ball pythons generally don't move around that much, I think she should be fine if given proper care.

[Patricia]

im pretty sure she hasnt ate for more than the 2 weeks that the guy said .

Did he say that he actually fed her with rodents? If he's totally clueless, he could've been providing her with crickets or something.

How is she doing today? That is such a sad picture of her. She's been on my mind ever since I read your post yesterday.

[mikev204]

Did he say that he actually fed her with rodents? If he's totally clueless, he could've been providing her with crickets or something.

How is she doing today? That is such a sad picture of her. She's been on my mind ever since I read your post yesterday.

yup, he told me he was feeding her f/t mouse hoppers, then he said he hasnt fed her for 2 weeks because he was 'F...ED' up the past couple of days.

good news though, i got her to eat a mouse hopper today ! although it took her nearly 2 hours to finally swallow it all.