Help!!! Asap!

[deathfromabove]

i randomly woke up at 3am and checked my baby ball python ive had for 3 days that i bought from petco and there he is regurgitating his meal i just gave him about 12 hours ago, it was a frozen fuzzie or w.e you wanna call it and now his head shakes side to side when he moves idk if hes just weakened from regurgitating or what but also when i bought him he was half off they were having a sale and there was a sick snake in the tank with him cuz the guy said there was one that never made his target when he went after the mouse it took the snake 4 or 5 trys to hit his target so i didnt get that one obviously, and i read that petco doesnt have the healthiest snakes so im thinking that they just wanted to get rid of them or something cuz maybe they were dieing, also i didnt have the money for the temp and humidity guages or heat pad cuz i wanted to get the good ones, hes between 19 and 21 inches long and i have him in a 10 gallon tank with a infared bulb and water dish and tree dome home thing with bark bedding, the guy said i can house him like this for a little while till i get the money for the rest of the stuff but the guy had also fed him a frozen pinkie mouse wich is a baby mouse with un opened eyes i think on thursday wich i thought that mouse was too small for the snake wich is why i fed him a fuzzy sunday afternoone wich is a baby mouse, he hasnt pooped or anything yet, i have a paper that says they will pay for the vet bill within 15 days of buying him, idk weather to ride it out and hope for the best or return him, or go to the vet without a poop sample please give your input asap!!!! and this is the first snake ive ever owned

[gman8585]

i randomly woke up at 3am and checked my baby ball python ive had for 3 days that i bought from petco and there he is regurgitating his meal i just gave him about 12 hours ago, it was a frozen fuzzie or w.e you wanna call it and now his head shakes side to side when he moves idk if hes just weakened from regurgitating or what but also when i bought him he was half off they were having a sale and there was a sick snake in the tank with him cuz the guy said there was one that never made his target when he went after the mouse it took the snake 4 or 5 trys to hit his target so i didnt get that one obviously, and i read that petco doesnt have the healthiest snakes so im thinking that they just wanted to get rid of them or something cuz maybe they were dieing, also i didnt have the money for the temp and humidity guages or heat pad cuz i wanted to get the good ones, hes between 19 and 21 inches long and i have him in a 10 gallon tank with a infared bulb and water dish and tree dome home thing with bark bedding, the guy said i can house him like this for a little while till i get the money for the rest of the stuff but the guy had also fed him a frozen pinkie mouse wich is a baby mouse with un opened eyes i think on thursday wich i thought that mouse was too small for the snake wich is why i fed him a fuzzy sunday afternoone wich is a baby mouse, he hasnt pooped or anything yet, i have a paper that says they will pay for the vet bill within 15 days of buying him, idk weather to ride it out and hope for the best or return him, or go to the vet without a poop sample please give your input asap!!!! and this is the first snake ive ever owned

Make sure not too handle the snake after feeding. For two days. Was the mouse fully thawed? Besides that if petco is going to pay for a vet bill,i'd do it. These pet stores I've noticed are really bad at getting healthy animals,or keeping them healthy. They'll sell any sick snake for a dirt cheap price cuz they know its gonna cost them to save it . But yeah I'd go to the vet. Get petco to cover it if u can . You will also need a under tank heater with a thermostat. And maybe a plastic sterlite tub with a locking lid is a better choice. Just read up on this site . And more ppl will reply too.

[llovelace]

Do you have a uth?

[dr del]

Hi,

What are the temperatures in his enclosure at the hot end and the cold end and what do you have to measure them?


dr del

[Jeo123]

If petco will pay for the vet bill in 15 days, I'd take advantage of it.

That being said, I didn't see anything in your post about temperatures. A single infared bulb may not be enough to heat the tank properly. For digestion, under the tank heaters are usually best. If it's too cold, it will mess with their stomachs.

[deathfromabove]

thanks everyone ill see what i can do to get the temp readings, if everything is good with the temperature does it mean hes sick? and i didnt handle him to much after i fed him i just held him for maybe 3 minutes than put him back in the tank

[JLC]

If petco will pay for the vet bill in 15 days, I'd take advantage of it.

That being said, I didn't see anything in your post about temperatures. A single infared bulb may not be enough to heat the tank properly. For digestion, under the tank heaters are usually best. If it's too cold, it will mess with their stomachs.

OR, it may make the enclosure way too hot. It doesn't take much to heat a 10 gallon tank.

Either way though, an accurate read on your temps will fill in a lot of blank spots, even if they don't give definitive answers on why he regurged.

Personally, I don't think ANY pet store has ANY business selling animals when they can't provide clients with proper husbandry education. Also...for future reference...when taking on the responsibility of a live animal, not only should you make sure you're well informed of their husbandry requirements, you should also make sure you can afford and already have in place all the proper equipment needed for their care...all this BEFORE you bring the animal home.

[steveboos]

Yeah honestly i would make sure it's nice and warm, but holding for 3 minutes immediately after eating COULD stress him/her out enough.

I work at Petsmart and can honestly say that if you feel his health is deteriorating, return him. They were selling them half off probably as just a random sale to clear out inventory. Also Petco is required to pay whatever vet bills are due and if they are anything like Petsmart(which they are), they will let the vet do all the work.

I would just call petco and let them know of the circumstance ASAP, that way if it does go downhill, they are aware. Make sure to tell a manager also.

[wolfy-hound]

Handling after feeding can make the animal regurge. Temps too hot or too cold can also make them regurge. Being sick can make them regurge. Food items not properly thawed can make them regurge. What kind of bark bedding?

The first thing I would do, if I were you, would be see if I could get a refund for returning the snake. Then get your enclosure properly set up, before getting another snake that's not "on sale" because it's being housed with a sick one. You do get what you pay for in most cases.

If you're dead set on keeping that snake(or they won't refund) I would take it to a vet, AFTER confirming that you have in writing that PetCo will pay for the visit. I would also reccomend you measure the temps and humidity in both ends of the tank, with an accurate thermometer(not one of those dials or stick-on things!).

There's a sticky on how to set up a cage properly for first time snake owners on here, and it's a wealth of information. That might help you get your snake better adjusted so it thrives instead of giving you headaches. We want you to have a pet you can enjoy and that will be healthy and happy.

[deathfromabove]

im going to the pet store now to get the gauges i just held him he seems ok hes not shaking his head as much but he is a little skinny hes flicking his toungue just as much as he normaly would and wants to explore my room every chance he gets, but he does stop and gaze a little more when hes in the tank, and i use repti-bark by zoo med, and i understand i kinda just jumped on it when i saw he was half off it was an impulse buy i didnt realize what it takes to have one the guy who sold him to me didnt realy no anything about them, also i have never seen him go in his water bowl ive seen him drink from it once idk if he uses it when im sleeping but the one day i went to change the water there was only half the amount of water in it idk if he was in it and it spilt over or if its evaporating