Plop: The unexpected rescue... (lots of pics)

[Gizmo]

And completely unprepared for Ball python... *sigh*

So here is the story of how i came to own Plop two and a half weeks ago...


My friend works at a local big chain store as the reptiles and fish manager, she also operates a reptile rescue in the area. I go and pester her at work and stuff because it is fun to talk to her and she lets me play with the animals when it isnt too busy. One day she shows me this skinny little ball python, says he came from the supplier a little underweight, but they were working on fattening him up, i felt bad, but he was way too expensive for me, so i kept an eye on him...

Fast forward a couple months, three people have quit at the pet store, and they cannot hire more people, so the employees that are left are SWAMPED, and the reptiles are not getting the extra attention they need... The ball python has been getting worse and worse... He hasnt been shedding properly, nor has he been eating, and he seems dehydrated despite the constant access to fresh water.

He is now so bad looking that they have reduced his price to get a quick sale, but i still cant afford him, so i have a talk with my friend, and since he has been there for months now and she knows me, she agrees to drop the price further, into a range i can afford. They cannot just 'adopt' him to me, since he is one of their more expensive snakes, but i got a discount of 50%, which was enough that i could get him out of there. So i buy him, and bring him home.




After i got this poor baby home, i let him warm up before setting him up in some warm water to soak, it took an hour to get him fully saturated, so that i could work on getting the dead skin off...



When i first started working on his shed, i thought it wouldnt be that hard... Little did i know that he had retained three sheds, and that i would have to work on him for hours... By the time i got all three layers off his head and neck, his body had tried out too much to work on comfortably.


(You can see where i stopped right by my thumb.)

There were so many layers of skin stuck on his head that his nostrils and heat pits were plugged... When i pulled out the skin he immediately perked up and started acting like a totally different snake! I soaked him another hour and worked the shed off the rest of his body carefully...



It took over three hours total to get all of the dead skin and crap off... And he thanked me by using my laptop as a toilet. lol!! Im not upset at him, he obviously felt so much better after i was through that he was comfortable enough to relieve himself, so i am proud.













After all of the excitement i tucked him away in a temporary KK for the night, and in the morning when i checked on him, he looked great!



He even pretended to be a tree boa for a while! lol



Now i have moved him to a bigger container that i can keep warmer.

(v) This picture was taken two days ago, btw. (v)



Now i hesitate to post this, simply because i have seen newbies get jumped on here... And i know i dont have EVERYTHING PERFECT. i know that... But this guy was totally unexpected, and i am moving in two weeks... This is the biggest container i can get for him for now, when i get where i am going, he is getting a 40 gallon with all the proper heating and whatnot. This is functional and warm for now, and that is what matters.

He has eaten twice for me, very heartily, thank goodness. But he has not pooped... He has urinated several times, which is good. Once he urinated so much that it soaked the paper towels. lol i cleaned it immediately and let him move through some warm water to clean off his belly as well.

I dont handle him but once or twice a week, simply because i want him to digest and relax as much as possible and get all comfortable.


Again, i am a newbie at this, but i dont think i am doing a HORRIBLE job... It may not be perfect, but he is obviously in more capable hands with me than the pet store... Where he was being kept in the same pull out as firebelly toads (divided of course), so his bedding was always soaked and cold.

Also, the store had him labeled as a pastel, but a friend of mine, not the employee, says he doesnt quite look like any pastel she has ever seen...

I say he, but he hasnt actually been sexed. lol

Oh hey, and this is my first post on the forum! Wooo!
Please go easy on me. ^-^;;

[AlexisFitzy]

Well I hope no one on here does jump on you because I think you've done a great job with him/her! He looks fantastic! A million times better than his previous state, Great Job!! He/she looks like he is really thriving with you, and I'm so glad that you've clearly rescued this poor guy and nursed him back to health you've done an amazing job, you should be super proud he's also a really nice looking snake especially with all the stuck shed gone. Welcome to the forum by the way!


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[Gizmo]

Thank you so much! I am doing the best i can for him right now, and honestly, for just two and a half weeks or improvement, i think he looks great... he is still way underweight visually, but i dont have a scale, and i dont know how old he is, so i cant say for sure how much he needs to gain.

[Archimedes]

He looks like a different snake! You can take pleasure in the knowledge that you were charged more fairly for him than other folks would have been, and gave him a better home besides! I just can't believe all that shed, just unbelievable. These pet store need to see what a little proper husbandry and TLC can do, maybe they would sell more snakes if they didn't look like dried up worms!

He's a gorgeous snake, Gizmo, congrats and great job on giving him a fresh start.

A half joking word of caution,however... once he decides to camp out in one of those tubes, it'll be near impossible to get him out
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[kilopular]

i have to agree he looks like a completely different snake. its amazing, and im sure even if snakes cant 'feel emotions' that he was extremely grateful.
and for a makeshift enclosure, thats pretty spot on, as far as stuff goes, dont know about heat, etc!

and that he even ate, after all that, is amazing! hes a trooper, that snake definitely wants to live and im so glad you rescued him!

[dkspftw]

Well done! The attention you gave to him clearly made all the difference and I doubt he'd have survived based on the state he was in. You're a hero!

Keep in mind that if budget is an issue, craigslist could be your best friend. You might be able to find a cracked fish tank for cheap or totally free or something similar that'd be a better size for him.

There are also many DIY options.

[Gizmo]

He looks like a different snake! You can take pleasure in the knowledge that you were charged more fairly for him than other folks would have been, and gave him a better home besides! I just can't believe all that shed, just unbelievable. These pet store need to see what a little proper husbandry and TLC can do, maybe they would sell more snakes if they didn't look like dried up worms!

He's a gorgeous snake, Gizmo, congrats and great job on giving him a fresh start.

A half joking word of caution,however... once he decides to camp out in one of those tubes, it'll be near impossible to get him out
Sent from my warm hide using Tapatalk

Thank you, i couldnt believe how much skin i pulled off the poor dear... It was horrifying... And then once it was all off he was acting like a completely different snake.
The tubes... lol i read that they liked them, but so far he hasnt shown any interest that i have seen, and if i desperately need him out, i will just tear the tube. XD

i have to agree he looks like a completely different snake. its amazing, and im sure even if snakes cant 'feel emotions' that he was extremely grateful.
and for a makeshift enclosure, thats pretty spot on, as far as stuff goes, dont know about heat, etc!

and that he even ate, after all that, is amazing! hes a trooper, that snake definitely wants to live and im so glad you rescued him!

I know he felt better, he perked up amazingly after i was done, and began to explore my bed, where before he just... sat there and didnt want to move, even after he had soaked and the skin was soft. he was still like 'nope'.
There is a heat pad under the red hide (red for warm side, blue for cool lol) but i dont have a way to measure how hot it is... If it helps it is a zoomed reptitherm uth mini for 1-5 gallon enclosures. a little on the small side, i know, but it is what i have room for and the tub *feels* warm to me when i stick my hand inside, and its about the size of a five gallon i suppose. i am not sure exactly.
He ate TWICE. the first time was two days after i got him, the second exactly one week later. I have him eating every friday, the only thing i can get here are rat pinks, so he is eating three of them in a go, and he eats them no problem.

Well done! The attention you gave to him clearly made all the difference and I doubt he'd have survived based on the state he was in. You're a hero!

Keep in mind that if budget is an issue, craigslist could be your best friend. You might be able to find a cracked fish tank for cheap or totally free or something similar that'd be a better size for him.

There are also many DIY options.

Oh yeah, CL is my friend. lol, but like i said i am actually moving in two weeks, so if i can get by with this and have to lug LESS stuff, i am going to do it. I fully intend my first big purchase once i am settled to be a proper tank and accessories for him. ^.^

[CrystalRose]

First let me say I LOVE his name. Plop is just too cute lol. Second you did a great job with him. He looks 1000 times better then he did when you brought him home. His setup looks fine for now. Most baby ball pythons feel more secure in a smaller enclosure to start with anyway. He should be ok in there until you move He's adorable and thank you for helping him!

P.S. Love the "tree boa" pic!

Welcome to the site!

[Gizmo]

First let me say I LOVE his name. Plop is just too cute lol. Second you did a great job with him. He looks 1000 times better then he did when you brought him home. His setup looks fine for now. Most baby ball pythons feel more secure in a smaller enclosure to start with anyway. He should be ok in there until you move He's adorable and thank you for helping him!

P.S. Love the "tree boa" pic!

Welcome to the site!

lol, well the name came around as a nickname, i was calling him, 'the poor little plop' this, and 'i bet the little plop feels better now' that, and my friend was like 'You should just name him Plop.' I said that it wasnt dignified enough, so i came up with Sir Ploppicus Scalybottom... And its Plop for short. But i call him Plopper, Ploppy, Plopums... You name it. XD

Thank you so much, i am trying my best with the space i have, and i know he is happier for it.

That pic is one of my favorites too. XD

[Craigaria]

thanks for what you did for that snake! it probably would have died if he stayed where he was. no one else would have bought him, looking like he did. the snake looks soooo much better now, excellent job!