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

[Gizmo]

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!

everybody probably thought he was super sick or starving to death or something... The poor baby. I am happy that i saved him as well, he has turned out to be such a sweet boy/girl... Not even headshy... And for being as abused as he was, thats amazing.

[Slim]

First off let me say kudos to you for even taking on this little guy. As bad as he looked in that first photo, even many experienced keepers might not have given him much of a chance. You have done a fantastic job with him!!! Don't worry about him having a larger enclosure just yet. That can come a little later down the road. As long as he's eating, shedding, and doing all the other things Ball Pythons should do, I say his situation has improved about 100% over where he was, and he as a real quality of life now that he would have never had at the store.

Welcome to BP.net!!! If anyone jumps on you for anything husbandry related while you transition him to a more permanent enclosure, shoot me a PM.

[JLC]

Great job!

His enclosure looks fine. No hurries getting something bigger. They tend to prefer smaller spaces. And don't worry about the poop. They can go weeks between poops, especially when they are young and growing, and doubly so for one who looks so underfed. He's using up so much of each prey item he eats that there's very little waste left over. It takes a while to build up enough to eliminate.

[Chkadii]

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.

I think the enclosure looks great considering the circumstamces! You may want to consider getting a thermostat to regulate the UTH as your top priority, because they can do a lot of damage unregulated (and even start fires). They can be expensive, but they're worth every penny and they're more critical than the tank material (as long as it's safe and secure). If CL doesn't pan out, you could get away with drilling air holes into a Rubbermaid-type container - it won't be pretty but it will be cheap!

Thanks for rescuing the little guy, He's a very cute pastel and he has the greenest eyes I've ever seen on a BP! Best of luck!


Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

[Pyrate81]

The effective way to measure temps and regulate your heat pad on a budget:

Thermometer:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Thermostat:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Digi...arm+thermostat


Great job with that snake and to the forums.

[mehitabel74]

This put a lump in my throat. I'm so glad you came into this little guy's life; he looks so much better and happier!

[Peoples]

Nice looking pastel, I also commend you on taking this guy in and I see you have invested a great deal in nursing him back to health.

Congrats!!!

[h20hunter]

I don't have anything to add other than good on you. Well done.

[SnowShredder]

Wow you've done a great job saving that baby!

[mechnut450]

congrats on the rescue and I agree the t-stat is more important. I had a uth that failed and burnt the wood the tank was on it took me 2 days to trace the burning smell down ( cause I had forgotten about the uth on the tank and plus the cage was heavy I never though to check under it until I looked every were and was trying t0 trace all my cords.