One and a half year old snake, 50 grams?

[Pippers]

Ok ty, I was going to be making him a humid hide today anyway and next time I clean out his cage I'll be switching to cypress mulch to maintain more humidity. Thanks for the helpful replies guys

[Pippers]

Just put the damp moss underneath his warm rock hide, he's like "What the hell did you put in my house dude?!" I think he likes it but he can't admit it, we'll see.

[Pippers]

Update on pip! He is now ~80 grams since last weighed (third hopper), which was about 3 days ago. However this was with a load of poop in his colon. He is in full shed right now, eyes more blue than they have ever been! I'm so excited..I'm hoping for one complete piece of skin. He still hasn't pooped and looks a bit constipated so I'm going to see if he poops after shed, and if not a bath shall be imminent. I assume it's just his body adjusting to bigger prey, but only time will tell.

So far it seems as if he's doing 100% better. What do you guys think?

[LittleTreeGuy]

My guess is, he'll poop... a LOT when he sheds. I've read this is fairly common and it's what I experienced with my BP as well. I was worried at first, but it's not uncommon. If he hasn't pooped or has trouble with his shed, don't soak him in a bath. instead, keep the humidity in the tank at 70% or higher, and put a wet washcloth in his hides and/or in his tank. That will help him more than a bath will. Unless it is something really sever, and a good vet warrants it, I don't think there ever really a need to force a bp into water.

So glad to hear he's bulking up and doing well. Good for you, and for Pip!! Hopefully we can see some pictures of him soon.

[Pippers]

I've been putting damp moss in his hide but it dries out completely after 24 hours, so it's a pain to pull him off it and resoak it. Perhaps a washcloth would be much simpler, I'll try that instead to see if it's more efficient

I'll post pictures when they do his growth some justice

[LittleTreeGuy]

I've been putting damp moss in his hide but it dries out completely after 24 hours, so it's a pain to pull him off it and resoak it. Perhaps a washcloth would be much simpler, I'll try that instead to see if it's more efficient

I'll post pictures when they do his growth some justice

Cool!!!

I had a similar problem. I had a small bit of sphagnum moss and it kept drying out, what I felt was way too fast. I ended up getting like a 6" bowl, put a handful of moss in it, and then soaked the moss really well. when I'd change his water, I'd make sure the moss bowl had about a 1/2" of water in it. the moss does a good job of wicking up the water and then letting it evaporate, increasing your humidity. May give that a shot too.

[Morke]

Hi there
I'm new to these forums but not to reptiles.
Reptiles are known to lower their metabolism when their habitat is hostile. They can slow or even stop growth. This shouldn't be the case since you gave him food since you have him, but his genetics could be playing a small (or big) role, slowing his growth because the type of food wasn't changing (size of prey). If it is indeed the case, then once you start giving him the proper care his metabolism should resume and start growing again. Of course, failing to adquire proper nutrients in early stages of life could lead to permanent changes in the animal, like a small size (although not so small), mental disorders or behavior anormalities.
But, genetics could also be the ONLY problem. Intense interbreeding can cause (and will cause for certain in the future) genetic issues. Lethal homozygosity and other body malformities are easily spotted by breeders but other genetic disorders (and a great part of them) are hard to aknowledge and probably will go unnoticed until adulthood.
Now, I'm not saying this is the case and i'm not accussing the person or shop who sold you that animal of anything because if your ball is indeed genetically malformed, there's no way anyone could've know.
You can only get him the proper habitat requirements, give him bigger prey and hope for the best.
If he's not ill but doesn't grow, well, you'll have a unique dwarf ball python and you should be happy because he survived.


Regarding the humidity, if the moss dries, then buy a small tupper with a lid, make a hole with a knife or a tin-lead welder and place wet (but not too wet) sphagnum moss inside. Your guy should hide in it and that way you can give him different gradients of humidity in his cage. But remember to change the moss every week because if you don't it will start to rot.

[O'Mathghamhna]

Forgive the question, I'm not trying to insult your intelligence at all--but you are thawing/warming the mice/rats you are giving the snake, correct?

[Pippers]

So I opened Pips hide today and found...a ball of skin. One complete shed it looks like, except I can't tell if his eye caps are still on. He doesn't seem flinchy around fast movements so I have my concerns. Will keep an eye on his eyes for cracks!

Other news, I had made a plan to switch from aspen to cypress mulch after his shed, so I began this. While I was changing it and re-dialing in the temps, I bathed him in lukewarm water and well...let's just say all hell broke loose. I'm worried about one of the turds which is yellow and looks like there could be eggs in it? Idk that's just my paranoia perhaps.

Without further ado..






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[ReptiMoto]

I wouldn't worry too much because he is getting used to the new food and the propper stuff. I would put him in a sterillite tub with paper towel just for the ease of cleaning etc and too be able to keep proper humidity and heat. That's good that he shed though.