One and a half year old snake, 50 grams?

[LittleTreeGuy]

Pippers,
I too am in the northeast... not far up there, but in Pennsylvania. I understand funds being tight. If you are interested, I have a space for him, and would be willing to help you pay shipping to get him here. I have plenty of frozen rats too. I know you may not want to re-home him, but if that is something or a point you do get to, please feel free to send me a private message and we can discuss more. Even if it's just a couple of months until money isn't so tight anymore. Just know, if you are interested, I'm here and will help if I can.

[CantHelpIt]

-26 C here today...
Tub would be easier to maintain temps than an aquarium.
No offense to the op but the way I see it is if the snake has been fed a food item too small its entire life theres no reason it should have grown. It would lack proper nutrients and in general enough energy to grow. Like a human diet, you can't gain weight if you're not eating

[PitOnTheProwl]

Thank you for the kind advice and good intentions but the condition of his tank does not equal the condition of his body. I will look elsewhere for help from now on, thank you.

Pippers should you make the choice to leave that is up to you but don't go away mad because people here are trying to help.
You have had this snake for too long to just now start asking for help.
You husbandry is way off in every direction.
Either take the information given to you to try and help your animal, give it to someone that is will to make the changes, or take it to the vet for one last ride.

AND BTW I would guess this is your last attempt because yu didn't get the answers you wanted from your vet??

[Pippers]

What? Where did that come from? My intention is not to be agressive. If you knew me at all, you would know that I don't have that bone in my body.

I hear you saying that it's not your fault. If there is an underlying medical condition, it very well might not be. To get to that point, though, make sure the things that you can control are controlled. The condition of your snake is enough to say that something is not in control, so (again) focus on what you can control and rule out those things as you continue.

1) Finding a qualified vet to help you care for the prolapsed hemipenes is within your control.

2) Maintaining proper husbandry is within your control.

Taking action on these things is in no way saying that his current condition is entirely your fault. It is simply the responsible thing to do as a pet owner.

Sorry, I must have read it wrong. It sounded aggressive and condescending.

[Pippers]

I think what I get from this is that you don't know how to put the heat lamp and heat pad on a tub? Sorry if I'm wrong. I have a tub for my snake and I also live in the upper northeast, so I assure you using a tub is perfectly possible. All you'll need to do is attach the heat pad (with a dimmer) on the bottom of the tub and somehow elevate the heat lamp a few inches above the tank. Drill many holes in a small area of the lid of the tub and that's how the heat will get in and how the snake breathes. Don't drill any other holes as that will let humidity escape. The dimmer in the heat pad will be used to make sure the heat pad is at the current temperature. When measuring for the temp of the heat pad, aim the temp gun at the bottom of the tank, under the bedding where the heat pad covers. My tub is a bit tall so I placed it under an unused desk and used the clamp from the heat lamp and clamped it onto the edge of the desk.

Yeah that's basically the jist of it, I just haven't given much thought to the setup of a sterilite tub, and given all the thought to a tank. I'm definitely going to invest in a tub if the tank doesn't work out after my tank setup regulates. Thank you for the option!

[Kimchi~]

Yeah that's basically the jist of it, I just haven't given much thought to the setup of a sterilite tub, and given all the thought to a tank. I'm definitely going to invest in a tub if the tank doesn't work out after my tank setup regulates. Thank you for the option!

No problem, and good luck! I wish you the best.

I'm a pet owner with a super pastel female BP who is very much loved!

[Pippers]

Either take the information given to you to try and help your animal, give it to someone that is will to make the changes, or take it to the vet for one last ride.

AND BTW I would guess this is your last attempt because yu didn't get the answers you wanted from your vet??

I took all the advice given to me and tweaked his setup. He is about to eat his first hopper. I've honestly been doing everything in my power for the last year to make this guy as comfortable as possible and his conditions have at least been decent. I hope they're perfect now.

[Pippers]

Are there any setup guides you guys recommend? I just checked out the stickied 20 gal (pretty sure that's what i got) tank setup..it looks like exactly what you all have been trying to explain to me.

Also Pip just ate his first Hopper! He didn't seem to have any trouble eating it, though it was his biggest kill yet (it was frozen). Also I offered it wet.

[wolfy-hound]

Could you also try to get a picture of his "prolapsed hemipenes"? Because I am wondering if what you(and the vet) are seeing are the "spurs" which are supposed to be out.

A humid hide(or two even) could help his hydration as well. Those would be super easy and cheap to make. A tupperware bowl big enough to hold him, with dampened moss inside and a hole cut into it.

I would have had him on at least a mouse hopper, even at 50 grams. So his size could be underfeeding, if he's only been getting enough calories to maintain himself.

I would wait a week before offering more food, since he just had the hopper. Congrats on him eating it and good job on offering it wet too.

If people here sound aggressive, it's just because they really love ball pythons, so they want to see your pet get better. That's all.

[piedlover79]

I'm glad you got him to eat a bigger prey item. I would also like to see a pic of this prolapse, although if your vet mistook spurs for hemipenes then it is time for a new vet!! At the same time two months is a long time for something like that to be exposed and not end up with major tissue damage and infection so maybe they are the spurs.

There could be two factors at work here for his small size as well, although I agree that his prey size has been small and perhaps larger feeding will clear that up...however there could be a genetic component as well. There are genetic disorders that effect growth, hormones, digestive absorption, the list goes on and on.

I have a four year old hognose male that is less than half the size of a normal hognose male. He eats almost twice what my other hognose eat (if the other hognose turn their shove nose up at a meal he will *always* take it instead). All the others grew big...he just stopped growing at 25-30 gram range. He's not thin, he's just small. I love him, he's my little runt.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

Tiny hognose is tiny! Granted this is a pic of him with a female (350 grams) and they are always bigger, but this is just ridiculous (note how he still wants to mate with her. Not happening. I would never leave him alone in a tank with her...she'd eat him. I put them on the floor for a quick photo and he was like 'hell yeah, I like em big!)