Hi I'm New. I have a quick question...

[mama_arty]

Hi there all. Sorry if this is the wrong place, I'll learn the lay of the land asap. I have a question though. My daughter got a ball python from petsmart... a little over 2 weeks ago. They had just gotten it in stock so even they don't know anything about it. I set up the cage (a 20 gal glass tank with covered glass lid to retain humidity ) its running around 90 degrees on the hot side and 75 on the cooler end and 60% humidity with an evening basking light ( even though I read somewhere its not necessary. She has a large cave like hiding spot as well as a log hiding spot on the cool side of the tank near the water, away from the heat sources... but i noticed her eyes were glazed over, not the whitish-blue that indicates a coming shed, but a white starburst like pattern radiating from the middle of the eye.
I know people often misdiagnose retained eye caps, or so i have read, but it seems like this is the logical answer. Due to this she is VERY anxious and fearful... she's jumpy and afraid when anything moves near her. I have left her alone the last week, in hopes that she would settle down but I had to take her out today because she pooped and it smelled horrible! And she crawled through it. She got a soak in the tub to clean the smell off, so I figured I would try to feed her again while she is out.... no luck.

She is terrified of the mice. I have tried dangling them around, and I have attempted the trick I read online ( possibly on this forum) about heating the head of the mouse in hot hot water to help her pick up its location. I thought this would be most helpful beings she seems to be displaying some disability in vision. I was just wondering if fear and retained eye caps go hand in hand... and if there is anything I can do to help her out. I know they can go a great bit of time compared to people... without eating... but I am not sure when she is supposed to shed next (and clear up those eyes) and I certainly do not want to try and feed her with any live pray that could hurt her because she can't see it well enough to catch it.

She struck at the food a few times when we first got her, but her eye site sucks and she gave up... Any advice for a newbie?? I'm kinda lost.

(Sorry... my daughter just informed me that this was NOT a quick question hahaha) I apologize. and hand it over to the professionals.

Thank you in Advance.

~ Mama Arty

[Tigerhawk]

Welcome to the forum. I will try to help as much as I can. First lose the basking light. It's not helping anything . It's not needed. Second don't take him out of his cage to feed him. It will cause him or her not to eat sometimes. Or it will cost you a bite. Also get a small hide with one entrance hole. Snake like to feel the walls of there hides as it makes them feel more secure. I hope this helps.

[mama_arty]

Thank you for the response... I will wait another week and try feeding from the cage

[SKO]

Leave the dead mouse in there and if the snake doesn't take it within 20 to 30 mins then take it out. Don't bother trying to dangle it or anything just let the snake find it. A picture of the eyes would help figure out what the problem is. If you are new to the forum, download the Tapatalk app on your phone. It makes everything a lot easier. If they are in fact retained eye caps, keep your humidity and Temps right and they will come off next shed. One thing I should ask is how you are measuring your Temps and humidity because certain devices will give you inaccurate readings.

I should also mention that ball pythons are jumpy by nature. Especially when you have a new snake and it is in a new environment, it can seem very uneasy.

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[CALM Pythons]

^^^SKO said it all...
I sometimes leave the mouse at the door of the hide and its gone a hour later..Try this at night and cover the enclosure with a towel (like after 8pm). After it is been around for a while and its settled it will be more comfortable, but Nocturnals eat better at night. Also i tried to understand all that but i thought you mentioned heating up the mouses head? .. Just incase there is a misunderstanding, the whole mouse gets warmed up not just the head. Some use a mouse in a baggy and a cup of hot water, others a Blow dryer.
Leave the mouse out the day of feeding is what some do then once thawed warm it up... Dont try and thaw it and warm it fast, it can make a mess.. Between gases and all it can blow a hole.. Nasty.

[mama_arty]

Okay. I got the app. Right now I do not have the proper temp and humidity measuring devices, to be honest. Just ones set in the tank

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[mama_arty]

Here is a picture of her eyes. They both look this way.

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[SKO]

That could definitely be a retained cap, but maybe someone else on here has seen something like this. Usually a retained cap would have a dent in it or you would be able to see white around the back edges of the eyes when the eyes move. Keep your husbandry correct and when the snake sheds next time it should come off. If the snake sheds and its a perfect shed and that is still on its eyes then I would say take it to a vet.

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[zina10]

Hm. I have never seen a retained eye cap look that way.

Not saying that this is not what it is, but normally they appear "cracked" and dented and you can see the edge trying to separate. This looks "tight" aside from the strange shattering that is concentrated only over the lens. No dents, no wrinkles..

This snake most likely doesn't see anything. That by itself is not why its not eating. They rely mostly on their heat sensing pits and "tongue tasting" the air. Most likely she is just very stressed out.

Definitely get tight fitting hides, more then one. Also make sure the tanks sides and back are covered for more security. She may not actually see whether she is secure or not, but being in such a "light" environment may stress her out. Make it more dark, cave like. In the "stickys" there is a great write up on how to make a glass tank work.

Did the eyes look like this when you bought her or is that a recent development?

[mama_arty]

They were like this. They have another with the same eye deal going on. She has some dry skin along her head and neck so I assumed she didn't shed right. I honestly don't know if she can see anything. She reacts to movement but kind of like a partially blind person who sees shadows or halos to indicate where things are.
There is no scaliness around the edge of the eyes. So maybe it's not retention. Poor thing. She has a couple hides already and moves between the two every few hours but I will definitely get the tank covered. My daughter lives like a troll so the room is pretty dark and quiet already. Luckily.
I'll try to find a vet out here in the boonies that can check her out and see what's up.

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