Back to the Beeps! (Bad Shed/Poor Care - Rescue)

[Kataryna]

Hey everyone! I'm new here [obviously] and I impulsively rescued a tiny beep the other night (I say other night. It's been 4-5days). It's been about 8 years since I've owned a beep and I had no intention of getting another until I finish school but this little guy pulled the heartstrings I guess.

I was in a petsmart as I own a syrian hamster (Beans) and a Cat (Freyja) and needed to stock up on monthly supplies. Being the ever curious person that I am I decided to scope out the reptile habitats. Before continuing further, I'd like to note that I'm new to Las Vegas, Nevada and whenever I go to a new state/city I like to check out their pet care in these stores (It can't be helped, I'm nosy with these things). Within the first 5 minutes of my hanging out around the reptile area I saw the woman remove this beep and hand it to three different people (a group) and the beep exchanged hands quickly. While watching I noticed it had a terrible shed, to the point I was actually a little concerned. After the awkward handling and near dropping of the beep by the group, the beep was immediately DROPPED back into his little tank and something inside of me instantly went off.

Without asking to handle the beep I said I'd like to buy it and when she asked if I wanted to hold him first, I said no, just let him get into his little carrier and I'll be on my way. (I still have most of my old set up so I didn't care about a tank.) The girl then informed me I'd have to buy a tank if I expected to take him home. She directed me to the 20gal exo for 200$ which I am aware is too large and the little tick in my brain went off again, but I submitted and bought the thing. (I returned it 24 hours later, completely unused - LOL).

Upon getting my little guy home, I instantly set up the set I already had, put in coconut fiber for substrate. set up TWO water bowls, one on each side of the tank for increased humidity due to his problematic shed, sprayed the substrate lightly, added two hides, a smooth driftwood log in the center and fake plants for extra hiding. I also have a UTH and CHE (but UTH will not be used until thermostat comes in tomorrow. CHE I know should also have a thermostat which is also coming.) I then added a damp towel to the top of the tank as it has a screen top, I insulated the sides and I intend to do better insulation in the future once I can get to a home depot or lowes. Once I put him in I made sure he made his way into one of his hides to prevent him laying on any "wet" bedding to prevent scale rot. He's in a 10gal at the moment. I honestly don't have the appropriate thermostats and thermometers, heat gun, etc. I got rid of those when I lost my last beep (he was 19), but they were instantly ordered on amazon the same night and will arrive tomorrow.

I left him alone for 4 days, continuously watching and checking on the shed. Some of it improved, but along the top of his body and his head it did not. It became a point of utter concern for me, and I was making sure the humidity was reading 80% while having an humidifier added next to the cage, etc. Last night I finally caved despite the knowledge I have to not touch or mess with the beep until certain processes have come to be to prevent stress, etc. I started soaking him, did a warm wet towel rub, and proceeded from there. It took 3 good 30 minute soaks and a good 3 rounds of 20 minutes of making him rub between the towels to remove the problematic shed on his body.

The head was my hardest obstacle. It had become so dried out that it was a problem (I was worried about it constricting and cutting) and I had to really soak and rub him down to remove it, and he also had retained eye caps. After a good while (probably almost an hour of rubbing and soaking, I finally got his little head free. It was honestly the best feeling of relief I've had in YEARS. The moment his little head was clear and free of the shed he perked up a bit and then proceeded to move from the towel and wrap around my wrist. Which I then noticed he had quite the crusty abrasion on the front of his mouth. (Most likely from rubbing the screen top in his cage at petsmart). At first I assumed it was a little dribble, which what I call the secretions that sometimes happen during shed then I realized it was an actual injury. I cleaned it and then became pretty curious to the rest of him and decided to scope every bit of him out. I came to find old rodent bites, one on his tail and one (i think) on his head infront of his left eye. I am now I'm searching for a reputable vet in the LV area. I checked for mites and scale rot and so far everything looks good, not a sign of either though I have treated him for mites as a precaution anyway. I also "popped" him. Don't panic! I have experience with this from when I worked as a vet tech and from owning my own. I found out my little beep is a boy! Though because I'm the greatest at doubting myself with these things, I'm going to have that 100% confirmed once he is taken to the vet. I'd like to proudly say that during ALL of this not once did my beep attempt to strike or become defensive. I'm almost certain he was just enjoying being freed of that terrible shed.

Lastly, beep is definitely underfed. Very tiny. (also waiting on a scale, which is coming tomorrow) So that's going to be another obstacle. They were swearing up and down he was eating fuzzies and I was not at all convinced, but you know, hahaha. If it helps until I can get a scale: when in a ball he is smaller than my hand and my hands can fit into child sized gloves. Genuinely a tiny beep.

This poor little thing has been through hell and I'm honestly glad I was able to help him. I don't even want to think what could have happened if he was kept in such a state!

Anyway, now that I'm done relating my stressful 4-5 days, here's some before and after pictures of my Kakashi (I'm a Naruto fan )!

1. When he was brought home still in "travel box":


2. Having his first soak, didn't even try to move out of the water:


3. An example of how the shed was incomplete/"bad" along the back (also a cute A letter in his markings!, he also has little "alien" faces near his neck which i will need to get a photo of eventually). Ignore the reside on the tank. I used to have a sticker with my last beeps name and feed schedule and need to clean it off.


4. After shed help (right side - note the crusties i was talking about earlier):


5. after shed (left side):


Anyway! I just thought I'd relate my experience so far and introduce my beep! I wasn't sure if this should go in husbandry or not as it's mainly just me ranting a little and an introduction, but since it's mainly about care, etc. I figured so. If I messed up just let me know

[tttaylorrr]

you seem so knowledgeable already, so there's not much i can say! you've done a wonderful job with him already.

only mess-up is getting those heart-strings tugged...you supported the same system that allowed that animal to get into the condition it's in now. HOWEVER, i am LUCKY to have never seen an animal in such bad shape. it's easy for me to say "you shouldn't have paid for a poor animal" but i guarantee i'm not that strong if i saw it myself...these situations do conflict me.

also, PetSmart doesn't feed live. idk about the sources they get their snakes from, but they get them pretty young. i question if those injuries were caused by prey.

ANYWAY, that snake is so much better off. can't wait for you to get all the equipment so he can start his life of luxury.

if i may ask, was it school that caused you to stop owning snakes? just curious.

lastly: WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!!!!!! can't wait to watch this little dude's progress.

[Crowfingers]

Great job at rescuing the little man! I also have have the same conflicts with petco/petsmart - their next batch will likely end up the same unfortunately. I myself will always scope out the animal care of such places as well. If the animals are not at the bare minimum healthy I leave and take my business elsewhere, but it breaks my heart every time, knowing those little ones most likely won't make it. I've seen similar terrible health conditions.

Usually (though it is not the best method) I wait until there are several people up front then ask to speak to a manager. Once they are free to speak I calmly ask for their name and store number and proceed to explain the inhumane conditions of the animals (at this point other customers usually start to eavesdrop). Most employees ask how I know that the snakes are not eating claiming that they "feed" every seven days, blah blah blah...I respectfully explain my knowledge and that corporate will be hearing from me. This usually leads to being asked to leave, and I never go back. I have even had other customers leave their items on the counter and walk out too... I do write corporate and put the word out to local business bureau forums and such...but in the end, they keep getting 'disposable' merchandise and as long as people are buying those lost to poor treatment don't matter.

I refuse to offer any profit to such stores

***Oh _ welcome to the forum ! ! ! ! ***

[Kataryna]

tttaylorrr:
Hahaha thank you! I have thankfully been able to retain all information I've learned in the past!

Oh I know! I usually would never buy from petsmart (and never have)! I would have preferred to buy from a local breeder when I was 100% ready, but this was just a case of "if I don't do something, this little beep is going to suffer". It was a definite struggle and I wasn't happy with myself for supporting them in this manner, but I was happy to give him a proper owner and home life. He's going to be absolutely spoiled and properly taken care of from now on!

Hm. You could be right about the prey injuries if they do not (I was not aware of their not feeding live). Since I have been out of the line of owning beeps or any reptile for 8 years it's 100% possible I am not recognizing fully what I am seeing! Which is why I will definitely confirm it with the vet. (This is one of the few reasons I am adamant about taking him to see a vet, hahaha). I for sure want to confirm what I'm seeing with my own eyes and if it's not correct figuring out exactly WHAT is going on or what MIGHT* have happened.
I am super excited for the rest of the much needed equipment that I ordered. I was guaranteed it would arrive tomorrow so I'm going to be watching the front door constantly most likely!

Also yes! It was school that caused me to cease in owning and the death of my last snake, "Tannor". School for me has been eight years and I have another 2 to go!

Thanks for the welcome and I'll be sure to update all of you!

Crowfingers:
Thank you for that! I unfortunately know this all too well and for some reason I just couldn't walk away this time. As I said above to Taylor, I usually would refuse to buy from petsmart and would buy from a breeder but this case just wasn't the usual for me. (I also didn't buy anything else from them that night. The next morning I found a smaller pet shop and bought what I needed there for my cat and syrian. Since I'm new to Las Vegas I'm not yet accustomed to their shops, etc. So petsmart was a last minute late night run after moving into my house!) Unfortunately I am a quiet person so I normally wouldn't do such an upfront thing but I totally respect and admire the fact you are willing to do so. It needs to be done and said and I really do appreciate your efforts and admire them - I can't say that enough! Definitely good on you for doing it!

I absolutely hate the way these animals are taken care of in many (not all, I've seen cases where care is actually pretty great and the best it can be) of these stores. They definitely won't be getting money from me, per usual unless I'm absolutely desperate as I was that night (texas > nevada move, so low supplies due to me being scatterbrained and stressed). Dealing with a hungry syrian in heat? No bueno. hahahaha. Mine goes into what I call "Hop" mode and starts jumping all along the sides of her 40 gallon breeder all night and trying to escape and it just becomes a huge "Girl quit, you're going to hurt yourself." So again it was desperation for hammy food that led to a rescue mission. :| They definitely wont be getting any money from me from this point forward though, especially after I did some research about the typical care "horror stories". Never really realized to what extent the care could get in the stores (as I haven't gone in many petsmarts *i have been in a lot of petcos though) and it really breaks my heart to see it. (This being said it doesn't mean I haven't been aware of negative care in their stores in the past -- I just never actually realized HOW BAD it was!).

Thank you for the welcome as well! I am glad to be here! (sorry for the long reply and of course for the wait and weird bouncing around in my explanations! I am at work so distractions are everywhere! -- i should stop editing this before it becomes a book )

[Crowfingers]

Oh, no problem - not criticizing you at all. I've left many a pet store nearly in tears because I know I could provide the best life for all the creatures...but then I'd be homeless and out of money! Also, not all the big box stores are the same. There is a petsmart in my city that though their husbandry isn't up to our standards; the reptiles are at least better cared for - humid moss boxes, more properly sized food, better temps, etc... I think it mainly has to so with what knowledge the employee in charge of the reptile section has (in this case he is a corn breeder so at least he can do what he can within the store's policy)

can't wait to see how he grows under proper care!

[Kataryna]

(I had to sneak onto my phone as my boss was getting really nosey )

Crowfingers:

Oh no, you're Good! I didn't take it as a criticism at all! I definitely enjoyed and appreciated your input!

You and I are the same in that aspect which is one of the main reasons I avoid these stores. It took a lot of wrestling with myself on the way home that I just spent 120$ on what petsmart calls a "fancy ball python" that was obviously in bad shape. But honestly I can't say I regret it. I just hope their future little beeps get as lucky as mind did since they are going to unfortunately continue to stock and sell them

I'm glad to hear they do so well with the other reptiles in that store! I'm always so happy when I actually go into one of these places and see PROPER care. There is a petco back in texas that i have been in quite frequently and when I saw how well their reptiles/snakes/small animals were housed and taken care of I was SO PLEASED. They were doing such a great job and I know the store owner was a beep, guinea pig and rat owner.

I think people working in these stores who have the experience and proper love for these animals it definitely shows! It's too bad they don't make sure to hire people with those types of experiences and dedication more often! I really think it would make a world of difference!

I'll definitely be sure to keep everyone updated as he grows and continues to thrive

[Joci]

I'm excited to watch the lil rescue noodle grow!!

I really hate big chain stores! I have to live every day with the knowledge that the petsmart 7 minutes away from me is feeding their ball pythons pinkie mice..

[Blizzard]

Wow, you did a WONDERFUL job rescuing this guy! I am so sad and disappointed to hear about the condition he was it when you got him, pet stores continue to make me so furious on how they treat their animals. I got my BP from one three weeks ago and even though he had only been there for a few weeks, he was skinny and has a very bad retained eye cap from the shed he had at the store, I have successfully fattened him up, but I now have to take care of his eye cap and I'm pretty sure that'll require a vet visit, since I don't see myself skilled enough to do it myself.
You certainly seem to be very responsible and know your stuff well, you did a very nice job helping him with his shed, he looks so much better thanks to you! It makes me extremely happy knowing his is now safe and in loving hands, he looks so sweet and little ahh ;;

As a side note, this is the first beep I've seen that looks almost identical to my beep! They must be beep twins!

[tttaylorrr]

tttaylorrr:
Hahaha thank you! I have thankfully been able to retain all information I've learned in the past!

Oh I know! I usually would never buy from petsmart (and never have)! I would have preferred to buy from a local breeder when I was 100% ready, but this was just a case of "if I don't do something, this little beep is going to suffer". It was a definite struggle and I wasn't happy with myself for supporting them in this manner, but I was happy to give him a proper owner and home life. He's going to be absolutely spoiled and properly taken care of from now on!

Hm. You could be right about the prey injuries if they do not (I was not aware of their not feeding live). Since I have been out of the line of owning beeps or any reptile for 8 years it's 100% possible I am not recognizing fully what I am seeing! Which is why I will definitely confirm it with the vet. (This is one of the few reasons I am adamant about taking him to see a vet, hahaha). I for sure want to confirm what I'm seeing with my own eyes and if it's not correct figuring out exactly WHAT is going on or what MIGHT* have happened.
I am super excited for the rest of the much needed equipment that I ordered. I was guaranteed it would arrive tomorrow so I'm going to be watching the front door constantly most likely!

Also yes! It was school that caused me to cease in owning and the death of my last snake, "Tannor". School for me has been eight years and I have another 2 to go!

Thanks for the welcome and I'll be sure to update all of you!

please keep us updated; we love success stories!

there's 0 judgement from me because of your choice. like i said earlier idk if i could stand by if i was ever in that situation, and i hope i never will be.

you could post pictures of the injuries and we could try and help identify a cause, but a vet visit hopefully will help you get him on the right track. if they're already scabbed over or healed, it's just a matter of waiting for a few sheds before he's looking better.

also DAAANG 10 years! you gona be a doctor??

[SDA]

While I am against people buying form petsmart or petco it does my heart happy to see someone care for a neglected snake like this. I won't lie, whenever I find myself in those stores I can't help but want to rescue every animal in there.