Rescue/Rehome of 2 BPs

[pretends2bnormal]

She's really looking good. So lucky to have your attention!

Now if only I could figure out her bizarre refusal to flick her tongue fully... I know she can, as she did it a few times for me after we had her a few weeks, but hasn't done it in weeks. No signs of RI, no more bulge when flicking her tongue than in the other juvies I have, and she even retains the minimal tongue-flick when hunting prey with me out of sight. She gets the least handling of any of mine, about once a week for 5 or 10 minutes max, so I doubt it is related to stress at this point.


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[Bogertophis]

Now if only I could figure out her bizarre refusal to flick her tongue fully... I know she can, as she did it a few times for me after we had her a few weeks, but hasn't done it in weeks. No signs of RI, no more bulge when flicking her tongue than in the other juvies I have, and she even retains the minimal tongue-flick when hunting prey with me out of sight. She gets the least handling of any of mine, about once a week for 5 or 10 minutes max, so I doubt it is related to stress at this point.


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I really don't know...maybe she's just truly too lazy? LOL Maybe she'd flick it more if you handle her more...as in "more stimulation"- more reason to sniff new things?

If you've seen her actually flick her tongue in a normal manner, then it shouldn't be anything neurological, but if it never comes out all the way, maybe there's a slight
impairment...maybe a muscle weakness (that controls the tongue)? Dunno, just guessing...

[pretends2bnormal]

I really don't know...maybe she's just truly too lazy? LOL Maybe she'd flick it more if you handle her more...as in "more stimulation"- more reason to sniff new things?

If you've seen her actually flick her tongue in a normal manner, then it shouldn't be anything neurological, but if it never comes out all the way, maybe there's a slight
impairment...maybe a muscle weakness (that controls the tongue)? Dunno, just guessing...

Yeah. I have done short periods of more handling (3x a week for a few minutes each), new areas of the house, and some time just on a table instead of just my hands, but none of those have triggered it. The times she had done it before were when she stretched out into open air off my hands to smell further away, or so it appeared. Replicating that hasn't gotten any results yet.

I might give her a try with a big pothos plant I've got or some other more natural smells this week and see if that does anything. I could bring her into the room we breed rodents in and see if distant food smells trigger it, but I think that's a bit too risky to my fingers if she gets confused by it, lol.

She typically gets the whole fork out, just past where it joins into one. They come put and separate as normal and she certainly is using it to smell. She will pause and smell for a minute at a particular spot on my hand where I had been touching fish food or some other thing beforehand.

Muscle weakness could very well be the most plausible reason. Maybe I'll start adding things with different scents into her enclosure with her usual stuff each week. Swap it a few days after each meal for a new/fresh scent. Leaves off live plants we have, a piece of paper from work with new smells, a stick or piece of an aquarium plant, a small chunk of wood out of the rat cages, etc.

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[pretends2bnormal]

Got another new shed for the girl. She looks to be getting more and more color to her each time. After her first one she was a fairly flat tan, but she's picking up more gold.

Pics within a few hours of her shed:



Pic from the day of her last shed for color reference:


Her scales are just about normal feeling now, so I'd guess one more shed before that's fully normal. It has been 3 sheds since the stuck shed she had when I first got her. She still has a bit of loose skin on the neck and along her body, but that should keep filling out over time.

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[Bogertophis]

She's really looking pretty! It takes time to heal, but she's getting there with your help. Great job!

[Danger noodles]

Congrat! Looking great! I went through the same thing with my adopted pastel, and I’m glad I did.

[Bogertophis]

... I went through the same thing with my adopted pastel, and I’m glad I did.

You know, "anyone" can go out & buy a perfectly healthy snake, but it's really SPECIAL to take in the "imperfect ones" & bring them to their fullest potential.
It's an awesomely good feeling...and even if they're never quite perfect, knowing you've made a HUGE difference in their life.

And nothing against those "perfect" snakes, but going thru life, often they don't stay that way either....

[pretends2bnormal]

You know, "anyone" can go out & buy a perfectly healthy snake, but it's really SPECIAL to take in the "imperfect ones" & bring them to their fullest potential.
It's an awesomely good feeling...and even if they're never quite perfect, knowing you've made a HUGE difference in their life.

And nothing against those "perfect" snakes, but going thru life, often they don't stay that way either....

Hit the nail on the head, there. Though it is always good to make sure you're not in over your head with a rescue. I can't say I would recommend a rescue for anyone's first snake when they're not yet fully familiar with any kind of reptile care or common husbandry techniques. There is less room for error in the case of many rescues.

I'm still surprised that only the girl was in rough shape, especially since they had been cohabbed for a while. He's still doing well, but not much to report on an already healthy snake.

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