Took my snake to the vet after top of mouth was bleeding.

[GoldSheep]

I was doing my regular weekly checks on my snakes and doing a clean up of the cages, but then my pastel I produced myself and raised started snorting up balls of snot after a short warm bath. He'd eaten 2 weeks ago, so I was freaked out because I checked in on him last week and there was no issue. And the previous week he'd eaten. (I usually also check in their mouths once in a while, especially if they aren't eating). I always look for respiratory issues etc every week. (bubbles, etc and he had none of those things. Also listen to breathing.)

So I checked in his mouth and the top of his mouth was bleeding. I freaked out. (The rest of his mouth is fine--even the vet said so. No mouth rot.).

I've never had a single issue with my snakes being this bad. The last snake I added to my collection was over 5 years ago.

I called around, found a vet willing to see him on short notice.

She suspected as I did a respiratory infection and said I should raise the temps on all the cages to 95 degrees from 90. (I have UTH and a temperature gauge.) I also live in a warmer climate, though it's been getting cooler lately.

Also said aspen isn't really good for snakes, though I haven't had an issue before. Said to use Eco Earth or the carpets or paper towels (I've always had issues with paper towels and carpets since they tend to burrow underneath the carpets and paper towels. One of my ball pythons seriously got burnt after she burrowed underneath a carpet--I had to work hard to heal her and I no longer attach the UTH to the glass, even with a gauge. She's still alive BTW and still doing well.) He also has this habit of burrowing like his mother. Pushes aside all the aspen to one end.

I clean his cage with the FC-10 stuff, do spot checks, and fill his water bowl like the other snakes. I clean the waterbowl once a week and disinfect it.

TT I feel like I did wrong by him somehow. I want to do better.

I own 7 snakes total. Owned snakes since I was 13, but ball pythons since about 2005? (Would have to look it up). Still wracking my brain on what I did wrong and if eco earth is a good option or not.

[FollowTheSun]

Sounds like you are a great snake owner, and they are lucky you pay so much attention to them! I personally use Forest Floor Bedding. When we used Eco-Earth, our snake got tiny splinters on her belly skin. Maybe we just had a bad batch, because I know a lot of people use it.

[Craiga 01453]

Different species do better on different substrates depending on humidity requirements. I use Eco Earth in all my enclosures except my Hognose and KSB. They require lower humidity than the rest.

If your snake was able to be burned I'm assuming none of your heating equipment is regulated by thermostat??

[GoldSheep]

At the time I was kinda new to ball pythons (I had a thamnophis before. My parents refused to ship her, though I gave instructions, requested it every year. She lived a fairly long time too.), so I had a thermostat, but not a good one. It fluxed too much. I got a new one. I also learned that glass heats faster than fabric. So I no longer attach it to the glass or the plastic. (I have a semi-rack system with them in 36x24 locking tubs--I cut out one end and put a screen there, put the waterbowl there, and cover the screen. The humidity usually works out to be about 50%. And my oldest one in a glass tank.) She's totally fine, that one--lived long enough to produce the one that has the problems today. She has a weird personality for a ball python. She likes greeting the sun every morning. When she was gravid, she would sit contently curled in my lap doing nothing. And she hates going back into her enclosure. All of the other snakes coil when their head is near their hide... she goes... nope. And she still burrows near the heat source.

I sold snakes for market too, but I always check their weight, make sure they eat at least 4 meals, and check their overall condition before putting them on market and screen their owners to make sure they understand the commitment so the snake finds a permanent home, not a secondary seller or an impulse buyer. I've refused buyers before too. One person didn't want to get the snake a proper heat mat, thermometer or enclosure. I said they must have the enclosure ready, told them where to buy the things, then they could contact me.

The vet tech, unfortunately kinda ticked me off by being afraid of the snake rather than trusting me to hold my own snake, ending up semi-choking the snake. She wouldn't listen to me and kept going on and on about being bit. Even the vet said she didn't know a single ball python that bit before. The one that's sick is a pastel, rather than a normal (like his mother) and a male. His father died of old age... unfortunately. I've been handling him since it was safe to do so. (I usually wait until they give up their eggs.) And also semi try to train them to let me see into their mouths. He's never bit once, even when feeding.

Anyway, I need to find a better bedding material, apparently, since the vet said the dust from the aspen plus sudden low temps probably caused it and he hates the aspen anyway. I don't trust paper towels and carpet is of no use. I'm not sure about Eco Earth for ball pythons, so I need better suggestions. Right now I have him on nothing, but that's no good either.

I need something no dust, holds some moisture, and something he won't be uncomfortable being on.

[GoldSheep]

Sounds like you are a great snake owner, and they are lucky you pay so much attention to them! I personally use Forest Floor Bedding. When we used Eco-Earth, our snake got tiny splinters on her belly skin. Maybe we just had a bad batch, because I know a lot of people use it.

Does it have any dust in it? At least 3 of my ball pythons are picky also about the texture of the bedding (They are all related, though...). If they don't like being on it, they'll shove it to one side, which might kick up dust. I don't want to recreate the issue.

[L.West]

Have you tried Reptile Prime. I use it for my snakes that like to burrow. It is a very good product.

[FollowTheSun]

Does it have any dust in it? At least 3 of my ball pythons are picky also about the texture of the bedding (They are all related, though...). If they don't like being on it, they'll shove it to one side, which might kick up dust. I don't want to recreate the issue.

Very little dust as long as it's kept at the right humidity.