Septicemia Dehydration Baby Ball Help!

[Buttercup]

I wouldn't be so quick to say your setup/husbandry is perfect because it seems there are a few common beginner mistakes going on. The type of thermometer you posted a photo of isn't reliable at measuring air temperatures. You want to get a digital thermometer. Accurite makes one that's pretty cheap, commonly found at Walmart. You also need to be measuring *surface* temps, which is done with a temp gun.

I also haven't seen mention of having a thermostat controlling a heat source?

Also, you mentioned your daughter trying to feed him pinkies. Is that what you've always tried to feed him? Mouse pinks or rat pinks? Either way that's too small a prey item. Even with how emaciated he is, I'd think a mouse hopper or rat fuzzy would be more appropriately sized.

Given how ill he seems, there should also be zero handling going on for the foreseeable future.

I don't say any of this to be unkind. There are a LOT of knowledgeable keepers on this forum, many I'd trust more than your average "exotic" vet. Best of luck with his care. I hope he recovers.

Thank you for your opinion. We asked!

Sad to find our temperature monitors are not good ones. Ok. Will update as apap.

Heating sources, we have a ceramic bulb & that is very warm (150). WE also have an under-mounted heater. Snake has never buried himself or dove into substrate.

We will try different prey. He is small so we stuck to small I was recently told, like you, that fuzzy often gets them going.

Do the digital "guns" you aim and point work? Recommendations? Plz & THX!1

[Buttercup]

I posted a photo of a recommended temperature/humidiy gauge.

Someone stated it's not good enough. Okay. May be true. I need help. What is good for baby ball pythons?

Plz post gauges you use and trust, with photos!

Thx!1

[WhompingWillow]

Thank you for your opinion. We asked!

Sad to find our temperature monitors are not good ones. Ok. Will update as apap.

Heating sources, we have a ceramic bulb & that is very warm (150). WE also have an under-mounted heater. Snake has never buried himself or dove into substrate.

We will try different prey. He is small so we stuck to small I was recently told, like you, that fuzzy often gets them going.

Do the digital "guns" you aim and point work? Recommendations? Plz & THX!1

Temp gun example: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lase...emp+gun&sr=8-3

And yes, you point and click to get an accurate measurement of the surface temperature. Ambient air temp should be roughly 80 degrees, maybe a bit warmer on the hot side, but the surface hot side temp should only be ~90. A 150 watt bulb is VERY warm. If your house is cold or the tank very tall that may be ok, but I'd strongly suggest either getting a thermostat or a dimmer for your bulb. A dimmer you can get at any major hardware store, or you can buy a Fluker dome with a built in dimmer at PetCo, but you'll likely have to downsize the wattage so it doesn't burn out the lamp. Any undertank heaters (UTH) MUST have a thermostat to control them. Just because you haven't seen him move the substrate doesn't mean he hasn't. You want the bottom surface of the tank to read 90 with the temp gun, with only a thin layer of substrate over it.

Thermostat, this is a popular entry level one: https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Ger...d-f486577edf4d

Digital thermometer: https://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-0...BoC-uIQAvD_BwE

Sorry the links are so long. Hope this helps.

[WhompingWillow]

Also, if you could post photos of your setup, that would really help. Ie, how many hides does your snake have, are they snug fitting, etc? Photos help us visualize your husbandry.

[Buttercup]

Temp gun example: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lase...emp+gun&sr=8-3

And yes, you point and click to get an accurate measurement of the surface temperature. Ambient air temp should be roughly 80 degrees, maybe a bit warmer on the hot side, but the surface hot side temp should only be ~90. A 150 watt bulb is VERY warm. If your house is cold or the tank very tall that may be ok, but I'd strongly suggest either getting a thermostat or a dimmer for your bulb. A dimmer you can get at any major hardware store, or you can buy a Fluker dome with a built in dimmer at PetCo, but you'll likely have to downsize the wattage so it doesn't burn out the lamp. Any undertank heaters (UTH) MUST have a thermostat to control them. Just because you haven't seen him move the substrate doesn't mean he hasn't. You want the bottom surface of the tank to read 90 with the temp gun, with only a thin layer of substrate over it.

Thermostat, this is a popular entry level one: https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Ger...d-f486577edf4d

Digital thermometer: https://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-0...BoC-uIQAvD_BwE

Sorry the links are so long. Hope this helps.

Thx! The more we know, the more we know,,,

1

[Buttercup]

I wouldn't be so quick to say your setup/husbandry is perfect because it seems there are a few common beginner mistakes going on. The type of thermometer you posted a photo of isn't reliable at measuring air temperatures. You want to get a digital thermometer. Accurite makes one that's pretty cheap, commonly found at Walmart. You also need to be measuring *surface* temps, which is done with a temp gun.

I also haven't seen mention of having a thermostat controlling a heat source?

Also, you mentioned your daughter trying to feed him pinkies. Is that what you've always tried to feed him? Mouse pinks or rat pinks? Either way that's too small a prey item. Even with how emaciated he is, I'd think a mouse hopper or rat fuzzy would be more appropriately sized.

Given how ill he seems, there should also be zero handling going on for the foreseeable future.

I don't say any of this to be unkind. There are a LOT of knowledgeable keepers on this forum, many I'd trust more than your average "exotic" vet. Best of luck with his care. I hope he recovers.

Digital therm, can do that. Thx.
Thermo gun. Recommendations?
Pinkies: We were told to match to thickest part of snake. He's a thin one. Mouse pinkies.
Vet said to try furries once he recovers...

Thx for your advice. We appreciate it!


1

[Zincubus]

Digital temperature guns are only about 8 dollars off eBay or Amazon


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[Bogertophis]

...
Pinkies: We were told to match to thickest part of snake. He's a thin one. Mouse pinkies. Vet said to try furries once he recovers...

Mouse pinkies are about 1 inch long at most & about 1/4" wide...the only BP that would be the right size for is a skeleton. A rat pinky would also be quite small, but a better choice because very digestible, but still actually too small for BP, & you also don't want to "rock the boat"...rats & mice smell differently & for best results (which you certainly NEED) you should only offer whatever kind of rodent he was raised on (for the time being): thus, if source fed him mice, I'd try fuzzy mice...if the source fed him rats, try rat pinks or the next size up (breeders may call them different things, just ask). I've seen BPs refuse mouse pinks because they're so small they don't even know what to DO with them- they actually can get stuck on their teeth...do NOT try to feed him mouse pinkies...ok?

[Buttercup]

That earlier photo with Santa...even then he didn't look real healthy to me, so that's not something he should have been "out & about" doing, but as a new snake
owner, you wouldn't have known or noticed anything- I'm assuming that photo was not taken in your home? It's adorable sure, but likely stressful and not likely at
the proper temperatures, either while there or during transport. Just not something we'd recommend doing, that's all. FYI, I've done programs with snakes for
years, taking them to a wide variety of venues: they only go if I've had them long enough to know they're healthy & they're normally transported in cloth bags that
are placed inside a cushioned styro-foam box or 'cooler' so they aren't exposed to fluctuating temps. going to & from. I've moved across country with them packed
this way too, never any health issues afterwards. I'm saying this only for your information, not to say you "caused" his illness, because that's probably NOT the case.

I'm glad you & your vet(s) are doing what you can, I hope you can get him back to healthy. Did they just take a guess as to what antibiotic to administer? or was
lab work done to make sure the medication chosen will be the most effective? This matters a lot, as antibiotics aren't harmless: they kill off the friendly gut bacteria*
& are a bit rough on the snake's body, so it's not something you want your vet to guess on, even though lab work takes time & usually a lot more money. If an
"educated guess" is taken & it proves to be ineffective, it means you've put your snake thru injections for nothing (stress, & hard on the body) while time was lost not
getting it right, & then it will have to be repeated with the "right" medication. (*assuming your snake recovers, it's a good idea AFTER a snake has been on antibiotic
treatments, to add digestive enzymes to their food to help out, just like we take "probiotics" the same way. They do make them FOR reptiles, & that's all you should
use, because their gut flora is not the same as ours or that of other pets.)

Thanks for all of the info. I really do appreciate it! I feel like I responded to you but don't see it. Tired, stressed,& kinda losing track of my posts.

Re the photo, we only had him out of his enclosure for a few minutes. Daughter brought him over & I quickly snapped a couple of photos on my phone. He went right back to his tank. At that point we had him for about 2 months. That is how he looked upon arrival. We assumed he was a healthy boy.

Can you please elaborate on how he doesn't look healthy in the Santa pic? Now, I am very curious. Vet did suggest that its possible he came to us already ill... Post or message me, plz. Super interested in your thoughts. Thx!

He was shipped to us as you described.

No lab work. Prescribed Fortaz, said had good results with it/ball pythons/septicemia in the past. He also prescribed Carafate to add to the "food" (Emerald IC Carnivore) for GI support.


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[Bogertophis]

FYI, most BPs are started as hatchlings on hopper mice (bigger than fuzzies, eyes open & eating on their own), but because they have fur, they're a little harder to digest,
and ONLY because your snake is on the critical list, I would assume that's why your vet suggested you feed him "pinkies".