Ball python neglect help

[Nakoa]

Hi I'm new here, not new to snakes or reptiles but I'm after some advice, iv had rescues before but not as bad as the boy that I picked up yesterday, emaciated isn't even the right word, apparently he hasn't eaten for over a year but smashed a rat pup when I got him home ( had to give him food, i dont think he would survive another 2 weeks without food)

He has been to the vets but they cant draw bloods because his body is just to fragile right now but they took swabs from where they could,

What advice I'm looking for is feeds every 3 to 4 days gonna be to close together? He is only right now taking very small 50gram rat pups and he is a 2018 but there is no way his body could support or digest anything larger,

Also advice with handling him for cleaning he cant support any of his body at all but I'm also worried that I might break some of his bones? Is this even possible on a snake?

Iv had underweight snakes before but never this bad.




And the reason I haven't actually put pictures of him is because some people might find it to distressing.

[Santiago6621]

I'd wait 4-5, it's good news that he took the rat pup on his own. Maybe next time offer 2 see if he takes the 2nd one

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[Armiyana]

I'm so glad you managed to get him to a vet so quickly. that's always the first step in a serious situation like this. (as well as a professional opinion in case needed regarding abuse cases, but that's another issue entirely)

If this was my rescue, I'd probably do the same thing. The downside with animals who are that emaciated is that sometimes they just can't digest properly. So I do agree that handling smaller meals and seeing if he can handle that every 4 days would not be a bad start. Rat pups are still small enough that they aren't too much fur and solid bone to digest, but at least a good start. If he does regurge his meal from yesterday or the next, you'll need to re-evaluate. He may pass some pretty nasty stools as well, so hydration is important.
One of my rescues was a snake with a large gash on her neck, so she was eating very small meals every 2-3 days or so for a couple months while it healed. But for this baby, I would still try and space him out as he's not a healthy snake with a wound. His body needs to relearn how to get that nutrition.

Once he gets a bit more of his strength back and a little bit of weight, you can slowly start increasing the meal size and going back to a more normal feeding size/schedule for a snake of that age.
I really hope that he continue eating and that recovery goes well. I wouldn't worry too much about breaking bones or anything it you're gentle with handling. Just try to support him fully in a coil when lifting so he's not dangling weight anywhere.
The potential for muscle damage or even skin damage is I think a bit more common with emaciated snakes than actual bone damage. Sometimes when very emaciated, the skin can become paper thin and tear easily, So if he shows signs of going in shed, make sure he;s got all that good hydration and humid places to hide.

[Nakoa]

The thing that worries me is there is no fat between his stomach and his skin and am worried to much of a stretch may cause harm if that makes sense, i know a snakes skin can stretch but whats the chances of something like that?

[Nakoa]

Thank you very much
we was very worried about him and took him right there after collection and our vet was more than happy to help, he hasnt brought his meal up from yesterday and seems to enjoy not sitting under his hide but sitting at the side with his head up against it, he is drinking by himself so im not so worried about hydration right now as he seems to be dealing with that himself and i have some vitamin drops for in his water also.

we are keeping a very close eye on him for signs of shed so we can up his humidity to help him as he looks like he will have a hard time with it, we have also treated him for mites we don't see any sign of them but better to be safe on that.

[Bogertophis]

I'm glad you're trying to help this poor snake recover & also glad you're asking the right questions, & have taken him to the vet also.

I can understand wanting to feed him so often, but when a snake is starved for so long, you should slow down on meals, only gradually give them so close together- & understand that while the snake may be very thin, his hydration is absolutely just as essential as food is, probably more so. A starved snake's body did not have the nutrients supplied that it needed to make digestive enzymes, so he may have a lot of trouble digesting, even easily-digested young rodents (rat pups). I'd be very careful NOT to feed so soon again- his behavior may give some clues also, but right now I think feeding every 4-5 days should not be done (unless you're offering rat pinks?)- his digestion will be s-l-o-w and you should allow for that. Don't expect him to digest as a healthier snake would. Be very patient.

I have taken in chronically-underfed snakes in the past- & I agree with Armiyana's post above, that you may find his skin will always tear easily- this snake may require "TLC" for life.


And btw, Thank you for sharing this story- rest assured we're all on your side, hoping you can pull him thru to a much better life. Do keep us posted.

[Bogertophis]

... Maybe next time offer 2 see if he takes the 2nd one...

I know you meant well, but PLEASE don't do this- it's very likely his digestion will take much longer than normal, and a regurgitation is the LAST thing this snake needs- it could literally kill him.

Starved snakes will NOT have enough digestive enzymes available to digest easily, as a normal healthy snake does. He needs time to recover very slowly. Easy does it...

[Santiago6621]

I know you meant well, but PLEASE don't do this- it's very likely his digestion will take much longer than normal, and a regurgitation is the LAST thing this snake needs- it could literally kill him.

Starved snakes will NOT have enough digestive enzymes available to digest easily, as a normal healthy snake does. He needs time to recover very slowly. Easy does it...

Not trying to mislead anyone, I've never had a bp that was so bad he couldn't eat 2 small rat pups at 3 yrs old. Maybe should have thought more about it before posting

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[bcr229]

What advice I'm looking for is feeds every 3 to 4 days gonna be to close together? He is only right now taking very small 50gram rat pups and he is a 2018 but there is no way his body could support or digest anything larger,

A 50 gram rat is a small rat, not a pup. If the feeder is truly 50 grams you should feed every 7 days.

I would also suggest getting some NutriBac which is a probiotic for reptiles, and dust a bit of the powder on each of his feeders. The probiotic will help him get his good gut flora back.

[Albert Clark]

A 50 gram rat is a small rat, not a pup. If the feeder is truly 50 grams you should feed every 7 days.

I would also suggest getting some NutriBac which is a probiotic for reptiles, and dust a bit of the powder on each of his feeders. The probiotic will help him get his good gut flora back.

Whoops! I thought in the initial post that the rat pups were truly rat pups! Not 50 gm small rats. Thank bcr !