Non-Feeder with pushed in eye

[SyderBall]

Hey all, my cousin got his first BP from Petsmart (i know, i know, i told them to wait until the expo i go to but) and he did fine. He was in a 10 gallon with a UTH. Ate fine, did everything fine no runny stool nothing. Then about a month or so ago he quit eating and to this day hasnt eaten. He was put in a 20 gallon cage with a 75w light on him with a rabbit cage top on the 19th, and because of the lid hes somehow pushed his eye in. And hes got some red irritation looking marks on his stomach (hes in shed though so i told him id look at him again after he sheds). Hes very skinny lookin now and his left eye is only sticking out about half as far as his other one. And other then taking him to the vet which tey need to but have no money for any ideas on some solutions on the feeding issue? and will his eye maybe come out after he sheds? Thanks for all help.

[blackcrystal22]

He's probably not eating because he was moved from the 10g to 20g... a 20g is good for an adult but can be very stressful on a younger ball.

Take pictures, a month should NOT cause the snake to lose significant amounts of weight. What is he using to control the UTH? What to measure temperatures? I'm guessing that red irritation is a burn and the weight loss is due to internal parasites.

Also, heat lamps are useless and probably causing humidity problems which is part of the reason for the eye becoming dented.

Try giving him a soak to see if the eye pops back out due to dehydration, if not wait until after the next shed to see how things go. I suggest taking the animal to the vet and starting from scratch on the enclosure. List all husbandry details, substrate, heating control methods, ext for us so we can rebuild you a proper set-up to get him eating again.

[SyderBall]

He quit eating while in the 10 gallon, and there was always a good 1 1/2-2 inches of substrate and he never dug so if they are burns its not from inside the cage. My cousin doesnt have anything ATM to determine temp and hmidity i told him it could be an issue and to buy at least 2 thermos and a hydrometer. He never showed signs of runny stool and was gaining weight great but (unless he isnt telling me something) just stopped eating. And his set up as is has a water dish on cool side, bark hide under the light and 2 sticks to climb on with some kind of wood chips not cedar for sure though. And it probably has been closer to 2 months since he last ate.

[blackcrystal22]

He quit eating while in the 10 gallon, and there was always a good 1 1/2-2 inches of substrate and he never dug so if they are burns its not from inside the cage. My cousin doesnt have anything ATM to determine temp and hmidity i told him it could be an issue and to buy at least 2 thermos and a hydrometer. He never showed signs of runny stool and was gaining weight great but (unless he isnt telling me something) just stopped eating. And his set up as is has a water dish on cool side, bark hide under the light and 2 sticks to climb on with some kind of wood chips not cedar for sure though. And it probably has been closer to 2 months since he last ate.

Even if he didn't burrow (which he could of while you slept and left no traces of), if he had no thermostat to regulate the temperatures of the UTH they will naturally go in the 100-110 range which is capable of burning the animal even above the substrate.
Runny stool is rarely ever an issue..

Firstly, ball pythons do not need sticks to climb on. They are ground pythons and do not live in trees or enjoy climbing (in fact, if they are too high, they will often fall and hurt themselves). Cedar and Pine are both dangerous wood chips, if it's pine, it could be irritating the scales. You need two hides, and they should not be 'bark' hides (which I'm assuming are the half log hides) because those are not secure at all for ball pythons. Lights are also bad (and probably one of the main reasons for the bent eye cap). Taking a picture of your enclosure could help us narrow things down more though.

One of my balls went off feed for over 4 months with no ill effects or weight loss. 1-2 months should not matter.

[SyderBall]

This is not my snake i own 3 ball pythons, a red tail boa, 2 corn snakes, and a blood python. The substrate is not pine or cedar as i told them when he first got it that those were harmful. This is his first and only snake and ive never had any issues with mine so i cant really help from experience but try to with with my experience. And i know a month or 2 (one of mine just started eating again a few weeks ago and his last meal was in december, but he never got skinny so i didnt worry much anyways...) shouldnt but the snake does look much smaller and skinnier then it should. And i use a half log for all of my balls and they've never had a probem with em. And next time im there ill try to take a picture of the snakes eye and cage.

Thanks for the help.

[rebeccabecca]

Move the snake to a plastic container. I have a very picky ball that went on a 6 week hunger strike at a few months.He was in a 20L before I moved him. he still will only eat every 2-3 weeks but isn't stressed and is growing.

[SyderBall]

Well the snake shed and his skin looks normal and his eye is back right. They put him in the closet so the humidity is higher i suppose. He hasnt tried to feed him yet though well see if the main problem is fixed.

Thanks.