please help me I found a snake

[DVirginiana]

Can you post a picture of the snake? Based on where you are and how big around you say it really sounds like it's not likely a ball python. This could be important because if it's something common in your area like a garter you'll have to spend a lot less money on equipment to keep it happy.

[AliceE]

thank you LizardLicks that is super helpful! I have a tub like that I can use, it has craft stuff in it but I can take it out. I opened my container and looked at him and I think he is shorter and fatter than I first thought. I put him in there and he curled up so it was hard to tell. I will try and get a better estimate of thickness and length.

I do have a hot glue gun so i can poke holes in my container. i will do that and put his things in there and move him over. I dont have anything to keep him super warm right now but I will keep him on the heating blanket on low maybe.

this is on my list:

heating pad
thermostat
thermometer
I had bedding but I will stick to paper towels for now

they really dont need any thing else? I have the black deli cups for his hidey huts if I have extra money I might get nicer ones. Does the pet store sell mice to feed him? when should I try and feed him? how do I do it?

I can try to post a picture this week, i will try and borrow a friends camera from school. my phones screen is broken so I cant take one with it.

[shaneswife828]

He sounds very emancipated. I would take him to a vet to get him checked. Whoever had him was not taking care of him and was no doubt starving him. Is he round of is he triangular? If he is some what triangular than he is for sure under weight.

[se7en]

might be a pastel

i'm waiting for pictures

[200xth]

Never use pine or cedar as substrate.

You can use pine as substrate.

[AliceE]

okay I definitely am not good at scale, he is bigger than i thought around but shorter. maybe a silver dollar instead of a quarter. it was hard to tell and then I put him in the container and havent opened it since then, just was trying to look through the sides and he was all curled up. he is mostly round looking to me but his back has some angle to it. he is probably 2 feetish I will try to measure better when he stretches out he was crawling around but he is in a ball in his deli cup hidey hole now.

his colors are a lot like this picture I found, some that I see have black spots in all of the blotches but his are mostly solid gold with only a few having black spots inside.

http://www.worldofballpythons.com/fi...normal/001.jpg

[shaneswife828]

You can use pine as substrate.

From a vet tech stand point pine and cedar both are bad for almost all animals. For rodents we recommended care fresh, aspen, or shredded newspaper(yesterdays news works as well). for ball pythons and the likes we recommended coconut fiber, reptile carpet, birch bark, newspaper,paper towels, aspen, and such. Pine and cedar have oils in them that are harmful. They can cause respiratory issues, skin and scale issues, and worse. I have snakes come in with damaged ventral scales do to the pine bedding their owner was using. After switching from the pine the problem stopped. Any "good" reptile owner will tell you to avoid pine at all cost as well as cedar. I have a feeling more people will agree with me rather than disagree. A quick google search will tell you that both cedar and pine are not good substrate for any animal whether it be mammalian or reptilian.

[shaneswife828]

I would start by feeding him a weaned rat ever 5-7 days until he fills out more. Try frozen thawed first. If he won't take it place it in his tub cover it and let him alone for awhile and he may eat it. If he won't take the frozen thawed than he was likely live fed which means he will need to be fed live rats of the appropriate size(approx the same size as the widest part of the snake. Once he/she has gained to the appropriate weight feeding every 7 days will be fine. I feed my girl one frozen thawed rat every 7 days and the vet said she is ideal.

[KMG]

Yes a UTH is needed. Never use pine or cedar as substrate. I use ecoearth coconut fiber. Hot side at approx 92. Cool side at approx. 82. Humidity no lower than 50 bit I try to keep mine up around 65-75 percent.

A uth is not always necessary. Many keepers heat the room only and have thriving collections.

If a hotspot is offered I like it to be 88-92, with the ambient temp 76-85.

Humidity does not need to stay above 50. During a shed it needs a boost but I get perfect sheds with my humidity staying in the 30-40% range.

Also a vet check is gonna deplete the $200 budget real quick.

Op, check out the caresheet. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

[shaneswife828]

A uth is not always necessary. Many keepers heat the room only and have thriving collections.

If a hotspot is offered I like it to be 88-92, with the ambient temp 76-85.

Humidity does not need to stay above 50. During a shed it needs a boost but I get perfect sheds with my humidity staying in the 30-40% range.

Op, check out the caresheet. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

yes but since it's her only snake I have a feeling she isn't going to want her room up at 80 degrees lol.