Emergency need help ASAP!!! Possible RI

[SludgePuppy]

Okay so I have been trying my hardest to keep Raul's temps and humidity at a good level but the winter weather has been kicking my butt since I have work. I come home to often find his humidity around 47-50% so I made a makeshift humidity catch lid that has fixed that and temps 88-92°F hot side and 78-80° Cooler side.

I have been fearing he will get sick and tonight my nightmare is either coming true or something new he is doing that alarms me.

Tonight when I went to change his water he was haywire. I checked everything all good, we got him a cactus and a lil agave plant since he enjoys roaming around in the moss. We bought those tonight btw.

He's all over his tank like he wants out ASAP. I let him out and held him in my hands, he calmed down and rested until he felt me get up and right back to freaking out. He kept trying to crawl up my hands and then!! He made wheezing sniff noises!!! Like a ****ing dog. I felt my heart race and tears in my eyes because I've been trying so hard to keep him healthy in this stupid random FL weather.

I picked him up again and he calmed back down and I checked his hide when I saw him refuse to go in. Poop was there, I spot cleaned and set him in, again the wheezing!!! He refuses to go into his hides, and I am terrified rn. During the day he sleeps like a baby, and he's been eating and shedding. I don't know what I did wrong and I'm sorry if I sound over emotional it's just I love him so much and I felt so heartbroken when I heard him wheezing, he's only a baby still and I feel like a bad parent.

He's been exploring and poking around the top of his cage every night for the past three days, I am just hoping this is him finally acting nocturnal and that he isn't sick.

No mucus, no blood, no bubbles, just that stupid wheezing that sounded like sniffing. He has been nose rubbing but not excessively.

Please I need help on what to do.

I use Aspen bedding
20gal environment
two hides
Temp gauges
Humidifier
heating pad with thermostat

Heat lamp to help keep his ambient temps

He's sniffing around the top of his home rn as if he wants out and then going under his half log and not his hide

Thank you for any help!

[SludgePuppy]

He was hungry. I have him in a once a week schedule. But I have noticed him showing signs of hunger about 5-6 days after a feeding.

Jeesus...

I weighed him and he was about 20g less than what he was before. I am going to switch to a 5-7 day schedule for him so this doesn't happen again.

That wheezing wasn't wheezing either. He was hissing, he puffed again and it started as small sharp hisses and then a long one. He literally got pissed when I picked him up thinking it was feeding time but nope! Dad was just rearranging my stuff or showing me the hides I already know!

He's getting long however and it's kinda like a growth spurt. He's not overweight I watch that, but he was a bit under which made me realize "He pooed and has been getting off feed the last few times. He may be getting a bit hungry rn..."

I haven't heard anymore wheezing/hissing and he's in a much better mood than before.

Again I didn't think it was RI cause I got him checked recently. But he hisses weird. Then again he's an absolute sweetheart so I have never really heard him hiss until it was that warning one when I tried one last time to get him off my arm and near his hide.

I swear to god this kid is weird. He's going to give me a heart attack one of these days.

[predatorkeeper87]

He was hungry. I have him in a once a week schedule. But I have noticed him showing signs of hunger about 5-6 days after a feeding.

Jeesus...

I weighed him and he was about 20g less than what he was before. I am going to switch to a 5-7 day schedule for him so this doesn't happen again.

That wheezing wasn't wheezing either. He was hissing, he puffed again and it started as small sharp hisses and then a long one. He literally got pissed when I picked him up thinking it was feeding time but nope! Dad was just rearranging my stuff or showing me the hides I already know!

He's getting long however and it's kinda like a growth spurt. He's not overweight I watch that, but he was a bit under which made me realize "He pooed and has been getting off feed the last few times. He may be getting a bit hungry rn..."

I haven't heard anymore wheezing/hissing and he's in a much better mood than before.

Again I didn't think it was RI cause I got him checked recently. But he hisses weird. Then again he's an absolute sweetheart so I have never really heard him hiss until it was that warning one when I tried one last time to get him off my arm and near his hide.

I swear to god this kid is weird. He's going to give me a heart attack one of these days.

2 of my bps gave me the same scare lol, I had one hiss at me and it sounded like an old man laugh...my first blindfire thought was damn RI....nope he just hisses like an old man...

[zina10]

Ball Python juvies certainly do eat a lot once they "take off" with feeding.

I'm certainly not in the "power feeding" camp, but the little ones grow rapidly and need food more often then adults. They actually should look kind of chubby.

Young ones like that I feed at least every 5 days or so, and the food item should be as wide around in the middle of their body (if you imagine stretching them out) then the snake is at the widest part of its body. Or only slightly smaller.

They are little bottomless pits and if husbandry is spot on and they are healthy, then "furiously" wandering around at that age is usually hunger.

[JodanOrNoDan]

Even animals from the same clutch can have different metabolisms and different feeding frequencies. I have 4 six month old siblings kept under identical conditions. Three of them eat on the same schedule one does not. Current weights at six months 350, 600, 750, 800. My rule is if the animal is hungry and not fat I feed it the proper sized prey item. Some babies I feed twice a week. Some I feed once every two weeks. Totally depends on the animal. Understand however that all but a couple of my animals eventually go off food for a couple months a year because of the way I feed. This is acceptable to me, however it bothers other people because they think something is wrong but it is perfectly natural for this species.

[Sauzo]

Even my 1680g 2.5 year old girl eats every 7-10 days. When she was a baby, she was eating every 3-4 days. I would definitely bump her food intake up especially as a baby. 7 days would be the longest I would wait up to a year old. Then they sometimes will go into a fast during winter time for months which is fine.

The hissing is probably her being hungry lol. Or he could just be crazy like my girl and hiss for the heck of it if you bug her sometimes lol. Dottie does drive by hissings sometimes if you mess with her when she is on a mission. Also she will hiss sometimes if you bug her when she has found the perfect pillow to curl up under lol. Never bites or coils or anything, just a single hiss lol.

But I would definitely feed him every 5-7 days at least if a baby. You aren't going to run a chance of going overweight until he gets a year old when he slows down growing. Plus I've tried to pack on the weight for Dottie before and she kind of regulates her own food intake. If I offer her too much, she simply refuses it until she is hungry again. Not like my boas, retic or dumerils who will eat them self into a coma and then dream of catching more food haha.

[SludgePuppy]

Sorry this is late! Thank you for the info guys. He's doing much better! I knew they needed to eat a bit more but he was on once every seven days for a while but the sudden change caught me off guard a bit and I got worried it was something with my husbandry. I triple checked everything and it was all good, but knowing he was hungry made me feel better. Now I know when he's hungry though!

Thanks again!

[Mike17]

I am glad I read this, maybe you can help me out.

I just bought my first BP I've had her for 4 day and she is just in the shedding process. I know they take time to get comfortable before they start eating. Plus they don't eat while shedding?

So, should I offer some food now? or wait a couple days for the shed to finish? She was eating every Friday so she's late one day already. Thanks!


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[BBotteron]

I am glad I read this, maybe you can help me out.

I just bought my first BP I've had her for 4 day and she is just in the shedding process. I know they take time to get comfortable before they start eating. Plus they don't eat while shedding?

So, should I offer some food now? or wait a couple days for the shed to finish? She was eating every Friday so she's late one day already. Thanks!


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I'd like to know too my male had blue eyes when holding him last night and Monday is feeding day( every 5 days)


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[dr del]

Hi,

Some will eat while in shed and some won't. Either way skipping a weeks meal should cause no problems for a healthy bp.

For the new arrival I would definitely wait and let them settle in and feel secure as this is more important for the snake than one skipped meal.