need minor husbandry help

[MRCSME123]

i am snake sitting two pythons for a friend and want to make them as comfortable as possible.

first: they are in a 40gal breeder
2 logs and plant
2hides one on each side
heat pads and a white bulb on the hot side
woodchip bedding
and a very large water bowl they seem to love

the larger of the 2 hasnt eaten in over a month i know this is common but could it be related to a lack of humidity? i am going to seran wrap 2/3s of the cage to try to raise it. i was also wondering if the humidity could be affecting their eyes. they look like they never lost their eyecaps from their last shed which i did not witness. is it humidity or something else? the smaller of the 2 seems to have a problem with a belly scale,it is raised up alittle bit however is not sensitive to the touch. is this a problem? any info is very much apreciated.

[daniel1983]

If you have two ball pythons in a single 40 gallon breeder.....I would have to say that is the main issue. One snake per enclosure for optimum health.

What are your temperatures and humidity?

[MRCSME123]

temp is good on both sides 90 warm and 78-85 cool side i know the humidity is low but im waiting for the owner to bring the gage over

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Well not eating can be related to different things such as breeding, husbandry, illness, stress, overfeeding.

In our case stress is very likely due to multiple housing, BP are solitary animals and they should be separated 1 snake = 1 enclosure (I know you are pet-sitting but you need to explain that to the owner)

2 Ball Pythons housed together can create problems such as stress, going of feed, spreading of diseases, parasites, mites, premature breeding, you are also at risk for serious injuries and even death.

As for loving their water bowl if by that you mean they soak a lot then there is likely an issue their to, whether it is mites or something else, BP that are healthy, mite free, have proper husbandry and are not overfed rarely soak.

As for the rest your temps need to be measured with a digital thermometer/hydrometer for an accurate reading, temps should be 80-84on the cool side and 90-94 on the warm side, 50%-60% humidity, 2 tight identical hides so the BP can snug in, all sides touching his body (Tight and identical so he does not chose security over thermo-regulation)

The enclosure for each snake should not be too big for glass tank it should be 2/3 of the length of the snake, and for plastic tubs

Baby – 15 Quarts (17"L x 11 1/8"W x 6 3/8"H)

Sub Adult – 32 Quarts (23 1/2"L x 16 1/4"W x 6 3/8"H)

Adult – 41 Quarts (34 3/4"L x 16 1/2"W x 6"H)

Finally as for feeding best results are achieved by feeding a prey smaller then the girth size and nothing bigger then a small rat or 2 to 3 mice depending on their size for an adult.

i am snake sitting two pythons for a friend and want to make them as comfortable as possible.

first: they are in a 40gal breeder
2 logs and plant
2hides one on each side
heat pads and a white bulb on the hot side
woodchip bedding
and a very large water bowl they seem to love

the larger of the 2 hasnt eaten in over a month i know this is common but could it be related to a lack of humidity? i am going to seran wrap 2/3s of the cage to try to raise it. i was also wondering if the humidity could be affecting their eyes. they look like they never lost their eyecaps from their last shed which i did not witness. is it humidity or something else? the smaller of the 2 seems to have a problem with a belly scale,it is raised up alittle bit however is not sensitive to the touch. is this a problem? any info is very much apreciated.

[MRCSME123]

thank you for the info i apreciate all of this it will help when ibuy mine but for now i will tell my friend tofix the minor problems he did give me a 30 gal breeder for feeding the big snake it is probably sufficient for the smaller let me know if that is not big enough i am also looking for a possible answer to the raised scale on the smaller snake if not due to cohabitation

[Stewart_Reptiles]

thank you for the info i apreciate all of this it will help when ibuy mine but for now i will tell my friend tofix the minor problems he did give me a 30 gal breeder for feeding the big snake it is probably sufficient for the smaller let me know if that is not big enough i am also looking for a possible answer to the raised scale on the smaller snake if not due to cohabitation

30 gallons is way sufficient for an adult however smaller BP will do better in a smaller space (see the sizes I mentioned above).

It is hard to diagnose anything online and not seeing what you are talking about is even harder.

If you have a good picture of the problem try to post it so you might get some input.

If your friend is really concerned by it he needs to take his BP to an herp vet.