just needing some info

[dibble_brandon97487]

ok sorry for the spelling,

ok here we go, my girlfriend has been wanting a snake for awhile or pretty much any new reptile sence i am the slave of 5 bearded dragons. so i took her to the local reptile store (not a chain, a small buisness) so she could pick out a snake she wanted. she picked a ball python that was kinda sickly looking and i told her not to get that one but she insisted. and it turns out she would have had to get that one out of the to because the owner hasnt gotten the other ball to eat yet. so i paid for the snake and he said that he fed him 10/10/2008 and we purchased champ on 10/12/2008. ok now you now that part let me tell you about the husbandry. 29 gallon long tank, undertank heater, aspen bedding, a BIG water bowl for humidity, a nice hide and one temp/humidity gauge and another temp gauge on the hot side. we got him home and put him in his cage and pluged in the heater and the 60w lightbulb and soon the temps to to about 98 so i unplugged the tank heater. the temp went down to about 87 and i called it good and went to bed after shutting his lights of so he could sleep. sometime that night he deficated what looked to be a half digested bloody mouse. it was the first time i ever seen snake poo so i didnt know what to expect. he was really active for the next couple days then today i got a call at work from my crying girlfriend saying she got home from school and tought chams was hurt or something. so i went home real quick to check up on him and her and she met me outside with him. he was limp and dead and my girlfreind was crying and panicing. i was just wondering what could have killed him? i called the owner of the pet store and told him the situation, he told me to bring him the snake. i took it to him and he looked it over and asked about my husbandry. i guess the undertank heater was to big and he blamed it on me even tough it wasnt even up to 98 for even 3 min. so he gave me a way smaller one and another ball python that was ablout twice the size and really healthy looking. the husbandry is the same exept a smaller undertank heater. is that ok? has anyone experianced anthing like this. i just wonna know aht could have happened to the poor little guy : ( Thanks for reading all that everyone, Brandon

[PsYcHo_99]

ok sorry for the spelling,

ok here we go, my girlfriend has been wanting a snake for awhile or pretty much any new reptile sence i am the slave of 5 bearded dragons. so i took her to the local reptile store (not a chain, a small buisness) so she could pick out a snake she wanted. she picked a ball python that was kinda sickly looking and i told her not to get that one but she insisted. and it turns out she would have had to get that one out of the to because the owner hasnt gotten the other ball to eat yet. so i paid for the snake and he said that he fed him 10/10/2008 and we purchased champ on 10/12/2008. ok now you now that part let me tell you about the husbandry. 29 gallon long tank, undertank heater, aspen bedding, a BIG water bowl for humidity, a nice hide and one temp/humidity gauge and another temp gauge on the hot side. we got him home and put him in his cage and pluged in the heater and the 60w lightbulb and soon the temps to to about 98 so i unplugged the tank heater. the temp went down to about 87 and i called it good and went to bed after shutting his lights of so he could sleep. sometime that night he deficated what looked to be a half digested bloody mouse. it was the first time i ever seen snake poo so i didnt know what to expect. he was really active for the next couple days then today i got a call at work from my crying girlfriend saying she got home from school and tought chams was hurt or something. so i went home real quick to check up on him and her and she met me outside with him. he was limp and dead and my girlfreind was crying and panicing. i was just wondering what could have killed him? i called the owner of the pet store and told him the situation, he told me to bring him the snake. i took it to him and he looked it over and asked about my husbandry. i guess the undertank heater was to big and he blamed it on me even tough it wasnt even up to 98 for even 3 min. so he gave me a way smaller one and another ball python that was ablout twice the size and really healthy looking. the husbandry is the same exept a smaller undertank heater. is that ok? has anyone experianced anthing like this. i just wonna know aht could have happened to the poor little guy : ( Thanks for reading all that everyone, Brandon

the mouse was probably a regurge.. the snake basically puked the mouse out.. stress can cause that from moving and being in a new inviroment and what not.. im sorry for ur loss..

get something better to check humitity and temps out of.. because thoes gauges will break easilly and they might stick to temps and humidity levels that arent true.. and its bad enough that they might be off by 5-10 % or degree's.. get something digital.. with a probe or a temp gun to get more accurate readings.. and a hydrometer for the humidity! make sure its between 50 and 60 %

good luck!

[dr del]

Hi,

That does sound like a regurge - Bp Poop looks like cat poop mostly. Urates look like white or yellow popcorn (well it does to me ) and are part of the pee - there is also a liquid component of course.

A reliable thermometer is probably going to be your best investment in keeping your new little guy happy and healthy - the one most often recomended is the acu-rite digital weather station from walmart at around $12 - the base unit reads temps and humidity and the probe reads temp.

The advantages of these are that the probe can be placed right inside the hides to measure the temps the snake is actually encountering.

Have a look at our caresheet and see what questions it raises and we will try and help get you set.

And to the site.


dr del

[Mindibun]

This is also another issue entirely, but I would look at your tank and make sure that it is packed full with stuff. When a snake first comes home, it is scared and very, very afraid. They want to hide, and unless you provide t hat cover for them, they can't. They should have several hides available to them all throughout the tank (two at least). Try to cover three sides of the tank with some kind of paper or backing, and you might want to invest in some plastic plants (You can get them very cheaply at wal mart or the dollar store.) The more stuff you put in there (even to the point of it being obnoxiously full) the happier he'll be because he feels like he's safe.

It is also very important not to handle the snake with two days of feeding (this can cause a regurge) and it is ESPECIALLY important to leave them alone for about two weeks when they first arrive. If you are handling him, that adds to the stress factor exponentially. Let them first get used to a new environment. Then they can get used to a big scary monster trying to grab at them. See what I mean? It's all very overwhelming to them.

When I get my snakes, the first few months I generally don't handle them. That time is reserved as quiet time for them, and the only reason I would handle them is to clean the cage. It really helps them get used to my presence and to understand that I am not a threat; I'm merely the clean up crew.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck with this second snake. I would hate for your girlfriend or you to have to go through that heartbreak again. Just remember that we are here to help you, and although some members may sometimes come off as rude or snooty, we have your snake's and your own best interests in mind. And I'm willing to bet money that the members here know a considerable bit more than that shopkeeper.

[dibble_brandon97487]

hello again, thatnk all for your help! i just wanted to tell you that BOTH of my temp/humidity gauges ARE digital. one a proble one not. do you guys have any idea what he coulda died from? i was just wondering. the new one looks SO much more healthy and rounded and i even got a feeding demo!

and do reguges look like half poo sometimes?

[JayBP]

You said he already looked sick and then with the added stress of being moved to a new place( and such a big one) could be what caused the regurge and also what caused his death. 29 or 30 gallon tanks are too big for babies. If you offer enough cover as Mindibun suggested, then it would help.

You should definitely be able to tell the difference between poop and regurge. Regurge looks like an undigested mouse/rat and they smell pretty bad(worse than poop).

[snakecharmer3638]

i would also invest in a T-stat or dimmer to control your heating pad.

[dibble_brandon97487]

ok so i have a probe right on the glass on top of the undertank heater. it was 96 so trough the aspen it shoulda been perfect and his humiidity is at 65%. do i leave the heat pad 24/7 or turn it of when i turn the lights out? and help would be awesome

[blackcrystal22]

hello again, thatnk all for your help! i just wanted to tell you that BOTH of my temp/humidity gauges ARE digital. one a proble one not. do you guys have any idea what he coulda died from? i was just wondering. the new one looks SO much more healthy and rounded and i even got a feeding demo!

and do reguges look like half poo sometimes?

Regurges are half digested so yes, they can look a bit like feces. You can't really tell what the snake died from, unless you get an autopsy. It could have been parasitic problems or a whole lot more. I hope you washed out the enclosure well before introducing the new one, or the new one could get something transferred from the old one.

First of all, I don't think with your experience you want to deal with the difficulties of a 30 gallon enclosure. I suggest getting a 15 or 20 gallon long instead.

Big water bowls are a waste of space. Replace it with one big enough to drink from. A small dog bowl or ceramic cooking bowl (2in diameter) work perfectly and are easy to clean and replace. Ball pythons do not need to soak, it isn't required.

Couple of other tidbits that I want to point out from the caresheet for you. What do you intend on feeding him? When you choose food items, make sure they are about the same thickness as the thickest point on the snakes body. Give or take a little more or less.

Aspen is a good bedding choice. Make sure to stay away from things like pine, cedar, or sand. You could always use newspaper or paper towels too.

Heres the big part.

You need to make a proper temperature gradient.
To do this, have the UTH (undertank heater) hooked up to a thermostat or a rheostat for controlling the temperatures, and put this under the warm side.
You can use the lamp as a little bit of extra heat for the ambient temperature but NOT as a main heat source! Put it in the middle-warm side depending on where the temperature is needed. The warm side should range between 90-95F.
The cool side should have a water bowl and be about 80-85F which should also be the ambient (air temperature).

Do you have two hides available?
For a new ball python, they will be stressed and afraid. Offering two hides for comfort is very important important for security. They need to be small tight hides that fit around their body with no space between them and the hide. Log hides are not recommended as they are very open and do not provide very much security. One hide should be on the warm side, and one on the cool side.

To help humidity, cover up the screen top with foil, leaving a hole for the lamp and such, and making sure no tape comes in contact with the inside of the enclosure.

Good luck!

[snakecharmer3638]

A thermostat or a dimmer would control your heat pad.