My rescue BPs and shed issues

[Missy King]

Hello! New here, obviously! SO, i'll tell you the story of "Bitey" and "Ribs" and then get your opinion, because i'm an overprotective mommy.

The tale is, we saw they had two ball pythons at the pound. So, i went and got them. The photos of them were at least two weeks old, and in the photos the one we soon named "Ribs" was already having a bad shed.
When I got there, they both looked terrible. They were in a cage together with no water, both shedding.

I got them home and got moisture around them ASAP. Both were suffering from dehydration, and in Ribs case, extremely so, along with starvation. We started out with small food...right away, actually. Bitey was ravenous, but as the name suggests, not too friendly. He ate though.
Ribs was another story. At 4 feet long she weight under two pounds. I actually didn't even weigh either one of them or measure them when I got them. It was more important to get them healthy. Ribs was so weak, she couldn't eat. We realized too, that she was recovering from an esophagus tear. We managed to stick a rat tail, and a tiny fuzzy mouse in her mouth, and she just tried to swallow each...and took more than an hour for each, pausing, and lying there resting and looking dead. We let her rest the first night, and had them both in separate moist conditions.

It took some time, but Ribs finally got some energy back, and started acting like a real snake! Bite recovered much more quickly. At this point they've both ate, and drank many times. It did take two weeks however, for them both to get rid of the shed that they were already in when i got them.

Yesterday, only a week or so after finally finishing the first shed, I've noticed that Ribs is in shed again. Not really a big deal, but this time it's each individual scale flaking off. I was worried, and looked up scale rot, and all kinds of things. She doesn't seem to have it.

Conclusion is that she's just going to go through a shed again, and it's doing this because her body is still recovering from all the trauma.
I've noticed this evening that Bitey seems to have a few flakes on him as well, though his skin looks good and full of color.

Ribs skin is dull, wrinkled, and like i said, flaking. I suspect both snakes still have retained eye caps.
Ribs worries me just due to her lack of caring if she's shedding or not. She has done zero rubbing, or even moving around since I got her. The only reason her last shed came off at all was because I was helping her. Her energy level seems good, and she's alert now. She's soooo much better. Her eyes still seem a little blue/dull, and I wonder if one has damage. She actually only has one nostril! It's not shed that's plugging it...it's actually just totally smooth and covered by skin.

ANYway just wondering if anyway has had any experience with a healing-from-almost-dying snakes!
Bitey has been looking around, drinking, and being cute.
Ribs has been sitting on the UTH. She notices me, and reacts if i open the tank, but doesn't seem to care otherwise. *lol* I mean i know she's been through a lot...i just feel bad that it seems even though she's doing better she's having another bad/weird shed. It's not even coming off in peices...it's just one flake/scale at a time.
I put her in a pillow case today with a damp towel, and she got all roughed up so now flakes are everywhere. Which, is good, i guess, it needs to come off.

Do you think it's like, built up sheds? Is that possible? Or is it just reaction to all the trauma?

Any advice? Thank you!

[heathers*bps]

Could you take a picture of Ribs eyes and face for us? Pics definitely help in situations like this.

Also, what are you temps humidity at?

[Missy King]

Hey! I was going to write a blog, but Maybe i'll just post what's been going on here. Since this last post, they have both had a third Consecutive shed! Unreal. Bitey is doing abslutely wonderful for all the things he's been through. We've actually thought of calling him "scout" because he's curious, and cute. Always drinking...loves fresh water, which he gets daily. That snake will stare at me until i get him fresh water, and then he goes right over and drinks...I loooove it!! lol

Okay, so Ribs...is doing marvelous! Much more energy, much tighter skin...on both snakes their ribs can still be felt...but they are both thickening out. Ribs himself finally has no spine showing, an actually looks like a SNAKE again, instead of some horrible roadkill!
I actually thought he was a pastel, he was so pale...but he's been darkening up!

A few weeks ago, I was feeling around on his belly. I had maybe suspected that he could be a she...and had a stuck slug. I felt a "ball" or moving "knot" near the belly...but more towards the vent. I kind of forgot about it in the ruckus of trying to get him to eat, and drink, and shed, but the other day i felt around again...and decided to move the "rock" out, since it was pliable. Turns out a huge clump of urates and orange kidney goo had hardened and was plugging him up a bit. Just came flying out. I felt sooo bad.
He was generally upset, but i noticed the next day...he was moving around, and lifted his head to see me when i came in! He had peed before this, and passed urates, but now it was really flowing. LoL
The past week has seen the largest Poo i have EVER seen from a snake...as big or bigger than the poo of my basset hound! I'm so proud of him! LMAO!!! But really!!!

He had still been eating slowly, as he had to build up his muscles. We fed a small gunea pig once, but i have been worried about the orange gel that comes out at the end of the urates so i moved back to rats, and injected them with water. I now have a good pooping, Healthy peeing (and lots of it) snake!
I expect another shed soon, actually, as his color has darkened again. Gah, i feel so bad for them. But, they are both hydrated now, and both of their kidney's seem to actually have recovered...Bitey especially...and finally now Ribs also. There was a whole pee yesterday with no orange! And that was after a LOT of water filled rat! so..yay!

I haven't seen any sign of worms, or RI, scale rot, etc. Just the basic malnutrition etc issues. Which, honestly, i'm glad it was only that for more than the snake's wellbeing. I keep reading and looking things up and I totally jumped into rescue not knowing how really unprepared for issues i was. Heck it's only been since late October this year..just a couple months!

So anyway. I had a paper that i wrote weights and lengths of the snakes on. Saphie (Sapphire) our juvenile girl normal ball, only one we bought, who was our starter, is about a year, year and a half years old. She's about a pound, and 32inches.
Jasper, our 10 year old adopted ball normal is 53inches long, and about 5lbs or so. He looks healthy, and not overweight or fat. (he wouldn't hold still, and has lost a little weight since we got him...he was FAT before...and they said they force fed him. He's been eating fine for US!)

Last I checked. Bitey was 3 feet and 700grams.

Ribs, was 2.2lbs, and four feet...48 inches.

Like I said, they've been doing really well though. I might weigh them again soon in a couple days to see the progress. I kinda wish I had weighed them in the beginning, but again, I wasn't even concerned with that as much as I was just checking them multiple times a day and trying to get them fed, watered, shed, and comfortable.

So, anyway, so far....it's made me *so* happy to help them. Gosh I figured even if Ribs or even Bitey didn't make at...at least coming here to my house they got their sheds off, and got something to eat. I wasn't too sure about Ribs for a while there...and any more time in the pound i'm positive he wouldn't have lasted. We had debated waiting until we got back from vacation to get them...he wouldn't have made it that long.
I kinda feel like having a good cry for them, and for their progress, but I'm also just really rewarded that I could have helped them at all...and to have them seeming to do so well! Any time they have left, I'm glad it's with me, and i'm glad i could make them comfortable. I do think they'll both last many more years though.

I also feel very greatful they were able to teach me about rescue in, frankly, probably the easiest way. No sicknesses...I've learned I got lucky.

I'll post some more progress here later. Right now Bitey is in a 20 gallon long tank (i'm going to try to go to a reptile show that's here in January and get some upgraded tanks) that he roams around occasionally, and I managed to get a good deal on a 40 gallon long, that i repaired, for Ribs. He's FINALLY been seen moving about in it. (He had been in the 20 and Bite in a 10...I know i know, but I had to wait a couple weeks to upgrade!!!)

Ribs just wants to sit on the UTH under a hide all day and night and metabolize...which is great, really. I'm glad to see him move around though. Finally getting that muscle back.

Anyway...I am kinda repeating myself now, but hey, it's my bloggy post and it's late! I've had way too much chocolate and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

[Missy King]

Photos!

Ribs a week or so ago. In one pic you can see a scar on the tail, the spurs are actually broken off as well, and as I put in a post earlier, one of the nostrils is completely closed over with scar tissue. He kind of drools when he gets upset, because he starts huffing, sometimes (no not an RI, just really nasty snake drool *lol*)

A vet said the nostril could be re-punctured....we'll see. He only seems to have an issue when he wants to huff and puff and be upset....which he hasn't had a reason to do, lately, since the last shed came off easily.





Eating!



I don't know if you can notice the emaciation and lose skin near the tail right way...but yeah

Here is one of Bitey...i can't find the others right now. He has been a good eater though, and not as small looking as he felt.

[Missy King]

Jasper's story is supposedly that he was living in a classroom. He's supposedly been bred before, and was supposedly a good eater....but then the lady we got him from said that SHE got him from a boy who worked in her store, and he was super skinny...so she force fed him. And he was OBESE. Terrified of us feeding him until one day he just woke up and wanted to eat! It was very exciting for us. He just....decided we were okay (he had lost a bunch of weight by then...and actually still looked really normal and large) and started crawling around his tank...and then FOLLOWED me to the corner of it (where i sit on the floor sometimes and mess with snake supplies) and stared at me. Watched every move, and lifted his head up and down and followed me. It was clearly snake begging. We got a rat out...and he struck and ate instantly. i was so happy i jumped up and down clappled like a dork!

Anyway, he's been out of his hides every since, and cruises around happily now, at night. He's way less stressed, and doesn't seem to mind us too much now. It's happy

Here are some of his scars though

I managed to get the impression that when he lived in the classroom, he was fed live food...possibly a rabbit....unattended...which is where this huge scar came from.





He has tons more little scars, and scar tissue knots on his body. One behind his head. He's a great looking nice snake though. I can't find the one of him in his water dish...i'll post that later...





Anyway, I have a rescued rose hair tarantula, corn snake, and cockatiel also They were easy & healthy though *lol*

[electronfox]

I'm so glad to see everyone is coming along well. Poor Ribs has had such a hard time, and that scar of Jasper's... It warms my heart to see people like you taking care of them, though. This thread made my Christmas that much better. Thank you.

[Missy King]

electronfox, love the avatar! lol bps and mario!

it's really fun to take care of the snakes. I have to admit though, i'm so addicted i can't say i'm all good and i won't be buying more as well as adopting...muwhaha!