New BP Concerns...

[Martian]

Hello all! I purchased my first BP from a guy off of craigslist, and I have
some concerns as to its condition. I am totally new to snakes so please forgive
my ignorance. From what I was told he has had the snake since January of this
year. Other then that I have no indication of age. He told me when I bought it that
the snake was in mid shed. However from what I've read I believe the snake is stuck
in its shed due to the fact that I have found random skin patches
all over the cage. The snake is housed in a 29g aquarium with a screen top. I have
covered half of the screen top with a towel, and created a hide out of Tupperware with
a damp wash cloth in it. The snake also has an additional hide and a large water bowl.
I have to get a guage to measure humidity but the temp on the warm side is 90 and on
the cool side it is about 78. The cage is heated by a 75w bulb and an uth. The guy was only
Feeding it 1 pinky mouse per week. I'm unsure if that was the appropriate amount or not
But last night I picked up some f/t fuzzy mice from petsmart and it readily accepted one
and gobbled it down. Should I offer another today? I've noticed quite a few wrinkles along
the body and I'm unsure as to whether it is dehydrated or the wrinkles are caused from a stuck
Shed. I've held him/her several times and it is very docile and hasn't struck at all. I'm just wanting to make sure that I provide the optimal conditions for it to thrive. If someone could shed some light on my situation or offer some advice I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

First thing first let's address the shed, get an old towel and pillow case, get the towel damped with warm water place it in the pillow case and let the snake slither through the towel in the pillow case for 30 min, once done take him out and remove any left over shed by rubbing him gently with the towel, given the extent it might take a few session.

Second thing is feeding, both pinkies and fuzzies are inadequate in size, hatchling BP which he is not are started right out of the egg on hopper mice and quickly move to adult mice, since I can't tell the size (weight) based on a picture here is what you need to do, offer a prey that is equal the girth size (largest part of your BP's body) once a week or once every 5 days.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

[AKA Dave]

That is an unhappy looking guy there. I think that you are on the right track for recovery though. Here are a couple of things that I can pick out in from the picture. He's definitely in shed, and a bad one at that. In the lower right of the pic I think there is a small area that is new skin. There are a couple of things that can help. Humidity is the big one and you are trying to address that. Use moss instead of wash cloths though. The cloths get messy fast IMO and can hold onto the water. How long has he looked like that? If it's been a bit, there's a sticky on how to help him out. It's titled "stuck shed, no problem" or something like that. He seems a bit thin too. The triangle shape of the body is the giveaway there. General rule is a prey item about the width of the snake's mid section. The numbers 10-15% of body weight get tossed around too. Have any idea how much he weighs? You're right that a pinky is not nearly enough. I bet he'd take a small adult mouse or small crawler rat. I'd offer it tomorrow, but that's just me. Others might have a different or even better opinion. Grab a digital gage for temp and humidity and you'll be good there. A nice cluttered cage with places to hide and he should recover nicely. Just my two cents. Good luck.

Dave

[Martian]

Thank you! I will try the pillowcase method once the snake has digested the fuzzy. Should I at this point offer another fuzzy today since 1 is insufficient? I will get something bigger for next weekend. P.s. sorry for the poor txt formatting Im using my cell phone.

[Martian]

I posted my last reply before I saw yours. I just bought him 2 days ago so I am unsure as to how long he has been like that. Maybe I'll try another fuzzy tomorrow and a crawler next week. No clue what his weight may be but he certainly looks skinny to me. I'm hoping he makes a quick recovery!

[Snake Judy]

I'd probably stick to feeding every 5 days or so. Feeding too frequently comes with its own problems. Just work your way up to a proper prey size and feeding schedule and stick with it.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Thank you! I will try the pillowcase method once the snake has digested the fuzzy. Should I at this point offer another fuzzy today since 1 is insufficient? I will get something bigger for next weekend. P.s. sorry for the poor txt formatting Im using my cell phone.

Right now I would concentrate on the shed and making him comfortable, than leaving it alone for a few days and than I would offer an appropriate size prey.

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[Martian]

Good to know will go that route if feeding another will lead to more issues

[Martian]

Has anyone tried Zoo Med Repti Shedding Aid? I read some reviews on it and a lot of people claimed it works better then water. I couldn't find the ingredients just wondering if it's worth giving a shot.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Has anyone tried Zoo Med Repti Shedding Aid? I read some reviews on it and a lot of people claimed it works better then water. I couldn't find the ingredients just wondering if it's worth giving a shot.

It's a waste of money, for a good shed you just need proper humidity which is not only needed for a good shed but also to prevent health issues.

For stuck sheds like in this case the method I recomended will work and once the stuck shed is gone it will just be about providing proper environment.

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