Does my BP have IBD or the Spider Gene?? Please help!

[zina10]

Yup this is my first snake and she's my only snake. )): It really sucks that she has this condition.

It does. It sucks a lot

Kudos to you for seeking help, finding this forum and trying to find out what to do.

I have to tell you though, as a beginner, this is not something you should be taking on. A snake, particularly a Ball Python, can be a bit challenging at first. Not terribly so IF you meet their few, but very important needs. If you get those few basics right, ask for help, listen to it, then it can be a very rewarding experience.

But starting out with such a severely damaged snake, its not going to work Either it has gotten over heated or its been exposed to some chemicals like bug killer, mite spray, some construction or home improvement products that may have toxic fumes.

It may also have a birth defect or yes, a disease. Did it do this at the store? Did it do this right away at your house or is this something that happened after a bit?

Your best bet is to return it to the store, completely clean AND sanitize your enclosure, throw out everything that cannot be bleached and rinsed. Before you bring home a replacement check with us how to set this one up, to make sure you meed those basic needs. It will make the experience so much easier and more pleasant with you.

This is a severe defect, I don't think there is much you can do. Even a experienced keeper wouldn't be able to do much other then set it up in a small dark tub with ideal heat/humidity and as much privacy as possible. Plus the strictest of quarantine.

[Armiyana]

Petsmart employee here:
You have a 14-day policy for the return. Please bring her back to the Petsmart immediately if it is within the 14 days.
They will give you the refund for your purchase. Some stores will let you leave info to repurchase after the animal has been treated, but honestly, a condition like this is not very likely to improve. She will most likely be this way the entirety of her life.
Even with a very lucky diagnosis of meningitis, she may improve a bit, but might never be 'normal'.
I'm not sure this is a condition the little one was born with, meningitis, IBD, or an extreme temperature exposure... but even the lower half of this little one is twisted up because of the neurological issue.

Please return any porous items with her. Bedding that may have been contaminated, any rocky bowls or dishes or wooden hides. Anything else like the tank itself can be sterilized with bleach.

If they deny the return of any of the merchandise, contact the corporate office.

If you do decide on purchasing a different ball python through petsmart, ask them to check local stores for one, do not purchase from the same store. They may all be getting them from the same breeder, but they will hopefully not have been directly exposed to this one as each store will receive different shipments.


If it's after the 14 days, I really can't tell you any better advice then asking them to recommend an exotic vet in the area for you to take her to. You can attempt to talk with the manager or corporate, but past that 14 days, it's mostly out of their hands.

[Crowfingers]

Unfortunately that snake is severely under weight and obviously very ill - whether from a neurological defect, toxin, overheating, or other reason. If it's been holding that position for a while it could be nearing death, I have seen snakes in particular twist abnormally when they get close to the end. I don't want to scare you or make you feel like this is at all your fault - because it's not, this issue is the stores and the fact that they refuse to take responsibility for the health of the animals.

If it survives you can try and return it - but in all honesty if it is that bad off, they won't do much to fix her if they even can. Heat stroke will make this permanent, so will toxins, and if it can't eat it won't survive anyway. If the poor thing gets worse you may have to consider humane euthanasia.

[Bogertophis]

I'm also thinking that DPlant should have some definite information about what's wrong with the snake before getting another snake from any source, IF a
contagious disease is suspected or likely to be the cause; an abundance of caution should help preclude a repeat of this unfortunate situation with a new
healthy snake. I so hope it is well-within the 14 day return period, but I'd sure want to know the "rest of the story" for this one no matter what.

[Armiyana]

If it survives you can try and return it - but in all honesty if it is that bad off, they won't do much to fix her if they even can. Heat stroke will make this permanent, so will toxins, and if it can't eat it won't survive anyway. If the poor thing gets worse you may have to consider humane euthanasia.

Petsmart will do the return, regardless of if it passes or not in the 14 days.
Sadly yes, they best Petsmart can do and what they are required to do is take it to the vet. I've had a few amazing vets at my store that will do what they can, but sadly this is pretty extreme so euthanasia is the most probably outcome. I think the most frustrating aspect I've had is vets telling us they can't see a critical pet immediately =_=;

[DPlant]

Thank you for your reply. The snake did not act like this until I brought it home. I'm quite sure that I did not overheat it, as the snake couldn't have gotten into direct contact with hot glass, as I have a layer of aspen that the snake has not burrowed under. In addition, I have the heat mat on a timer so that it will not overheat the snake.

[DPlant]

Petsmart employee here:
You have a 14-day policy for the return. Please bring her back to the Petsmart immediately if it is within the 14 days.
They will give you the refund for your purchase. Some stores will let you leave info to repurchase after the animal has been treated, but honestly, a condition like this is not very likely to improve. She will most likely be this way the entirety of her life.
Even with a very lucky diagnosis of meningitis, she may improve a bit, but might never be 'normal'.
I'm not sure this is a condition the little one was born with, meningitis, IBD, or an extreme temperature exposure... but even the lower half of this little one is twisted up because of the neurological issue.

Please return any porous items with her. Bedding that may have been contaminated, any rocky bowls or dishes or wooden hides. Anything else like the tank itself can be sterilized with bleach.

If they deny the return of any of the merchandise, contact the corporate office.

If you do decide on purchasing a different ball python through petsmart, ask them to check local stores for one, do not purchase from the same store. They may all be getting them from the same breeder, but they will hopefully not have been directly exposed to this one as each store will receive different shipments.


If it's after the 14 days, I really can't tell you any better advice then asking them to recommend an exotic vet in the area for you to take her to. You can attempt to talk with the manager or corporate, but past that 14 days, it's mostly out of their hands.

Thank you so much for your reply. I plan on bringing the snake back the PetSmart before the 14 day return policy. I will make sure to sterilize all my equipment and report the snake's condition to the employees.

[WhompingWillow]

Thank you for your reply. The snake did not act like this until I brought it home. I'm quite sure that I did not overheat it, as the snake couldn't have gotten into direct contact with hot glass, as I have a layer of aspen that the snake has not burrowed under. In addition, I have the heat mat on a timer so that it will not overheat the snake.

Do you have a thermostat and how are you measuring temps?

[bcr229]

Do you have a thermostat and how are you measuring temps?

I'm going to repeat this because it is extremely important.

[Cheesenugget]

I would 1. Return the snake. 2. Research or start a new thread and list your temps, etc plus was your heat mat on a thermostat? 3. Buy from a reputable breeder. I purchased my woma from Dynasty Reptiles and I really like my transaction with Chung.