Mom won't let me take snake to vet after saying she would

[Sharon&Sherman]

He's a black pastel, I might ask my mom if I can do a few odd jobs but there's a chance she won't let me because she doesn't trust people.

[FollowTheSun]

I will watch Sherman more and if he starts showing other signs I will try to talk to my mom but if she still won't take me I will find someone else to. If something is wrong with him, he shouldn't have to suffer and die because my mom is being stubborn. I think his life matters more than listening to my mom. She has tried to get me to let him eat some wild caught mouse or even dead wild mouse she finds or catches. I told her why he can't but she will not listen. She doesn't want to listen so I kinda doubt talking to her about it will work but I can try.

Sounds like a plan to just watch and wait for now. If he's eating and otherwise acting normal, he's probably not suffering. You sound a lot like my daughter who is 14 and really loves her animals. She gets very passionate about them and would do anything to make sure they are happy.

My daughter also has some anxiety issues, and sometimes she fears the worst instead of taking a breath and sitting back and trying to see things from a bigger perspective. She gets this way the most with things she cares about, such as her pets. If her snake doesn't eat on schedule, or her chameleon is not eating as many bugs that day, she gets very very worried. I counsel her to watch and wait. In both cases the animals showed signs of shedding within a couple of days and all was okay.

Her chicken had a weird wheezing noise for a week and I counseled her to watch and wait because it otherwise seemed fine. Turns out the chicken was growing up and its voice was changing from chick noises to adult noises.

I wish the world had more pet owners who cared as much as you do. :-) I still advise trying to find some odd jobs to save up money for future vet bills or other needs though. Also, maybe have some good conversations and engage your mom in your interest of snakes, and show her the research you've done in a friendly manner, so she can see that giving wild mice is not the best idea. Moms get very proud of kids who take time to research and learn things on their own.

[bcr229]

Ok being a black pastel morph explains a lot.

If you look at genetic issues in ball python morphs and combos at http://www.owalreptiles.com/issues.php you will see that super black pastels and super cinnamons sometimes have a defect called a "duck bill".

In a single gene animal that carries the "duck bill" defect, I believe that the head is shaped just differently enough inside that the snake will "wheeze" or "whistle" when it breathes hard. I have a female that has done it for years, she's a proven breeder, and she's never been sick a day in her life. Normally you can't hear her breathe but if she's excited or stressed she squeaks. Also, I would never pair her to another black pastel or cinnamon because of her squeaking; I firmly believe any supers she produced would be duck billed.

In a nutshell I don't think your snake is sick, I think it just carries the "duck bill" gene. If you don't breed then it means nothing. If you do breed then don't pair it with another cinnamon or black pastel morph.

[Sharon&Sherman]

Sounds like a plan to just watch and wait for now. If he's eating and otherwise acting normal, he's probably not suffering. You sound a lot like my daughter who is 14 and really loves her animals. She gets very passionate about them and would do anything to make sure they are happy.

My daughter also has some anxiety issues, and sometimes she fears the worst instead of taking a breath and sitting back and trying to see things from a bigger perspective. She gets this way the most with things she cares about, such as her pets. If her snake doesn't eat on schedule, or her chameleon is not eating as many bugs that day, she gets worried. I counsel her to watch and wait. In both cases the animals showed signs of shedding within a couple of days and all was okay.

I wish the world had more pet owners who cared as much as you do. :-) I still advise trying to find some odd jobs to save up money for future vet bills or other needs though.

I do kind of sound like her lol... I tend to worry if I notice something odd. One time my snake got a minor burn but he didn't seem to affected by it. I rubbed aloe on it and after the next shed he was fine. I haven't gotten a thermostat yet due to not being able to find one but I am going to my first reptile show this Saturday and I hope to find one there. Since I don't have a thermostat right now, every day a couple times a day I've been making sure to place my hand there to see if its too hot and he's been fine.

[Sharon&Sherman]

Ok being a black pastel morph explains a lot.

If you look at genetic issues in ball python morphs and combos at http://www.owalreptiles.com/issues.php you will see that super black pastels and super cinnamons sometimes have a defect called a "duck bill".

In a single gene animal that carries the "duck bill" defect, I believe that the head is shaped just differently enough inside that the snake will "wheeze" or "whistle" when it breathes hard. I have a female that has done it for years, she's a proven breeder, and she's never been sick a day in her life. Normally you can't hear her breathe but if she's excited or stressed she squeaks. Also, I would never pair her to another black pastel or cinnamon because of her squeaking; I firmly believe any supers she produced would be duck billed.

In a nutshell I don't think your snake is sick, I think it just carries the "duck bill" gene. If you don't breed then it means nothing. If you do breed then don't pair it with another cinnamon or black pastel morph.

This makes me feel SO much better! I would love to breed Sherman in the future and I've even looked up possible babies he could make but I've never really liked how the head shape of a super black pastel looked so I never planned on doing that lol.

[tttaylorrr]

This makes me feel SO much better! I would love to breed Sherman in the future and I've even looked up possible babies he could make but I've never really liked how the head shape of a super black pastel looked so I never planned on doing that lol.

Super Cinnamons and Super B.Pastels are basically missing a specific bone in their nose that causes the aforementioned "duck-bill". my Super Cinnamon doesn't have any type of extreme duck-billing, but i would never try to breed Supers myself until i was much more experienced.

here's my Super Cinny girl:

[CALM Pythons]

Both of my ball pythons have a noise and and it’s from the shape of their nasal cavity. If there are no other symptoms like mucus and your snake is eating do not worry yourself at this point.


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[bcr229]

Since I don't have a thermostat right now, every day a couple times a day I've been making sure to place my hand there to see if its too hot and he's been fine.

Not having a thermostat is a much bigger husbandry issue than a slight wheeze in your snake. Please get one ASAP. If you don't find one at the expo, go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a $15 lamp dimmer to dial back the UTH until you can get a thermostat.

[Avsha531]

Yeah, being that your body temp is almost 100 degrees, you won't be able to tell if it's too hot just by touching it. A thermostat should be number 1 priority here. Would suggest jumpstart thermostats (about $30 on Amazon) as a decent starter for now. Also would recommend getting a temp gun (about $10 on Amazon).

Definitely follow BCRs advice and get a dimmer in the meantime, those UTHs can get WAAAAY too hot

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[CALM Pythons]

Not having a thermostat is a much bigger husbandry issue than a slight wheeze in your snake. Please get one ASAP. If you don't find one at the expo, go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a $15 lamp dimmer to dial back the UTH until you can get a thermostat.

If your snake isn’t sick it will be if you do not follow this advice. A Tstat is Basic Reptile Husbandry 101 is not a Personal Choice.


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