yet another feeding ?

[illinois ball owner]

my bp hasent eatin sense i bought it over a month ago...doesnt seem to b to active either..but i work 3rd shifht so dont see it much at nite..he (or she not sure yet) was on live mice when i got it..should i leave the mouse in the enclosure with my snake or remove it?..its been in there over a week..also have heard some sneezing like noise from the enclosure...is that possible?

[Shelby]

You left a live mouse with your snake for a week? That's a very bad idea. You're going to stress your snake big time, plus that the mouse is going to get hungry and may start chewing on your snake.. not to mention all the waste it's leaving in your snake's enclosure.

If the 'sneezing' is from your snake, it's very possible it has a respiratory infection. Get that mouse out of there asap, and if you think it could be a respiratory infection, take the snake to the vet.

Make sure your temperatures and humidity are correct.

[SnakeySnakeSnake]

I know that my rats sneeze like mofos... a lot of rats have that little bug that makes them sneeze a lot, I guess mice might be the same?

Rule #1, never leave your snake unattended with live prey...

Mice and rats are far from helpless, they can injure/scar/kill your snake. If your snake isnt hungry, he probably wouldnt do much more than curl up into a "ball" and let the mouse chew on him



To address your other concerns

Ball Python Not active-- No they arent very active, especially when they aren't eating, they conserve energy this way

Ball Python Hasn't Eaten-- Ball pythons can go for months and months without eating, 1 month isnt something to worry about. How old/large is your Ball python? Where did you buy him from? Its possible he was fasting before you bought him and thats why he still is on his fast.... or that the change in environment has put him off his feed for a bit. How long he can last without food all depends on age/size/etc

[illinois ball owner]

ok mouse is out now...i do believe he was on a fast when i bought him...the shop owner who ive purchased from before said he was in a hibernation mode?..fasting i presume...his nose is lookin a little scalely like he might be gettin ready to shed..am i correct in thinking that might also be a reason...im pretty sure my temp and humidity are ok

[Shelby]

Looking scaley? When they're about to shed, they turn dull in color, and their eyes look blue and opaque. They often don't eat while shedding, but this process only takes a week normally.

You say you're 'pretty sure' your temps and humidity are correct.. how do you know? Do you have a digital thermometer/hygrometer in your snake's enclosure? If you don't, you can pick one up inexpensively at target or walmart.. a good brand is Accu-rite. It's an indoor/outdoor thermometer/hygrometer.

Remember.. temps on warm side should be 90-92, and cool side 80-82.. humidity 50-60%.

[tigerlily]

Being pretty sure about your temps and humidity isn't the best. You want to be positive. (with a digital thermometer) If your temps are right on then your snake should not be hibernating. Hibernation is a response to cooler temps.

All of my snakes are out and about, a lot. They are very active, except while in shed, which lasts about a week. Even then my babies, still eat. (the little piggies) It sounds like your husbandry could use a bit of tweaking. Definitely get that mouse out. Give two identical hides, one on the hot side and one on the cool. Make sure your temps are up. 92 hot side and 82 cool side. Nothing below 80 degrees, ever. Don't use a night drop. Keep you temps stable and then offer that mouse in a week. (Feed and care for the booger until then ) Pop him in on the opposite side of the enclosure, and then watch. If you see no interest in 15 minutes or so, take the mouse back out.

That would be my suggestion.

[frankykeno]

Here is our forum caresheet on Ball Pythons for your reading pleasure.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

Please also use the search feature under Ball Pythons Husbandry (search for "live feeding" topics). If you are going to choose to feed live you need to do so responsibly so your snake benefits from it with as little risk as possible. Leaving any live prey in for a week is very risky.

Sneezing...snakes can't sneeze....they can bubble, wheeze, click, etc....all of this indicates an medical condition in the snake you cannot treat at home. See a vet ASAP.

Sneezing....rats or mice....healthy rats and mice do NOT sneeze continuously. Sneezing of that degree indicates a reaction to their bedding or other illness that needs to be addressed immediately. To keep any animal, even a feeder rat or mouse in improper conditions that result in it being continuously ill or in discomfort is inhumane. If your rats are continuously sneezing SnakeySnakeSnake you need to address it as much as you would any other animal in your care in my opinion.


~~Jo~~

[SnakeySnakeSnake]

He has sneezed since we got him. Esmy doesnt really sneeze but once in a while.

Templeton doesnt seem to sneeze unless is he sniffing about furiously. Well, it is either sneezing or him cleaing out his nose (I know beagles back when i was growing up would sniff around and then exhaust through their noses to clear it out, and start sniffing again).

This is what templeton appears to do... My wife and I also did a LOT of research online about this, and found that most rats from pet shops have some form of this "illness" but it really isnt an issue for most of their lives until it gets very bad... I will try to find a link.

As far as what I am supposed to do? He sneezes more when he runs around outside of the cage while we play with him. From what I can tell there is no "cure" for this, and he really doesnt look to be sick or suffering or even "ill".

If you have more information on this that I dont I would definitely appreciate it thanks

[frankykeno]

Most pet store rats are kept overly crowded, stressed from fighting for food and space and sharing every germ they have amongst themselves...hence they will often sneeze, have crappy coats, the runs, and excessive red discharge (porphyrin) from the eyes and nose, etc. Those issues can be addressed with better husbandry, less crowding and good eats.

Many rats are born with mycoplasmosis - I think that's what you are referring to. I do not have a vet license LOL nor do I have any rats with active myco in my colony, so what I know of this is only what I've read but here is a link I have that I thought explained it quite well. It is an older article but was one of the more clear, concise ones I found when I was doing research.

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/myco.htm

Basically from what I gather this is a latent disease that will flare up under certain conditions that can be somewhat controlled.

To try and avoid the whole issue I am careful to only buy rats from the pet store that in decent shape (I spend quite some time checking them out first) and only buy from good pet stores. I'm now working on the future so I will end up only using my own stock as much as possible w/o inbreeding too much (2nd generations breeders are in the tubs growing up now). I don't breed from any rat that exhibits symptoms of active myco outbreak and would euthanize and discard it (not feed it off). Again, that's just my way of managing my colony, not the only or best way...just my way.


~~Jo~~

[SnakeySnakeSnake]

Well, I was new to rats, and when I looked through the male rats Templeton seemed healthy, looked great, had a nice coat bright eyes, etc. Never saw him sneeze at the store but :-/ apparently he has that sickness

Also Esmerelda (the female albino) apparently has a porphyrin issue because my wife noticed that once last week in the morning she had some red stuff around her eyes...


Does this mean I should put them out of their misery and not use them to breed? They seem happy and energetic, but im sure i have no way to tell for sure. We are already attached to them as our first rats, but I dont want to keep them selfishly if we should just put them down...

Snakey isnt big enough to eat them so im not sure what we should do.