Quote Originally Posted by tracy0416
Hi all:

I've never had a BP before. I have a cornsnake and she's still small, 14 inches. My BP is about 1.5 years old, 3 feet long and I just got him a week ago. When I got him, he was in blue and his skin and subdermal layers seemed to be "tight" to his body. That was only 4 days ago.

Now he's eaten a rat, shed and his skin seems looser than my corn snake. I hope this makes sense. He's not looking like a wrinkle dog or anything. His skin and dermal layers move around a farther distance than my corn's. After the shed it's like he lost weight and his skin is looser. Like he's slightly deflated. The humidity is a 65% accroding to the gauge.

It's like when you move your own skin around. It's normal but it moves around back and forth. My corn's skin and dermal layers don't move as far as my BP but he's smaler and not as full bodied. Is this an age, size, or BP thing?

Also, is a little backbone/spine prominence alright? Again, it looks normal and healthy but I'm pretty new to all this BP world and want to ensure ai do things right/smart for my pet. Before he shed, the backbone was not as visible. Now that he has shed, he looks amazing, deep rich colours, his skin is so soft (I can't believe how beautiful it is) but his backbone is more prominent. Is this normal?

Also, how can you tell, before it's too late, if your snake is drinking? My guy is spending all his time in the warm hide which is at around 82 degrees. Shouldn't he be moving to the cool hide? My corn switches between the cooler and warm hides a lot. My BP is all about the warm one.

Is it possible/okay to inject a rat with water (using a syringe) to ensure hydration? If so, how many cc's would be good?

Thanks so much!
Well first off your warm side is to low it needs to be 90ish.Next the spine should not stick up like its possible he was underfed by previous owners but unable to be sure just by your description.Once your temps are at the proper settings you should see him drinking water once he needs a drink.