not sure where this will go but PLEASE HELP!!!

[Monty]

to make a long story short, i work at a petco " i know BOOOOOOOO" ok thats over with. but honestly i'm the animal person there and i'm the one taking care of all of them.

today while stocking stuff on the shelf i seen this ball python on the floor no biggie my manager said to keep it so i took it home. well she was in really bad health when she came into the store ticks mites. u name it. well i was taking care of her in the infirm. someone put her back on the sales floor, she got ut of the tank. i asked about her and they said she died. well today my friend tom came up to visit me and we seen it sitting on the floor he almost stepped on it. so we got him home inspected him got olive oil to remove ticks and mites heard it was a good way to do it got a majority of the ticks off and the mites weren't to bad. so we have the snake in qurentine from all the other animals. we put her in the tub that got rid of alot of mite but i wanted to know if there was anything else to do besides soaking.

also looks like she has scale rot i know neosporian will work. and she was real dehydrated she drank when she went swimming. i think we are gonna start her on pinkies shes 60 grams we wieghted her today.


so wish me luck and please i need some advice.

[CntrlF8]

get PAM to take care of the mites, and for god sakes keep her quarantined well away from your other animals. Also follow good hygiene practices when handling your animals to ensure that you don't pass any potential diseases or parasites...

[Gooseman]

First and foremost I would schedule a trip to the vet to have her checked for parasites via a fecal analysis. Then I would order a can of PAM (prevent-a-mite) and give her and the cage a good spray down to kill any remaining mites, as it only takes a couple to make a huge infestation before too long. After that, make sure she has a proper set-up to make her feel secure, and to keep the scale rot from getting any worse.

I would recommend using polysporin rather than neosporin, as neosporin has slight painkillers in it and isnt meant to be used on reptiles, so it can be harmful. Also, as a substrate, newspaper is excellent all around, especially if treating for scale rot as it can be changed out and cleaned alot easier than aspen etc.

[dr del]

Hi,


If she had ticks its a fairly safe bet she was captive hatched or wild caught or has been exposed to some that were - at 60g she doesn't exactly have a lot of reserves so I would say first off she should see a qualified herp vet.

If you manage to get any fecal material put it in a ziplock bag in the fridge to be tested for parasites.

Olive oil is not a good idea and I don't even like the idea of using mineral oil.

Order some provent - a - mite and read the instructions very very carefully and follow them to the letter. But check with the vet first - nothing can beat a hands on examination from a good herp vet.

I had a speech on what to do with the person that lied about it dying to cover their mistakes and the manager for having it in that condition without adequate care but this is a family friendly site so I'll skip it.

But take it to a vet as soon as you can.

Other people type faster than me it seems - and good catch on the polysporin and newspaper.


dr del

[Monty]

yea i was thinking vet but it being 1:43 in the morning now its kinda late lol. o shes way far away she in the basement where no animal goes unless its an animal getting qurantined and i have a heavy duty work sink to rinse off in before i go upstairs quick shower lil bit of soap and im ready to handle the others and i always have purell on my person at all times

tomorrow m gonna go out and get pam i have the snake on paper towels and shes gonna have to eat for me to get a fecal sample.

so pam and polysporin and a call to the vet to make an appointment.

sound about right i think.

i have complained but no one but me seems to care. and the gm dosent do anything about it. i tried going to his boss and she wouldnt listen to me

[hoo-t]

Be sure an follow the directions on the Provent-a-Mite to the letter! Do NOT spray the snake with it!

Steve

[Gooseman]

Sounds like a good plan to me! As Derek said, if she does "poo", put the fecal matter in a ziplock and then in the fridge. Not the freezer (will cause the parasites to lyse, or explode, from the expanding water as it freezes), but the fridge.

I think it sounds like time to be writing a letter of complaint to a regional office, a local humane society, or the press. Probably the best way to effect a change towards reptile care.

[Gooseman]

Be sure an follow the directions on the Provent-a-Mite to the letter! Do NOT spray the snake with it!

Steve

Crud, just re-read my post, gahhh bad info!!! Steve is right, no spraying the snake, just the enclosure.

[Monty]

when i got my first BP montana i didnt have to deal with any of this all i had to deal with was dehydration.


and i got her to a vet as soon as i got her.

funny thing was i didnt know anything bout fecal samples then and when she got probed she pooed right afterwards and the vet was like well that was lucky. and i chuckled

i do care for all my pets very much.

thank you all for the replys its time for me to sleep got more animals to take care of tomorrow back to pethell i go

[rabernet]

Then I would order a can of PAM (prevent-a-mite) and give her and the cage a good spray down to kill any remaining mites, as it only takes a couple to make a huge infestation before too long. After that, make sure she has a proper set-up to make her feel secure, and to keep the scale rot from getting any worse.

Provent-A-Mite should NEVER be applied directly to the snake. You treat the enclosure, and you must allow it to dry completely before putting the water dish and snake back in there.

However, the treatment of the enclosure is all you need to kill the mites and ticks, including eggs.