Maybe I'm just paranoid...

[kneepoles]

I've come to the conclusion that no amount of research and book reading is comparable to good old fashioned experience. As a prospective ball owner, I read everything I could to get a feel for how to properly care for a snake. I've had my baby boy since friday (4-4-08) and what an eventful several days it's been!
Friday: brought him home from the shop (the owner of the shop is a small time breeder with many years experience) and put him in his newly stabilized, thermostat controlled (81CS-92HS,50-60%Hum.)cage. He was VERY active. I assumed it was due to stress, having a car ride and the new home and what not. It appeared he was looking for a way out, however he was smashing his face against the glass and sliding it up the side. Almost as if he were trying to scratch his face, like it itched or something. We left him over night to see if he'd calm down.
Saturday:He had slightly calmed down by saturday, and was hiding most of the day. When he did come out for some water, we thought we saw a tiny bug crawling across his head. Upon further observation, we had. I immediately thought MITES! SO we get him out and stretch him out and give him a pretty thorough once over, looking for more bugs, which we found around his head (he didn't like us messing with his head, typical), and along his belly under the first row of scales that aren't horizontal belly scales. Luckily, the local herp show was the next day.
Sunday: We go to the show, pick up some "reptile relief", and some handy advice (read:provent-a-mite), and we come home and commence to cleaning. He wasn't happy about it. We followed the directions on the reptile relief to a "t". And followed all other directions to a "t" as well. He didn't seem to mind being rinsed off, but soaking.....I really felt sorry for him, but it had to be done. He was hissing and looking at us as if he were saying "YOU!!! GET ME OUTTA HERE!!" After the allotted time period (20 min, I think) we get him out, dry him off and put him back in his newly cleaned and de-loused cage, only this time we used white paper towel as substrate to help see if there were any more mites. there haven't been.
Monday: He ate, after all the crap we put him through, he absolutely POUNDED a F/T mouse. I was supervising to make sure it wasn't just a defensive strike, and I was noticing that his mouth was little white looking on the sides. When he was realiging his jaw, I gave it a closer look, and I'm not sure exactly what shade of pink his mouth SHOULD be. It's pink, but it's very light. When yawning, it's the puffy parts on the sides ( I assume it's muscle area) right in the middle of the gape, on either side of his throat. I can't hear him wheasing, I don't see any bubbles around his nose, His tounge isn't stuck together. like I said maybe I'm just paranoid. Sorry for writing a freakin' novel here, but I wanted to give as much detail as possible, to see if it were something I had done wrong, or if this was normal. Since the mega-delousing clean and feed, he hasn't came out of his warm hide. I've heard that a hiding ball python is a happy ball python.

Does all this seem normal/ok to everybody? I just want to provide a healthy, happy home for him.

[LadyOhh]

Sounds okay...

As for the mouth thing, I'm not exactly sure what you mean, so photos are a must!!!

[invadertoast]

Here's a link to a blown up picture of my avatar - healthy BP mouth:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...eanorsmall.jpg

Hope this helps!

[kneepoles]

Thanks invader! That's about the same color mine is. I guess I was expecting it to be more pink, like our mouth or something. Never fear, there will PLENTY of pics in a few days, I don't want to bother him much cause he just ate yesterday. Expect a dial up deadly post around thursday or friday! He'll be out for a vet visit and check up once he's digested his meal. thanks again!