My Rescued Ball

[ViciousBliss]

alright so every moring when i wake up i take Snikolas out and go stand on the deck in the sun. he seems to enjoy this. i was checkin his tail out (cuz his tippy tail still hasn't shed... any suggestions anyone??????) and ( i feel like i violated my snake and i didn't even do anything) i saw his PRONGS! lol. NOW i really wish i had a camera. grr. i didn't pop him or even attempt to, they were peekin out of that uhm, spot (i sound so educated lol)

sorry i don't know terminology and whatnot and thank you for any help you can give. i am trying to come to terms with the 20 gallon tank lol... if i come across a 30 or 29 (whatever i saw at walmart lol) i think i am going to invest in it just because i'd like him to have a cool hide.

for now, i'm going to use the ecoearth bc it's what i have but i will try the newspaper after i run out. i clean out the eco earth daily, any wet spots get thrown out and replaced. i hope that is okay! he seems to like it. i do understand about the sanitation purposes with the newspaper... but (how selfish am i) for now the eco earth seems to be working alright and is nice to look at (although that really shouldn't matter i know!)

i love this snake! he is out right now snaking around my arms neck and lap. he really seems to think he'd make the best desk ornament but that usually results in him knockin over my water lol...

he is lovely and i'm enjoying him thoroughly as a pet. i will try to measure him today and was thinking of bringing him to the pet store bc i think they have a digital scale there! i'd love to be able to give ppl more details on the normal stuff. i wish i knew how old he was! is there any way to tell other than to ask the person who originally had him? cuz i want to punch that guy in the head for the neglect... for now i will avoid him

is it okay to feed him today? he is snakin around and it's been about 10 days since he's eaten, but the tip of his tail is still on from his shed... could i offer him food today?

not to sound like a tart, but just keep in mind i don't have a job, so cash is a bit of a hindrance. i do however have a few friends that would help with the food if i ever for some reason couldn't come up with a few bucks for a rodent. BP Husbandry on a budget. i know it's not ideal but am i doing okay for now seeing where this poor man was before i had him? he's a lovely snake and his personality is pristine. he really does seem to like me... can snakes prefer people? like a girl better than a guy? he seems to like men less. ppl told me he's bit people before but that is probably the crappy state he was in, no hide, no food.... wouldn't you bite the hand that wasn't feeding you?

he hissed right after his shedding (so i left his ass alone... i'm not givin him a reason to be upset lol) and since then he's been the same old Snikolas. nice as ever.

lovelovelove the reptile.


funny thing, i used to be a rat person. lol.

[ViciousBliss]

PS- woo woo to the original royal color, but i can't help but state the obvious when i say, these snakes come in some phenomenal colors and i've completely amazed oodles of my friends by showing them the Nerd morphs. woohoo BPs. they make BPs look poisonous with all these amazing colors~

[littleindiangirl]

( i feel like i violated my snake and i didn't even do anything) i saw his PRONGS! lol. NOW i really wish i had a camera. grr. i didn't pop him or even attempt to, they were peekin out of that uhm, spot (i sound so educated lol)

i am trying to come to terms with the 20 gallon tank lol... if i come across a 30 or 29 (whatever i saw at walmart lol) i think i am going to invest in it just because i'd like him to have a cool hide.

[B]for now, i'm going to use the ecoearth bc it's what i have but i will try the newspaper after i run out. i clean out the eco earth daily, any wet spots get thrown out and replaced. i hope that is okay! he seems to like it. i do understand about the sanitation purposes with the newspaper... but (how selfish am i) for now the eco earth seems to be working alright and is nice to look at (although that really shouldn't matter i know!)


cuz i want to punch that guy in the head for the neglect... for now i will avoid him

not to sound like a tart, but just keep in mind i don't have a job, so cash is a bit of a hindrance. i do however have a few friends that would help with the food if i ever for some reason couldn't come up with a few bucks for a rodent.

BP Husbandry on a budget. i know it's not ideal but am i doing okay for now seeing where this poor man was before i had him?

His spurs are always outside of the body.

Why aren't you taking our advise more seriously????

Get him off the eco-earth!

Don't spend your hard earned (or not) money on a bigger tank.

You want to knock his previous owner for neglect, yet you are surfing on the edge of the same thing.

Eco earth is excellent substrate for HEALTHY BP's. If he has scale rot, he CANNOT be on the ECO EARTH.

For one, I doubt you are letting it completely dry out.

2, it is excellent as a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi.

Do you know what scale rot is? It is a bacterial and fungal infection of the skin!

Get him OFF of the eco earth and use paper!

I'm pretty fed up with you so far, you knock the poor guy that had him before as being horrible and neglectful, but you are now going against every single little bit of advice given to you to HELP this snake.

You are inexperienced and need to take our advise considerably over your own ideas.

You can fawn over this snake as much as you want, but this constant handling with no settle period, use of eco-earth for scale rot, and still trying to buy a larger cage is going to spell doom for this snake.

Now I know I can't make you see the importance and gravity of your situation, but you should read all the caresheets you can. VPI.com, NERD, here, many other forums have very informative caresheets to help you.

If you want to do best by this snake, take the advice of many experienced keepers here. He is sick, with a weakened immune system and needs all the help he can get.

Stop thinking you know what's best. You don't. Your inexperienced and asked for help. Now your turning a blind eye and possibly hurting the snake more than the last guy.

Read these please:
http://www.newenglandreptile.com/CareBall.html
http://ball-pythons.net/modules.php?...warticle&id=59
http://vpi.com/publications/the_ball_python_care_sheet

[Spaniard]

Listen to Connie

And Welcome to the Site

[ViciousBliss]

His spurs are always outside of the body.

Why aren't you taking our advise more seriously????

Get him off the eco-earth!

Don't spend your hard earned (or not) money on a bigger tank.

You want to knock his previous owner for neglect, yet you are surfing on the edge of the same thing.

Eco earth is excellent substrate for HEALTHY BP's. If he has scale rot, he CANNOT be on the ECO EARTH.

For one, I doubt you are letting it completely dry out.

2, it is excellent as a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi.

Do you know what scale rot is? It is a bacterial and fungal infection of the skin!

Get him OFF of the eco earth and use paper!

I'm pretty fed up with you so far, you knock the poor guy that had him before as being horrible and neglectful, but you are now going against every single little bit of advice given to you to HELP this snake.

You are inexperienced and need to take our advise considerably over your own ideas.

You can fawn over this snake as much as you want, but this constant handling with no settle period, use of eco-earth for scale rot, and still trying to buy a larger cage is going to spell doom for this snake.

Now I know I can't make you see the importance and gravity of your situation, but you should read all the caresheets you can. VPI.com, NERD, here, many other forums have very informative caresheets to help you.

If you want to do best by this snake, take the advice of many experienced keepers here. He is sick, with a weakened immune system and needs all the help he can get.

Stop thinking you know what's best. You don't. Your inexperienced and asked for help. Now your turning a blind eye and possibly hurting the snake more than the last guy.

Read these please:
http://www.newenglandreptile.com/CareBall.html
http://ball-pythons.net/modules.php?...warticle&id=59
http://vpi.com/publications/the_ball_python_care_sheet

ok thanks for the abrasiveness. i won't be coming back to say anything anymore. i haven't gone against any advice anyone has given so far, i'm just not going to change his substrate today? i am absorbing info, and this isn't the only place i'm getting it from.

i figured coming here would be a nice way to find ppl with a passion for these animals. not a passion for bashing someone for trying to do the right thing.

thank you for being rude and making me so uncomfortable. again, i won't be coming back here to say anything.

thank everyone again for the great advice.

the pink on his belly ended up not being scale rot, but (as i've now read) bellies get pinkish before a shed)



no one still has given me any advice as to what to do about the tip of the tail, but it doesn't seem to bother him much so i'll check back and see if anyone says anything pertaining to that.

the snake was under a heat lamp in dirty shavings with no hide and month old water, covered in bloody burns and missing patches of scales.

he looks phenomenal now.

i'm sure i'm doing just as poorly as the last guy.

thanks again for the encouragement.

[ViciousBliss]

for now, i'm going to use the ecoearth bc it's what i have but i will try the newspaper after i run out. i clean out the eco earth daily, any wet spots get thrown out and replaced. i hope that is okay! he seems to like it. i do understand about the sanitation purposes with the newspaper... but (how selfish am i) for now the eco earth seems to be working alright and is nice to look at (although that really shouldn't matter i know!)

it IS nicer to look at. i was just stating a fact. it was in no way a reason i chose to purchase this substrate. and i am not trying to change the substrate right now. no one else in this house will handle the snake and i am doing this all on my own. i JUST cleaned it, and he does NOT have scale rot, so i don't feel that i'm putting my snake in danger by leaving it.


another reason eco earth was used is because it is what the more pet savvy gal at the petshop suggested. he was dry and she said it would keep the humidity up. so i believed her. sorry again.

this is apparently not the right place for a person like me!

[littleindiangirl]

If that's all you want to do is whine about how the post was, at least I know I got you to read it.

Everything I highlighted was pretty much what you decided to do after ignoring our advice.

Soak his tail and get the extra skin off. If you can't take him back to the vet.

If he doesnt have scale rot, it would have been nice to have mentioned it. Eco-earth and scale rot do not mix.

Have you taken him to the vet? You can't rule out anything until a professional has checked him over.

I hope you do learn to drop the pride issues and take our advice. Good luck in future endeavors.

[ViciousBliss]

If that's all you want to do is whine about how the post was, at least I know I got you to read it.

Everything I highlighted was pretty much what you decided to do after ignoring our advice.

Soak his tail and get the extra skin off. If you can't take him back to the vet.

If he doesnt have scale rot, it would have been nice to have mentioned it. Eco-earth and scale rot do not mix.

Have you taken him to the vet? You can't rule out anything until a professional has checked him over.

I hope you do learn to drop the pride issues and take our advice. Good luck in future endeavors.

thank you again for the advice. i asked about that in a PM i sent you before i saw this here.

[littleindiangirl]

The skin around the tail will cut off circulation and his tissue will die. I suggest if you can't see a herp vet, to do the soaks like Becky (satanicintention) mentioned.

[the bull]

ok thanks for the abrasiveness. i won't be coming back to say anything anymore. i haven't gone against any advice anyone has given so far, i'm just not going to change his substrate today? i am absorbing info, and this isn't the only place i'm getting it from.

i figured coming here would be a nice way to find ppl with a passion for these animals. not a passion for bashing someone for trying to do the right thing.

thank you for being rude and making me so uncomfortable. again, i won't be coming back here to say anything.

thank everyone again for the great advice.

the pink on his belly ended up not being scale rot, but (as i've now read) bellies get pinkish before a shed)



no one still has given me any advice as to what to do about the tip of the tail, but it doesn't seem to bother him much so i'll check back and see if anyone says anything pertaining to that.

the snake was under a heat lamp in dirty shavings with no hide and month old water, covered in bloody burns and missing patches of scales.

he looks phenomenal now.

i'm sure i'm doing just as poorly as the last guy.

thanks again for the encouragement.

Holy Moly!
Did you come here to help your snake?
When you get done looking for a job in the classifieds then lay them down in the cage for the snake. Save the eco-earth for when the BP is well it will not go bad.