Quote Originally Posted by Mindibun View Post
That's a really good point, Jo. I am getting the snake from a friend who can no longer care for it. I wonder if they've ever taken it to the vet... Doubtful, considering the living conditions. And I doubt I could talk her into paying for it, either.

Any ideas on how much something like that would cost? I've spent close to $400 in vet bills just this month on various animals (check-ups and whatnot). I hate vet bills.

On a side note, that brings up another question: I don't want to put her in with my other snakes until I know she's healthy. But I only have one thermostat. So can I heat her tub with the heat lamp that her owner has? Also, is it safe to put her directly into a tub if she's used to the tank? I'm going to go ahead and say yes. I switched a 4 year old ball into a tub and she was much happier. ...I feel like I'm running a snake rehab facility.

Phone the herp vet you use and ask for a quote but normally a fecal float (which some clinics can do while you wait) is under $30.00 and doesn't require you take the snake in - just the poop. I'd start with that and if it comes up nasty, then it's worth the snake going in and you paying a bigger vet bill. Of course, that's based on their being no other obvious illness issues like an RI, belly burn, scale rot and so forth.

Quarantine is a must, whatever it takes keep that snake away from the others until you have a clear fecal on it and it's eaten a number of times, shed, defecated, etc. I normally go a minimum of 90 days QT on any rescue even if they look good. Mike and I figure better safe than sorry when it comes to quarantine. Set up the snake with whatever you've got that works to provide it with a stable, ball python friendly enclosure.

Take pictures if you can. It's great to be able to look back and see how far some of these rescues can go.