Please Help! Newby Owner, I think my snake may be sick???

[blackcrystal22]

I am a new snake owner. Actually to be technically correct my Kids are new snake owners I am just the person who ended up taking care of them

My daughters 1 year old female Ball Python started acting weird the past two days. She randomly twitches and has been doing everything from laying in the water bowl for long periods of time, to rubbing her nose against the inside of the water bowl and cage in addition to lifting her head up in the air in a strange sort of way. Kinda like she is lost. On another note we have had her almost 3 weeks and she still will not eat. We have been giving her the same thing her previous owner did, Live mice. The other Ball python has ate one mouse. We bought them at the same time from two different owners but they both came from the same store. I know that is confusing.....


Tank layout consist of the following: 30 gallon terrarium with a one gallon capacity rock style water bowl and two hiding places, one half log and one rock formation. Bedding is a reptile approved white pine chip. For lighting we have one night red reptile lamp and one daylight reptile lamp that we use in their respective times. Cage temp stays around 85 degrees and we try to keep the humidity above 70%. The humidity did drop down to near 50% the past two days (about the time she started acting funny) as our humid-stat was malfunctioning and we had to replace.

Thank you for your time.

Everyone has gotten it pretty clear about the whole PAM thing.

As for another issue, PLEASE get the snake off of pine and put her on aspen or newspaper. Newspapers may be a good idea to watch for mites, but even after that don't use pine. Even if it's approved, it's not a safe substrate for snakes.

Is your snake a young snake? If she's tiny, she may not be eating because her enclosure is much too large. A 30g tank is only good for an adult breeder size ball python. It's much too much space for a baby and will probably make it feel insecure.
Do you have 2 tight hides on each side of the enclosure? Make sure they're not log hides and that there is no space between the snake and the hide when the snake is inside of it.
What have you been trying to feed? Make sure to feed something about the same thickness as the thickest point on the body. If your trying to feed f/t, try live. If your trying mice, try rats. Etc.

Yes, it is also very important to have the snakes separate, for multiple health and unsafe reasons. As well as stress on both of them.

:]

[Somed00d]

Bedding is a reptile approved white pine chip.

Pine has been known to kill reptiles. it needs to be processed to remove oils. its best if you avoid it and use aspen or something else.. until your snake is better I would only use paper towels. Don't treat for mites unless you actually have mites..

she could just be going into shed too

[Tempest]

Unless you see mites, she's probably just shedding, and TAKE HER OFF PINE!!! Get aspen or papertowels or newspaper, just take her off the pine

[jnettrecker]

They are together? Is that not good? I don't have room for two tanks ect.... what is the harm in keeping them together? They lay together all the time? I will take them off of the pine tonight. Her eyes are clear not cloudy like when they are gonna shed.

[kjhowland]

Two snakes should not be housed together unless you're breeding them. The concept is that when you house them together, you double your troubles. One snake gets sick, they both get sick. You don't know which snake just defecated. Snakes are normally a solitary animal.

[blackcrystal22]

They are together? Is that not good? I don't have room for two tanks ect.... what is the harm in keeping them together? They lay together all the time? I will take them off of the pine tonight. Her eyes are clear not cloudy like when they are gonna shed.

When you see one snake laying on the other it's not 'cuddling', but instead its one on top being dominant and the other becoming stressed out.

One gets sick, the other gets sick.

There's always the possibility of cannibalism.

If they are two males, they could fight.

If they are male and female, and they breed too early, the female could be killed because she is underweight.

Ball pythons are solitary animals. They don't live together in the wild and are stressed when around each other. You don't want your animals to be stressed.

Here's a solution. Since the 30 gallon is much too large for baby ball pythons in the first place, divide it with a piece of plexiglass or a piece of thin plastic that is cut down to size. You can probably get either pretty easily at any department/ home works store.

:]

[Tazz27]

this also might help. after you soak the snake hold the head of the snake with one hand and check under the head mites like to go in between the scales. if you see any scales litfed, with a tooth pick cafefully pick out the mites. I also use a very little vasaline and put it on the snakes eyes(another hiding spot for mites) this will kill any mites hiding in the eye caps.

Hope this helps.