Growing Concerns

[snakelady]

This is OB23's photo of his ball.




Yikes!

[OB23]

With regards to the hides, does there need to be a UTH under each one or can I trust her to move if she finds one too cold? I will get my hands on a thermostat asap. I've moved her hide so that only part of it is covering the UTH which has dropped the temp to 87.5 at the moment, but we'll see what happens when it gets a chance to create an ambient temp. inside. This is only a temporary solution.
Thank you for your reminder of the thermostat. I asked about it at my mouse supplier and they didn't have one. I'll keep looking and hopefully will get it under dialed control sooner than later. In the meantime, all I can do is move the thermometer probe around to check temps...
Thanks again.

[OB23]

THANK YOU! I don't know how you did that but please explain it to me when you have the time. That way I can do that from now on.
Now that it's out there, has anyone seen it before/know what this is?

[hoax]

Reptilebasics.com this is where i get mine I use helix. there is a 2 day air option. You need to have a warm and a cool side and place a hide on both sides and the snake will decide where it wants to go. Also you MUST get a digital temp gun, these are so vital in getting your husbandry 100% correct on you heating.

[OB23]

Thanks once again for your input Hoax. All the sources are hugely appreciated.

Once again, if anyone recognizes the dark markings on my baby's belly, please let me know what I can expect these to be. I'm up late doing homework/worrying about her till I can get her to the vet at 10 am anywho.

Thank you everyone!

[simplechamp]

I know this is off topic, but does the name "Nagini" have some significance related to snakes? I ask because a friend I know named their BP that also.

[pillowtalk6188]

it's the name of a snake in harry potter.

[juddb]

This is OB23's photo of his ball.




Yikes!

How far along the body is this??? When is the last time the animal defecated??? It could probably use a nice warm soak to help stimulate a defecation, just a thought.... Good luck

[snakelady]

THANK YOU! I don't know how you did that but please explain it to me when you have the time. That way I can do that from now on.
Now that it's out there, has anyone seen it before/know what this is?

I posted your pic by hosting it on my website. You just need to have a hosting place such as flickr or photobucket. they are both free.

Then when you click on the "insert image" icon you can then post your picture url in the window. The hosting site will give you a url link to your image. Presto you've posted a pic.

Hope you get your balls situation worked out. Let us know what the vet says.

[OB23]

Thank you for your concerns everyone. Unfortunately, despite bathing, gentle handling, rearranging of hides and every other feeble attempt I could muster, Gini passed last night at around 4:30 in the morning. I gave her a bath at around 3:30 to try and hydrate but by then she was relatively unable to move. The mark was about 2 inches long and I noticed one other like it about 1 inch long further down her body.
My girlfriend's cousin is a veterinarian with a lot of herp experience and walked me through some things to try and help. On that note, I learned that UVA/UVB combo bulbs are sometimes advantageous to Balls despite popular belief because they help provoke appetite. Maybe that will merit another thread as I read more about it. I am going to freeze Nagini in the event that she can be dissected and hopefully something can be learned from her and whatever this discolouration was. Her belly scales weren't pink or burned so I am pretty sure that it wasn't anything to do with the UTH damaging her.
Realistically, she has been peculiar since I got her, not eating frequently and having little nuances about her movement. Such movement includes the 'wobble' kind of thing that I've read about, so maybe something neurological was going on.
While this was a learning experience for me from the beginning and continues to be so, I would like to urge everyone who is ever considering buying a snake from the local pet store or 'enthusiastic hobbyist' to really do your homework first and get multiple opinions on things as Judy mentions in her 'Two sides of the coin' post. Take it to heart. I purchased Gini and all her equipment from a hobbyist who told me I needed nothing more than what I had only to learn (possibly too late) that more is required to properly control your precious ball's environment. That's not to say that one MUST spend an exorbitant amount of money on their terrarium, more so just to stress the constant value in further education.
Thanks again for all your help everyone and hopefully in the future I'll find myself posting pics of another baby here.