A couple questions about baby ball pythons. Please help

[jrosen123]

Hey, I work at a pet store that sells reptiles. Generally I don't have problems with any of the reptiles, and usually know what the problems(if and when there are problems) are very quickly. We got a pair of very young hatchling ball pythons. We gave them a 2 1/2 week waiting period before we attempted any feeding or handling. They are both captive bread in canada. They were about 15 inches in length. When we tried our first dead thawed pinkie feeding, they both turned their noses instantly. Another employee took one python home, but over the next couple of months they did not eat anything. We had to force feed them twice, but one of the died suddenly a few weeks after the second feed.

My first question is about the BP that died. The night it died, it was holding it's head very awkwardly, it was laying stretched out across it's tank, and it's head was sort of pointed down and towards one side. Any ideas why this happened, and why it died?

Second, the BP that is still at the store was showing great improvement, though we still had to force feed it, once the fuzzy was in it's mouth it wrapped around it and constricted it. This was the first sign of improvement since we recieved them in August. The next week we tried force feeding it again, but it completely refused. And now along its side, parallel to it's body it looks like it's skin has been pinched up and it won't go down, the pinched up skin is only about 1 cm long. Could this be dehydration? Or perhaps a sign of shedding? It has not shed from August when they arrived and still has not shed.

Thank you in advance for any answers, we are trying to get this BP eating, and I am very worried about it

I apologize for the length of the post but am getting very frustrated, I am the only one at the store who has not given up on this poor snake.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Regarding the dead BP

Were those BP well started when you got them?

Was a necropsy done?

Were they both house together?

Force-feeding can be very stressful on a young hatchling and be very risky, and should only be done once everything else has failed. (this includes adjusting your husbandry, switching to live preys etc)

Now has far as the other BP

Did you ever trie live? Trying to switch a young animal that is not well established will often lead to refusal and force feeding is just not the answer in that case.

What is the husbandry like?

Enclosure size, temps, humidity, what do you measure them with (Digital, dial thermometer/Hygrometer?), how many hides are provided, are they tight and identical?

A 6 quarts/15 quarts at the most is what this BP should be put in, you should also provide 2 plastic flowerpot saucers (6 inches in diameter) and provide proper temps and humidity.

[jrosen123]

Regarding on what we tried to feed the BP. We changed the set up of the cage slightly, ensure humidity was within range, ensure heat was within range, gave multiple hide boxes that were small enough the snake could feel "snug and secure" we tried covering the tank with a towel while there was a thawed mouse in the tank. We put the mouse just outside the hide it was currently under then covered the tank, we tried dangling the mouse with forceps, trying to mimic the movement of a live mouse we tried pricking and cutting the top of the mouse's head to entice the snake into eating it, we put the thawed mouse in the bedding of live mice to try and give it a "living" scent. We tried everything but feeding live mice because the owner of the store is against live feeding. After countless tries of all these different techniques and methods, we resorted to force feeding.

[hawaiianice99]

sorry but if the owner is against live feeding then perhaps they shouldnt sell animals that eat animals, thats what they do and if that is what works then thats what it takes.

i would suggest doing a live feeding when the owner isnt there.

[Bruce Whitehead]

Cannot add much to what Deb said except to reiterate, that a very young BP is probably not even on FT yet.

Some take sooner than others, but chances are you got a live feeder, it went through a very stressful change, so no wonder it refused.

The owner or your store needs to rethink the animals being sold/kept if they are not willing to meet the snakes' needs.

Unless they are willing to stock FT eaters only, then they cannot have a policy such as this one.

I wish you luck with the second one, but the only recommendation I could give is to offer a live hopper mouse and see how it does.

Bruce

[jrosen123]

thanks for the help everyone, i will most likely take the snake home (as i am thinking of buying one anyway) and hopefully try and get him to eat. I will continue with trying to coax him into eating thawed mice, but if it is necessary i will try a live hopper. Hopefully taking him out of the store and giving him the one on one care in a "low traffic" area will relax him and will relieve him of the stress.

Thanks again

[hawaiianice99]

taking it home could actually stress it out more, transport and acclimating to its new environment could be a little much for that snake. i would give up on feeding thawed at this point, and try a live feeding.

also how often are you offering it food?

[Bruce Whitehead]

At this point... I would say, offer live, get the snake eating, and then worry about switching.

Hatchlings can be hardy, but it sounds like this boy may be near his limit.

Get him eating, or you may be having to deal with a dead hatchling. This is a VERY stressed out little snake.

Not trying to be dramatic.

Bruce