Emergency Snake Babysitting - Need Help

[Rafters]

Hello!

We recently found ourselves caring for an elderly friends two snakes. They look like some type of boas. They have their own aquariums, bedding, heatlamps, heat rocks, water bowls, etc. Full set ups. But I've never kept this kind of pet so I could use some help.

Questions:

1)What temperature range should they be kept?
2) We don't know when they were last fed. They eat like a mouse a month, correct? Since we don't know when they last eat when should be their first meal from us? Should we use live mice or frozen?
3) Their water bowls are plastic weighed down with rocks. The water looks kind of grungy. Should we care? Should we change it out? Any concerns about cleaning the bowls (no soaps, use bottle water, etc.)?
4) Any other advice would be great. We don't know how long these guys will be visiting.

Thanks!

[Donnie]

Firstly change the water, give the bowls a good clean with soap and water and then rinse thoroughly and fill up with tap water (unless your tap water is really bad then use bottled)

You need to find the type of snakes you have so people can give you the specific care for the ones you have there. Have a look around the boa section to see if this is what you have and you could always post pictures then people will be able to see what they are, general condition and approximate size to help with the feeding question. Whatever heat source you are using it needs to be controlled with a thermostat and if you do have a heat rock in there then I would suggest turning it off as there are a lot of people who have had burnt animals from those.


Boa Forums - sSNAKESs : Reptile Forum (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/boa-forums/)

[Rafters]

Ok, maybe it's a ball python instead. It looks just like a ball python I looked up on Google.

So this tells you how much I know. :P

They're still hiding underneath their covers so I haven't seen the entire snake of either one yet. So I don't know how long they are. The bigger one may be up to 4 feet long, maybe 3 feet. I don't really know. The smaller one looks maybe 2/3rds the size of the larger one.

They look beautiful and healthy. A bit of shed skin laying around the habitat.

[snakekid6996]

Ok, maybe it's a ball python instead. It looks just like a ball python I looked up on Google.

So this tells you how much I know. :P

They're still hiding underneath their covers so I haven't seen the entire snake of either one yet. So I don't know how long they are. The bigger one may be up to 4 feet long, maybe 3 feet. I don't really know. The smaller one looks maybe 2/3rds the size of the larger one.

They look beautiful and healthy. A bit of shed skin laying around the habitat.

Is the shed skin in pieces?? I don't know much about balls, but I know that snakes should shed their skin in one piece. If the shed skin isn't one piece or somewhat close to it than You need to raise the humidity. To do this You just simply mist the enclosure at least once a day. Especially while shedding. If You cover 2/3 of the enclosure with tin foil, towels, etc. It will help hold humidity better. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think ball pythons require around a 40% humidity and up to 50-60%during shed.

[Rafters]

Is the shed skin in pieces??

Yes, it seems like they are in pieces. The larger one has come out, though, and he doesn't look dull or have any skin hanging off. I don't know how old the shed skin is.

[snakekid6996]

I would recommend getting a hydrometer. You can get cheap ones at pet stores for pretty cheap. They don't all work the best, but it's better than nothing. Like I said, try to keep the humidity around 40%. Somewhere between 35%-45% is best and I would raise it about 5%-10% during the shed cycle.

[kwhitlock]

Few things I would start with.

Firstly change out the water, if your tap water is gnarly then I would stick with bottled water. Next I would take out the heat rocks as they can malfunction and burn the snakes. Would invest in a hydro farm thermostat as well along with some temperature probes. As far as eating goes. Give them an appropriate size meal, as big as the snakes girth at the widest part. Gonna guess one is a yearling and the other is a bit older..for the younger would say once a week feed it, and the older maybe every 10-14 days? Not sure on the latter but something to go off of! Good luck!

[snakekid6996]

Ball pythons should be kept at a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a basking spot of about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit. This can vary a few degrees, but don't let the coolest part get below 75 or the hottest above 95. This would be too cool or two hot for the snake. The snakes should be fed frozen thawed rats every 10-14 days. The size of the prey should be between 1-1.5X the size of the girth (or thickest part of the body) of the snake. If the snake refuses to eat than wait a few days and try again. If the snake still refuses to eat than try a pre killed, than a live rat. Some snakes, especially balls, are picky eaters. Some snakes will only eat Live. Live are not the best option, because they can fight back and harm the snake. If Your snake or snakes will only eat live then I would recommend getting them onto frozen thawed asap. There are different ways to go about this posted online. As far as the water goes I would recommend changing the water at least every couple of days if not more. Clean water is a necessary for their survival. I would clean my snakes water dishes dishes a few times a year using a 5% bleach solution. Just make sure this is thoroughly washed so all the bleach is completely off. As I said before I am defiantly not an expert at all on ball pythons. I have never owned one. I own a boa constrictor and a corn snake. However, I have done some research on ball pythons and a lot of common pet store snakes have the same basic needs. If anyone has any more information or finds anything wrong with what I have said please feel free to leave a comment saying so. This is just my personal advise. :)

[Rafters]

Great! Thanks for all the information guys!

I just cleaned out their water bowls really well and gave them fresh water. The larger one went across his aquarium to the water bowl as soon as I put it in. It seems like he's checking out everything I do.

The smaller one is staying hidden for the most part.

The owner had some kind of heart issue that knocked her out. Not an attack or stroke. Some other kind of heart issue. But she was laid out in her bathroom from Wednesday night until they found her yesterday on Saturday. She's under sedation at the hospital right now. So I have no one to ask about these snakes. I don't know when they were last fed or what type (frozen/pre killed/live) food they normally eat.

We will try some thawed out frozen prey tomorrow.

The temperature gauges are reading right around 85 so they should be ok for now.

Like I said, we don't know how long we will be keeping these guys. If the worst happens and the woman is no longer able to be independent enough, we may even have them indefinitely. The doctors worry that she may have had brain damage from this. Hopefully not, but who knows.

So you will probably see me around for a while at least pestering people with stupid questions.

Thanks!

[Sharlynn93]

no question is stupid...I really commend you for stepping up and taking care of your neighbors pets, and caring enough to actually join a forum and take the time to ensure they have the proper care :D

[Starbuck]

If you have any (legal) access to her home, you could look in her freezer and see if there are any frozen rats in there…
A good rule of thumb is a rat/mouse slightly larger than the snakes largest diameter- you will be surprised at how large of a meal they can knock back, and live rats or mice will look larger because of the fur. An adult can eat very 7-10 days or so- definitely more than 1x per month.

I would try FT first, because in my opinion it is easier. I like to soak the prey item in warm tap water for about an hour, or until it is thawed through and warm, and just toss it in the enclosure and check back in the am.
as a general rule, try not to handle snakes for 24-48 hours post meal; you are more likely to get bit immediately after as the snake may be in 'hunt mode', and then after it eats you want to give it some time to digest.

Good luck with your charges!

[Rafters]

Thanks for letting us know about waiting 24-48 hours post meal before handling. The wife wants to play with them but didn't want to until after we fed them. Now we'll wait a couple days after their meal.

[MizCandice]

Welcome to the forums and the snakes were lucky you were willing to step up and take them in, so many people have irrational fears about snakes that this doesnt often happen. You may need to offer Frozen thawed with tongs gripping the back of the neck of the rodent and make them *dance a little* the heat from warming and movement is often enough to make the snake interested enough to stroke it and coil ... *killing* the lil zombie dancing rodent. Good luck and please do keep us posted