Rescued pinny

[Ch^4]

I was selling some old aquariums on CL and was poking around to find "fair" market prices. I came across someone rehoming a pinstripe ball python and couldn't resist checking it out.

I met the guy and he pulled out a "7 month old" ball python; as you will see from the pics, Chigo is tiny...under 200g. Not only that, but Chigo's left eye looked disgusting. The guy mentioned that it was an injury from one of the snake's "battles" during feeding time. He then had the audacity to tell me that his other BP had just been "eaten in a battle." I wanted to punch him in the face, but he was packing heat...

I took the pinstripe off his hands despite the somewhat ridiculous rehoming fee knowing that the snake might lose his eye. In my experience, eye problems are not to be trifled with and *typically* need a vet visit. His vet happened to coincide with mine and they told me about his other snake that was "eaten in battle." The poor thing had over 40 mouse bites from head to tail. I am very glad I rescued Chigo (pinstripe) from this ignorant tool. I was also told that he asked about the eye injury 3 months ago, but he didn't do a d*mn thing about it.

Back to Chigo. The vet saw him and immediately thought he'd lose his eye. The pictures don't do the nastiness that was his eye justice. These pictures are after 2 days of a warm, diluted betadine compress. Daily compresses for the next 3-5 sheds should fix him right up. If it does not improve or gets infected, he will lose his eye. Hopefully we can save it. If not, he's a good looking snake regardless of eye count. WAY too small for 7 months old though. For comparison, my other 7 month old BPs are 3-4 times as large (by weight)! But he is full of life!

Side note: we are not sure if Chigo is male or female (hoping female). He's been probed twice and once he was a she, and the other time he was a he. I still need to learn how to pop.


Sorry for the novel!

[TeaNinja]

it's too bad most people don't know how to care for these animals before owning them.

[Will0W783]

POor guy---what a disgusting previous owner. Thank goodness you rescued him. I hope he does wonderfully for you. I'd call animal control on that guy. He should not be allowed to have animals. Who calls it "battles at feeding time"? Despicable!

[Lankyrob]

POor guy---what a disgusting previous owner. Thank goodness you rescued him. I hope he does wonderfully for you. I'd call animal control on that guy. He should not be allowed to have animals. Who calls it "battles at feeding time"? Despicable!

HE is probably one of those aholes that posts videos on youtube - WELL DONE for saving that snakes life!!

[NennaMeerkat]

Poor thing lost an eye! It already looks infected too...hopefully he won't lose it completely.

[Will0W783]

It makes me sick when I see the horrible things that people do with animals. Ch>4, good job rescuing him. He sure is a handsome little fellow, despite his eye. I would take him to a good herp vet though, just to be sure there's no infection or other problems.
I wouldnt have been able to hold my tongue like you did...if the guy was packing heat I'd still rip him a new one, and if he threatened me, I'd have just called the cops.
Anyway, the important thing is that the snake is in good hands, and safe with you! Rescued snakes can turn out to be some of the best pet-wise. I have two rescued Burms that I absolutely adore!

[TeaNinja]

both my dumerils were adopted for free from CL and they are awesome :)
both were kept in less then optimal conditions also. it seems like more then not people who own snakes don't know what they're doing.

[Will0W783]

I have to agree, TeaNinja...a lot of people get snakes for the "cool, bad-a$$" factor, and don't take into account that they are living, feeling creatures. They don't stop to think that their new buddy will live for time and a half the lifespan of an average dog or cat, and require specialized housing and care for its entire lifetime.
I find it's more of a problem with larger snakes and young "tough guys" but any foolish person could abuse any size snake if they didn't care. Seeing animal abuse and neglect just makes me lose faith in humanity....

[Ch^4]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone!

POor guy---what a disgusting previous owner. Thank goodness you rescued him. I hope he does wonderfully for you. I'd call animal control on that guy. He should not be allowed to have animals. Who calls it "battles at feeding time"? Despicable!

I am seriously considering calling animal control on him. He was a pretty shady guy and the "BATTLES"??? WTF. No respect for animals.

Poor thing lost an eye! It already looks infected too...hopefully he won't lose it completely.

I did take him to a very good herp vet and the consensus was no infection.

It makes me sick when I see the horrible things that people do with animals. Ch>4, good job rescuing him. He sure is a handsome little fellow, despite his eye. I would take him to a good herp vet though, just to be sure there's no infection or other problems.
I wouldnt have been able to hold my tongue like you did...if the guy was packing heat I'd still rip him a new one, and if he threatened me, I'd have just called the cops.
Anyway, the important thing is that the snake is in good hands, and safe with you! Rescued snakes can turn out to be some of the best pet-wise. I have two rescued Burms that I absolutely adore!

I'm not confrontational, so I bit my tongue and got the snake in good hands. Then I went straight to my vet. He is quite healthy except for the eye, according to my vet.

Nonetheless, he is a very handsome little fella! Thanks again everyone!

[stephanbakir]

I wish you the best of luck. Call animal control.

[marvelfreak]

My hat off to you. Beautiful snake and at least now he can live a happy and health life. All thanks to you doing the right thing. You are one of the good guys. as for that a hole i would turn him in to Animal Control.

[Ch^4]

Thanks again everyone for all your kind words!

He's an odd little fellow; he's in QT and has ample hiding spots, but chooses to bask in the open at all times! He is curious and full of life, so hopefully his eye will heal. I will make an effort to update this thread with progressive pictures (hopefully improvement pics).

[stephanbakir]

QT? only thing I know referred to as QT is QT asin QTpie:P

[Will0W783]

QT= quarantine. Any and all new incoming animals should be kept separated from the established collection for 3-6 months. This means washing hands and changing clothes after dealing with any QT animals, and feeding them last, etc.
It prevents parasites or illnesses from getting into a group of established, "clean" animals.

[stephanbakir]

I'm aware of quarantine procedure, been doing it for a long time. Never knew QT meant quarantine in herp speak though:P

[Will0W783]

You pick up bits and pieces of herp lingo as you go. Kinda like LOL-speak..but with scales! :)

[stephanbakir]

I finally got the hang of LOL speak after 10 years of being a gamer, then I quit gaming and I'm years behind on herp lingo:P

[Rog]

My rescued ball spent his first two weeks sunning and hanging out. After he started to become more healthy, his behavior became more normalized. He now loves his hides. We figured out that he likes hides with bottoms. His hides are Tupperware, upside down, with a hole cut in the side. So don't Freek when he decides to hide for a couple of days. Good luck!

[Ch^4]

QT? only thing I know referred to as QT is QT asin QTpie:P

Sorry, I was at work and trying to be quick, hence the pseudo-acronym that is commonly used on this forum!

[Ch^4]

Well, 6 days of being in our care and look at that eye! I can't take all the credit; one of my friends is an experienced herp vet (out of state) and I sent pictures for a second opinion. He gave me some advice and I'm seeing major improvements after just a couple days of trying his method out!

Some new pics for comparison. And the tool I rescued this beauty from said that s/he was a VERY PICKY eater and would NEVER eat anything but live. I beg to differ...I didn't even have to try and he instantly snatched up that F/T jumbo mouse (phone pic)! I'll get him on rats once he's an established eater.

Thanks for your support!

[TeaNinja]

nice :) he's starting to look better already. and grats on the f/t switch, always nice when they just take to it.

[Jay]

WOW Fire Roasted Smokey Applewood Salmon 2/$6
On a serious note his eye is healing quite well what did your friend recommend?

[Ch^4]

@ Zak: Thanks! Very true, only a couple of my BPs were/are really stubborn with the switch.

@ Jay: He recommended a triple antibiotic opthalmic applied sparingly. He is an experienced DVM and also told me that the other treatment (diluted Betadine compress) could burn if there was any viable cornea left. I'm very glad I received a second opinion, because the former treatment was obviously inferior to the latter. Not to mention that it might have caused the little guy pain :( Thanks!

[NennaMeerkat]

WOW Fire Roasted Smokey Applewood Salmon 2/$6
On a serious note his eye is healing quite well what did your friend recommend?

You noticed that too?!?!? Wish we had deals like that around here. LOL


As for your snake...I was so sure that eye was gone. The eye looked collapsed as if gone. Now I see it all "puffy" like it should be and it just looks great. What was the technique? Not that I hope to ever use it mind you, just curious.

Also *slaps tool of a former owner* If he didn't want to use f/t then at least he could have used fresh killed or stunned! I myself don't really like using f/t but I understand the need to do so (especially after seeing this!).

[ilovemypets1988]

bad looking eye in the first set of pics, then quite some progress in the second set, may i ask what sort of set up you have for chigo (just curious lol).

well done for the rescue, personally i wouldve thumpt him but i dont know the bloke so cant really say if he would be likely to use his "heat"

[Ch^4]

As for your snake...I was so sure that eye was gone. The eye looked collapsed as if gone. Now I see it all "puffy" like it should be and it just looks great. What was the technique? Not that I hope to ever use it mind you, just curious.


It is looking much better. I started with a warm, diluted Betadine compress (i.e., wet gauze and light pressing for ~15 minutes per day). After I received differing advice from the other vet, I applied **sparingly** the triple antibiotic opthalmic once a day (i.e., using a dab on my fingertip).

bad looking eye in the first set of pics, then quite some progress in the second set, may i ask what sort of set up you have for chigo (just curious lol).

well done for the rescue, personally i wouldve thumpt him but i dont know the bloke so cant really say if he would be likely to use his "heat"

He is in quarantine right now, so his setup isn't spectacular, but it gets the job done. A 10-gallon tank with regulated heating and controlled humidity (I needed to keep the humidity up for that eye). All my other snakes are in either plastic vivs (like boaphiles) or rack/tub systems.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

[Coffee Black]

Thats awesome. Great work getting that eye healing.

[Ch^4]

Thanks! It looks so much better and my buddy thinks it might actually survive!

[ilovemypets1988]

the reason for me asking about the setup is;

i was just wondering if u were using the following due to the eye problem:
hides and paper towels (apart from the obvious heat and so on)

or if you used some decorations.

as i would think that using decoration (no matter how soft) would irritate the eye and inevitably make it worse due to the rubbing of it through exploration.

[Dehlida]

I got in a snake with eyes looking extremely similar to the one above. We gave him extremely high humidity and frequent soaks. Within a couple sheds he was looking much much better.

[Ch^4]

the reason for me asking about the setup is;

i was just wondering if u were using the following due to the eye problem:
hides and paper towels (apart from the obvious heat and so on)

or if you used some decorations.

as i would think that using decoration (no matter how soft) would irritate the eye and inevitably make it worse due to the rubbing of it through exploration.

He's on newspaper, has two simple hides and water.

The only snake I own that has actual "decorations" is my BRB...she's like a ninja. All the other snakes have it nice and simple; hides. I guess my JCP has something to perch on, but that is about it.

I got in a snake with eyes looking extremely similar to the one above. We gave him extremely high humidity and frequent soaks. Within a couple sheds he was looking much much better.

Glad to hear! I hope his eye recovers; 2 different vets and a number of untrained eyes thought it was "toast." I will remain optimistic until there is no eye...and then he'll just be a stereotypical pirate snake, arrrr!

[Ch^4]

I wanted to give an update on our rescued pinstripe Chigo. He just shed and I have great news...his eye has recovered!!! Big thanks to my friend, Dr. Porcher, for his over-the-email treatment. Just look at those before and after pics!

BEFORE (the day we got him--about a month ago):

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd519/PiPythons/Chigo/P1010024.jpg

AFTER (yesterday):

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd519/PiPythons/Chigo/P1010066.jpg

BEFORE:

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd519/PiPythons/Chigo/P1010021.jpg

AFTER:

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd519/PiPythons/Chigo/P1010065.jpg

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd519/PiPythons/Chigo/P1010064.jpg

We would have been fine with a one eyed snake, but we're happy to see a full recovery!

[marvelfreak]

Looking great! Awesome job getting it health again.

[TeaNinja]

yea, that eye looks great now. it's shocking what they can recover from with proper husbandry.

[Jenn_06]

WOW he looks 100% better, why would someone get a BP that cost that much money and use it for a snake fight i just don't understand people.

[Lankyrob]

Can hardly believe that is the same snake!! WELL DONE!!

[Gungirl]

Looking great!

[Coffee Black]

Glad everything worked out. Great work.

[ilovemypets1988]

wow, now thats a fast improvement, very much weel done and it goes to show that with the right care, these guys and gals will heal up beautifully.

[NennaMeerkat]

My god that is some epic healing time! Doesn't even look like the same snake! Great work at getting it back in shape. Do you know if the snake can actually see out of the healed eye or if it is simply looking better though without function.

[Ch^4]

Looking great! Awesome job getting it health again.

Thanks!

yea, that eye looks great now. it's shocking what they can recover from with proper husbandry.

Agreed!

WOW he looks 100% better, why would someone get a BP that cost that much money and use it for a snake fight i just don't understand people.

People are exactly that, people!

Can hardly believe that is the same snake!! WELL DONE!!

Maybe I swapped him for the photos...;) Thanks!

Looking great!

Thanks!

[Ch^4]

Glad everything worked out. Great work.

Thanks!

wow, now thats a fast improvement, very much weel done and it goes to show that with the right care, these guys and gals will heal up beautifully.

Very quick recovery time! All it took was the *correct* remedy, time, and of course, my awesome, I mean proper husbandry ;)

My god that is some epic healing time! Doesn't even look like the same snake! Great work at getting it back in shape. Do you know if the snake can actually see out of the healed eye or if it is simply looking better though without function.

Like I said, maybe I swapped snakes for the photos...

I'm not sure if the eye is actually functional; the muscles that control the eye are still intact (i.e., the eye dilates and contracts based on different light levels). There is no way that I can know for sure that the eye is visually functional though.

[Freebody]

WOW good job!

[Coffee Black]

I love how you took the time to quote and respond to everyone who gave you props. Very nice and professional. Only serves to cement the fact that you are diligent, respectful and pay attention to detail in reptiles but in everything you do. Well done!

[Ch^4]

WOW good job!

Thank you! Again, while I would love to take the credit, all I did was follow the directions given by my friend Dr. Porcher and provide proper husbandry.

I love how you took the time to quote and respond to everyone who gave you props. Very nice and professional. Only serves to cement the fact that you are diligent, respectful and pay attention to detail in reptiles but in everything you do. Well done!

Well thank you! Like above, while I'd love to take credit, I actually picked up this habit from another member on another forum; I just like how it builds "forum camaraderie."

[ilovemypets1988]

even if you cant take all of the credit, you can take most of it as even though you followed advice, its you who done the work and made sure she had the right conditions to get to the point shes at now and you can take credit for getting that advice and for following it as thats as important as the animal itself, without advice, no one would get anywhere. so as i said, take majority of that credit.

[My/first/Snake]

Good Job on the rescue brother...wish you would of kicked his A$$. Jerk! Hope he or she heals up nicely for you.

[Uncle_Rev]

What an awesome story to read!