*sigh* Rescued one. ;/

[whoaxmary]

So - got a call from a guy asking me to come get his ball python and set up as he is moving tommorow. Guess it was his sons, him and the kids mom divorced, and the snake has suffered ever since. To be fair - the guy seemed to care; was just iggnorant about how bad of shape the python is in. When I arrived he let me know the snake was shedding... Well, he had shed, many times, and just has pieces left behind. For a heat matt, he has one of those heating pads people use. ;/ He set me home with a nice set up with matching under cabinet - all for free - but when I got home I realized all the lights were still from the orginal fish style aquarium. (Plain 15 watt tube lights, don't say anything about UVA/B) So obviously the bad shed accounts to no humidity and little heat. -.-


He's a 3 1/2 (so I'm told - I have yet to see him unballed) 8 year old normal. I was told he was fed last week, but I don't belive that.

He's still sitting in a pillow case upstairs... Poor guy. I just needed a few minutes to sit after the long car drive after work to get him. Gotta whip a new solution of nix, and get him set up in the quarantine tank.

Do you guys think I should give him a rub down with mineral oil tonight to help with all the shed, or wait a week after he settles into the quarintine tank? Layers are still stuck to his eyes, and I can hear whistleing from his nose, and I'm thinking it's most likely shed stuck. Hpefully not RI but I guess it is possable.

Wish me luck all, off to work now I guess.
Pictures will come later.

[TeaNinja]

id suggest just giving him decently high temps and some high humidity and maybe even a humid hide, i bet he can work it out. if not after that, he could probably use a soak.

[vendettaseve]

Sounds like a pretty poor situation, kids should not be allowed to keep reptiles in my opinion. Attention span is too short especially with the minimal gratification that the animals can deliver to an immature mind.

Dont get me wrong, I think kids should be exposed to reptiles, should be made mandatory to prevent silly phobias, but it should be owned and primarily cared for by the parent. I shudder every time I see kids parents caving in the reptile section at the local pet store (shudder every time I see the reptile section too... but Iv come to accept it and the manager knows what hes about)

Im glad you managed to save another one, looking forward to the pics :3

[whoaxmary]

Yup , he's already going into quarintine tank - which is smalled and easy to keep hot and humid. Just feel so bad for the guy. If he and the entire set up wasn't 100% free(wasn't orginally offered free, Ithink the guy could just tell I was going to be a good home and I was driving from three hours away to get him), and I wasn't worried about what they guy was going to do with him if I didn't take it, I may not of gotten him, but I just couldn't turn him away. ;/

[whoaxmary]

Sounds like a pretty poor situation, kids should not be allowed to keep reptiles in my opinion. Attention span is too short especially with the minimal gratification that the animals can deliver to an immature mind.

Dont get me wrong, I think kids should be exposed to reptiles, should be made mandatory to prevent silly phobias, but it should be owned and primarily cared for by the parent. I shudder every time I see kids parents caving in the reptile section at the local pet store (shudder every time I see the reptile section too... but Iv come to accept it and the manager knows what hes about)

Im glad you managed to save another one, looking forward to the pics :3

Very much agreed. Doesn't help that it seemed/smelled like this guy hit the bottle so I'm sure that didn't motivate him to take great care of the thing. Atleast he was willing to GIVE the snake to a home rather than turn a profit. Besides, between gas, tim hortons stops, vet visit asap, and everything else - he isn't exactly free anyways.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Respect, nice rescue.

[Aaron_S]

Whoa Mary! Take a step back and DO NOT put mineral oil on ANY scaled animal! You'll do damage to the scales! Water will suffice for helping the shed.

[whoaxmary]

Really? Thanks so much for telling me that - it's just what I had been told.heard a few times. Never considered it until this guy came along since I've never had deal with such a horrable shed. He's already started to work peices of it off himself though in the quarantine set up I have him in.
Will throw a big water dish for him to soak in at the end of the day - just waiting for 24 hours to pass by since he got treated with nix last night.

[youngster]

Sounds like a pretty poor situation, kids should not be allowed to keep reptiles in my opinion. Attention span is too short especially with the minimal gratification that the animals can deliver to an immature mind.

Dont get me wrong, I think kids should be exposed to reptiles, should be made mandatory to prevent silly phobias, but it should be owned and primarily cared for by the parent. I shudder every time I see kids parents caving in the reptile section at the local pet store (shudder every time I see the reptile section too... but Iv come to accept it and the manager knows what hes about)

Im glad you managed to save another one, looking forward to the pics :3

*most* kids, not all. though i think a bp is a little much

[whoaxmary]

*most* kids, not all. though i think a bp is a little much


You're right - MOST kids.

I wasn't allowed to bring any reptiles into the house besides wild caught things that I kept for 24 hours until I was done highschool, probably a good thing seeing as I would not of had the time and focus to do what I do now with my animals as much as I would like to.

The only reason this guy has come in was because I've decided not to go to college yet this year - wanted to give myself a little pick me up/project instead.

[stephanbakir]

Good luck with the new bp, yeah don't use mineral oil. On a side note, I punch a hole into my humid hides and place a tight fitting piece of wood directly in the middle. It's solid and goes all the way to the floor, so while they are in the hide they have something to rub against.

[whoaxmary]

Thanks for the idea.


So I'm sitting here in my living room where the new guy is - since the rest are in my bedroom - watcing him and I'm noticing he keeps 'yawning' a lot. A minute ago I thought something was wrong with his tongue because it was akwardly sliding around the side of his mouth when he opened his jaw. o.o Now he's back to moving around checking things out just fine. ;/ Little odd?

[stephanbakir]

Should be ok. I've been known to yawn repeatedly on occasion.
Wait patiently with your camera and snap a few pics. You only get 1 second to look with his mouth open but you can stare at the picture and nitpick for hours just to be sure.

[whoaxmary]

My camera is at my boyfriends house and the little bugger forgot to bring it to me last night when we went to pick the snake up. X_X

Lol, it was more or less seeing his tongue so weirdly move around. He seems pretty content right now, still just moving around checking things out. Every once and a while he comes and presses his face right up to the glass right in front of me... :) Awez. Tried taking a picture with my webcam but it didn't work .x.x

[stephanbakir]

Last note, MAKE SURE you wash your hands, and anything that touches the new animal before touching anything else. If he has something you don't want to spread it.

[whoaxmary]

No worries. I'll all over the quarantine. Using disposable hides and rubs, and being super carefully not to cause any sort of cross contamination ;p Ain't taking any chances. I wouldn't even introduce my boyfriends friend to my collection last night when we got here since he had been handling the setup and sitting right beisde everything in the truck.

[stephanbakir]

Music to my ears :)

[Will0W783]

Just warm water for humidity soaks, and sometimes even just the Nix treatment is enough to get stuck shed loosened. The detergents in the Nix (if you noticed, it's soapy when you mix it up) help it get between the scales so the mites can't escape, but the detergents also help to loosen stuck shed. I've had a few times where rescue snakes were treated with Nix and their shed came off easily the next day, or later that same day after the Nix soaked in but was still moist. If you do get the shed off, make sure you spray the snake again...dont' want to leave untreated areas.

If the shed is still stuck, get a pillowcase (plain, low-thread count cotton ones work best because they have some texture), and wet it with warm water. Place the snake in the pillowcase and put the whole thing either back in its cage or in a bin with a heating pad or hot water bottle to keep him warm. Leave him for a few hours or overnight..the snake will rub around in the pillowcase and loosen his shed.

[Will0W783]

Best of luck and kudos for rescuing him. Also, kudos for asking about the mineral oil before using it- there are a lot of "snake oil" (haha) treatments out there....always good to check before trying them.

[stephanbakir]

I'd be worried about mold leaving something warm and wet out all night =/

[whoaxmary]

Thanks for the advice Willow.
You're right, I do think it was the nix that caused pieces of shed to start coming off over night/this morning because I know I hadn't gotten the tank warm/humid as I wanted it. I'll be giving him the full cycle of nix treatments as outlined on this forum, and the quarantine enclosure is lined with paper towel that I'll checking for mites, so hopefully they'll be one issue I won't have to worry about much.

[Lankyrob]

I'd be worried about mold leaving something warm and wet out all night =/

You wouldnt get mould overnight - it should be fine.

With regard to the yawning - i sit near my snakes for between 15 and 20 hours a day and EVERY day get to see the majority of them yawn. AS long as it isnt a constant thing and there are no other issues (mucus etc) then it is more than likely just a yawn. My retic does it sometimes nad it looks almost like he is stuck then he opens just a little further and shuts his mouth again (one day i may actually manage to get a pic)

[whoaxmary]

He's got such a big ol' head compaired to Blue - can see everything going on in there. No sign of redness or mucus - but it's hard to tell with all the little pieces of shed on his face and I'm not handling him while he settles in. Get a closer look at the end of the week.

[TeaNinja]

i've seen both my dumerils and my ball python yawn. it's pretty cool lol.

[vendettaseve]

*most* kids, not all. though i think a bp is a little much

Sorry about that little guy :P I forgot you were lurkin..

[stephanbakir]

Youngster is teenager caught in a kids body :P

[ilovemypets1988]

i use surgical gloves for quarantine and well done mary for the rescue, i wouldnt be to worried about the yawning, its probably just the fact that the snake can relax properly (in proper conditions).

[youngster]

Youngster is teenager caught in a kids body :P

Hehehe. I assume that's a compliment. Thanks.

[stephanbakir]

Haven't found a reason not to compliment you yet :)

[youngster]

Haven't found a reason not to compliment you yet :)

:) why shpanks

[LLinz]

Good for you for rescuing the lil guy!!
I've seen so many ads on Kijiji for snakes that are being kept in inadequate conditions (tiny tanks, heat rocks, one over head light and nothing else for heat, no thermometers, etc..) I've been so tempted to adopt, but I need to wait till I have the money and knowledge to do so. Hopefuly one day ill be able to give some snakes a new home. Best of luck, oh have u picked a name yet?

[whoaxmary]

i use surgical gloves for quarantine and well done mary for the rescue, i wouldnt be to worried about the yawning, its probably just the fact that the snake can relax properly (in proper conditions).

The clinic I work in let's me order supplies through them so I'm able to get large amounts of gloves and chlorhexadin (I'm sure that's spelled wrong.) soap and gloves and a great price. The soap is amazing - use it for each enclosure when I clean them at the end of the month.

Haven't found a reason not to compliment you yet

I second this statment. :) You've been a great addition to the community youngster.

Good for you for rescuing the lil guy!!
I've seen so many ads on Kijiji for snakes that are being kept in inadequate conditions (tiny tanks, heat rocks, one over head light and nothing else for heat, no thermometers, etc..) I've been so tempted to adopt, but I need to wait till I have the money and knowledge to do so. Hopefuly one day ill be able to give some snakes a new home. Best of luck, oh have u picked a name yet?

Thanks! And yes, kijiji is the land of improperly ared for snakes, and unfortunately most people don't even know what their doing so they can't teach the new owners how to care for it properly. Bad cycle.
Good for you for being able to tell you should resist the temptation. It's a very tricky thing to rescue. If I could I'd be taking in hoards of mammals and reptiles alike by the day, but then I wouldn't be able to properly care for any of them myself.
I also have an in at the vet clinic I work at obviously, so if I ever had an emergency that resulted in a huge bill with any of my animals I know I could choose to go ahead and treat and have the option of a payment plan. Which is something you need to consider...you need not only the money for routine care, but emergencies of any sort. (vet bills, broken lights/ enclosures that need replacing asap).

He came with the name Jake, but I didn't like how everyone kept saying 'Jake the Snake' - it got annoying fast. We've decided to name him Mitch after my boyfriends sisters burm - who Tristan adored when he was younger.

[stephanbakir]

I'm trying to buy a "rat rack" and an incubator on kijiji... Got an offer for a fridge (750$!!!!) that I could gut and turn into one (rofl) and a glorified rat rack (4 pieces of wood with props to be attached to a wall, and 6 sterilite tubs to go with it (180$ rofl)
Have yet to find someone who knows what they are talking about on kijiji....

[vendettaseve]

[quote=stephanbakir;617951
Have yet to find someone who knows what they are talking about on kijiji....[/quote]

Why Kijiji is awesome. Can talk people into selling you anything for anything else.

[whoaxmary]

Kijiji isn't good for pets. not to mention that it's against the rules to 'sell' pets on kijiji anyways! I'm pretty sure the rules start "small rehoming fees" only.
Kijiji has been awesome for finding grooming supplies - to bad the lady won't essage me back. x.x

[youngster]

Hehehe you guys are making me blush :P

[stephanbakir]

Lol. I'm going to be babysitting a friends beauty snake for a bit and since is a male... was thinking of breeding it to my MASSIVE female. Hopefully I get babies? Not sure if I'm going to sell them to pet shops RC or kijiji yet.. time will tell.

[vendettaseve]

Kijiji isn't good for pets. not to mention that it's against the rules to 'sell' pets on kijiji anyways! I'm pretty sure the rules start "small rehoming fees" only.
Kijiji has been awesome for finding grooming supplies - to bad the lady won't essage me back. x.x

Nah you can sell pets on Kijiji now without breaking the rules. That was back when Kijiji thought it wasnt a nice looking craigslist.


Now you can do whatever.

[stephanbakir]

Nah you can sell pets on Kijiji now without breaking the rules. That was back when Kijiji thought it wasnt a nice looking craigslist.


Now you can do whatever.
Sorta, Kijiji requires that if the animal is protected by by-laws in any way, you must inform the person buying and that person must acquire proper permits etc before the hand-off takes place.

[whoaxmary]

I think you should let me know if you get babies since we're neighbors. ;)

[stephanbakir]

I think you should let me know if you get babies since we're neighbors. ;)
I plan on videotaping me removing the mother from the eggs for people on the forums that might be interested. Beauty snakes are aggressive by nature so I'm curious how the mom will react to it lol.
Also plan on photographing the ovulation for anyone interested.
Once she goes into her pre-lay shed I'll set up my hunting night cam and hope to videotape her actually laying the eggs. Wish me luck!!

[marionsclan]

Good luck. Can't wait to see the outcome.

[LLinz]

Cool! I hope you actually do that!

[whoaxmary]

Just thought I'd leave an update.
Mitch seems do be doing better already.
Hisses at me whenever I reach in to change his water bowl now - when I hadn't heard a thing from him at all the whole way home and the first few days; so I'm taking that as a good sign that he's getting some spunk back.
He's gotten a lot of shed off himself, although there is still a lot stuck around his head and face.
He's taken a nice big poop for me last night - so I'll be picking up a rat for him today.
He has such an odd body shape, nice and thick except in the middle where he almost collapses into his own body, and his spine sticks out. Haven't been able to get a decent picture to share but I think he's really underweight. More updates will come as he progresses.

[stephanbakir]

Pics would be great, spine sticking out?? Like really tight fitting skin without muscle or spinal vertebrae puncturing through skin?

[whoaxmary]

Nothing is 'ouncturing' through skin, his 'spin' is just much more pronounced than it probable should be.And as I said , he gets really thing just after halfway down his body, than thickens up again a bit.

I'm on my way to pick up rats right now ; I'll try to get a picture when I get back.

[stephanbakir]

Alright, he sounds like its just a weight problem. Keep in mind that you don't want to have him put on weight too fast, better to do it gradually.

[whoaxmary]

Mhm, I picked up two live hamsters, because the small local pet store didn't have any rats that weren't froozen. Just moved "Mitch" into a cardboard box (prev. owner/ feed in enclosure so I want to break any feeding response there might be - even though he's still supposed to be 'no touch') with a hamster and he was on it asap. Never fed live before - sure as hell made me jump.

[stephanbakir]

Feeding live is never pleasant. Easy to F/K them with a flick of the spine.

[Aaron_S]

I hope that he's not now imprinted on hamsters. Ball pythons are pretty bad for imprinting.

[whoaxmary]

I'm aware - at this point I was more concerned with just having him eat. Now that I know he'll eat a moving hamster, I'm hoping he'll also eat a live rat, and then a frozen rat. The pet store in town is really small and is always out of stock of something or another -normally I have to pick through froozen bags to pick out meals for my guys. When they've been out of rats before I've fed Blue -my younger bp - dead hamsters, mice, and naval rats - and never have an issue getting her back to rats when they're available. I wan/need to just start beeding my own rats I think.

[stephanbakir]

Try frozen first... No reason to risk feeding live.

[SpOoKy]

I hope that he's not now imprinted on hamsters. Ball pythons are pretty bad for imprinting.

As far as I know, imprinting is not such a problem anymore. When reptile keeping first started the majority of snakes were wild caught therefore they still had that "instinct" (if you can call it that) to imprint on certain food. With snakes being captive bread for so long now, imprinting isn't an issue.

I could be wrong but this is what I have been told by many long time breeders/keepers.

[stephanbakir]

It's still pretty bad with specific species/indeviduals.

[marionsclan]

Feeding live is never pleasant. Easy to F/K them with a flick of the spine.

The store I get frozen pinkies from is out of frozen pinkies and only has live ones so I was thinking of getting them live then do the flick thing and then freeze, unless there is a better option. Suggestions?

[Aaron_S]

As far as I know, imprinting is not such a problem anymore. When reptile keeping first started the majority of snakes were wild caught therefore they still had that "instinct" (if you can call it that) to imprint on certain food. With snakes being captive bread for so long now, imprinting isn't an issue.

I could be wrong but this is what I have been told by many long time breeders/keepers.

As already stated that's true for most species. Ball pythons on the other hand tend to be jerks.

[Rog]

Good save. I rescued one during the winter. It feels great when their muscle tone comes back and they start looking healthy.

[stephanbakir]

The store I get frozen pinkies from is out of frozen pinkies and only has live ones so I was thinking of getting them live then do the flick thing and then freeze, unless there is a better option. Suggestions?
Freezing kills anything inside them that could potentially harm your animal. Breaking its spine is an easy way of killing them,(with pinkies be careful not to rip the head clean off) And CO2

[whoaxmary]

A week is almost up. Thinking about starting to handle Mitch tommorow. In the quarantine room of corse.

[Lankyrob]

A week is almost up. Thinking about starting to handle Mitch tommorow. In the quarantine room of corse.

You only fed him yesterday? Give him a couple more days imo :)

[TeaNinja]

my female dum just ate a Big (small size) rat for her and she's super lazy and chubby lol. i'm gonna leave her alone for like a week.

[whoaxmary]

Waaaah. I don't like you guys.
You're right though, which is why I posted saying I was thinking of it. :P
I'm just so eager to start working with him and see how his temperment is.

I did feed him food sized much smaller than I'm sure he could take just because it's his first time eating for me.
I've been home off work most of the day just watching him so it's making me eager to hold him. Once normal week shifts start tommorow and I'm not watching him all day I'm sure temptation will get easier to resist.