Does this snake look sick to you ???

[maximus30576]

There is a ad on my local craigslist for this albino burm , comes with 20 gallon setup all for 100 bucks . I would be interested but not sure about the health of the snake and ive never owned a burm so i was just wandering if you all could tell much by the post . Thanks in advance . Hope i can get the link on here correct .. Albino Burmese Python (http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/for/2857737072.html)

[KORBIN5895]

I don't know jack about Burmesepythons but that just doesn't look right. That tank looks a lot bigger than 20 gallons to me. Also that snake looks dehydrated and way too small to be a year old. Could it be a royal python?

[CK SandBoas]

That snake looks severely dehydrated, not to mention underweight, in my opinion. That poor animal:(

That animals needs a vet visit, asap, and an experienced owner who is knowledgeable about Burms. That baby needs a lot of tender loving care, from that photo.

[maximus30576]

Thats my thoughts exactly , i would take him but i cant affoed a bunch of extra vet bills right now , sure hate to think of him suffering though ..

[reptile65]

I don't know jack about Burmesepythons but that just doesn't look right. That tank looks a lot bigger than 20 gallons to me. Also that snake looks dehydrated and way too small to be a year old. Could it be a royal python?

I agree. That snake looks severely dehydrated and underweight. It definitely still looks like a burm to me, but I would think it would be larger at a year old. He's probably just been underfed. Poor guy.

If it were me, I wouldn't pay $100 for that snake. If you're really interested in saving the snake, I would be completely honest with the seller. Just tell them that the snake is not in great condition and will probably need vet care. They might be willing to reduce the fee significantly if they know you're going to take good care of the snake. It's worth a try anyway...

[theapexgerman]

Poor snake the cage is looks like a 40 gallon or maybe a 50 it looks very unhealthy just to think this thing been suffering for awhile I bet

[infernalis]

It does look malnourished and dehydrated to me too.

[Lankyrob]

If you cant afford to take the snake and pay the vet bills then it is best to leave it where it is and hope that someone will come along that can afford to get it back to health.

[shaunyboy]

don't go near that burm mate

its dehydrated and very under wieght

also theres NO telling what other health problems are underlying

for as sad as it is to see a burm in that state,i would not take it on in that condition

people like the owner,should be subjected to the same treatment he's given that poor burm.starve and dehydrate him until he's near death

owners like that make my blood boil:mad:

cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Sadly, I have to agree with Shauny here. It sucks, and I know you want to give it a better life, but you can't pay that much money for a snake that might require three times that much in vet care. If you have the ability to properly quarantine, you can tell the seller that the animal is dehydrated and underweight, give him/her references to support your claim, and then discuss a more reasonable rehoming fee. I'd say $40-50 for the snake and supplies, or tell the owner you'll take the snake for free and he/she can sell the supplies to recoup their investment.

[millertime89]

I'm with Kim and Shaun on this. Unless you can get that burm for half that or less, its really not going to be worth it. Its gonna need some long baths and a consistent feeding schedule for a while. And that's only if it doesn't have any other problems.

[unknownclown]

I just emailed the guy....

"That poor snake Im amazed that its still alive. I know you said that youre unable to take care of it but wow... You do realize that its malnurished and dehydrated right? Snakes are not supposed to have wrinkles in them :( you should lower your asking price so it can get a propper home and care asap."

I went on to say a few other things as well but will keep it off here.

My advice would be unless you have the space to quarantine, time, money and ability not to get too attached if things go even further south with this poor animal I wouldnt get involved.

[Skumbo]

I just emailed the guy....

"That poor snake Im amazed that its still alive. I know you said that youre unable to take care of it but wow... You do realize that its malnurished and dehydrated right? Snakes are not supposed to have wrinkles in them :( you should lower your asking price so it can get a propper home and care asap."

I went on to say a few other things as well but will keep it off here.

My advice would be unless you have the space to quarantine, time, money and ability not to get too attached if things go even further south with this poor animal I wouldnt get involved.

I emailed him as well about him needing to get it to a vet before id pay for it (not planning on buying it, but you get my motive) :P

[unknownclown]

My response back...
Actually he is not malnurished i fed him just this past friday and he is not dehydrated, he is acutally in shedding right now get your facts straight thanks

Once again... Wow. I thought snakes shed when they grew not shrunk....

[Rogue628]

I agree with everyone else. That animal is very small for a year old burm....it's smaller than mine are they are only about 8-9 months old. And it's dehydrated. Poor thing. :(There's no telling what else could be wrong with it. It needs a trip to the vet ASAP!

[Rogue628]

My response back...
Actually he is not malnurished i fed him just this past friday and he is not dehydrated, he is acutally in shedding right now get your facts straight thanks

Ya, but my burms don't look like that while they're in shed. And just because he ate Friday doesn't mean that he's not malnourished. He may have him on mice or even not feeding the poor thing a proper sized prey frequently enough. Even my problem feeder burm is bigger that this one.

[CK SandBoas]

My response back...
Actually he is not malnurished i fed him just this past friday and he is not dehydrated, he is acutally in shedding right now get your facts straight thanks

Once again... Wow. I thought snakes shed when they grew not shrunk....


Sickening, just sickening. Looks like the "owner" himself has so many retained eye caps, that he is blind to the fact he is trying to sell a severely ill animal, just to make a buck:mad:

[maximus30576]

I think i will just steer clear , i emailed him also and he said not budging on the price ..Oh well i tried

[CK SandBoas]

I think i will just steer clear , i emailed him also and he said not budging on the price ..Oh well i tried

Of course he's no budging, he only cares about the cash, not the poor animals welfare:(

[shaunyboy]

Of course he's no budging, he only cares about the cash, not the poor animals welfare:(

that burm imo will be dead soon and there goes his cash

ignorant owners piss me off,the guys an idiot pal

cheers shaun

[CK SandBoas]

that burm imo will be dead soon and there goes his cash

ignorant owners piss me off,the guys an idiot pal

cheers shaun


I had a few more colorful names for him, but i will keep them to myself.
It's truly a shame a beautiful animal has to suffer because of it's owners ignorance.

[Rogue628]

I'm not even going to try. People like this really irritate me. That animals needs better living conditions. At best it's got a bad shed due to no humidity in a glass enclosure and it's probably being fed mice which is not a good food source for burms. If it has humidity issues, it probably has signs of an RI.

The probable reason it looks so bad in shed is due to the excess skin being dry. That excess skin (see how it's folded?) is more than likely due to being underfed and not enough humidity and/or dehydration issues.

Bah. I can't look at that poor animal anymore. It's probably a very sweet burm but it needs a better owner!

[KORBIN5895]

I just emailed the guy....

"That poor snake Im amazed that its still alive. I know you said that youre unable to take care of it but wow... You do realize that its malnurished and dehydrated right? Snakes are not supposed to have wrinkles in them :( you should lower your asking price so it can get a propper home and care asap."

I went on to say a few other things as well but will keep it off here.

My advice would be unless you have the space to quarantine, time, money and ability not to get too attached if things go even further south with this poor animal I wouldnt get involved.


Plus one!!!

Just emailed him myself.

[Ridge Runner_20]

Good Lord! My baby Hog Island is just 6 months old and probably bigger than that poor Burm! Wow... Really sad. :pissedoff:

RR_20 (Mike)

[Psyche]

I think you guys got through or something because they deleted the post

[millertime89]

My response back...
Actually he is not malnurished i fed him just this past friday and he is not dehydrated, he is acutally in shedding right now get your facts straight thanks

Once again... Wow. I thought snakes shed when they grew not shrunk....

you should ask him what he's feeding to it.

[KORBIN5895]

you should ask him what he's feeding to it.

Probably decon.

[Skumbo]

I think you guys got through or something because they deleted the post

this is a good thing, its possible we may have gotten through to them that they are doing something wrong. Not much we can do.. sadly. I wish i could call in animal services or something them. :(

[millertime89]

Probably decon.

huh? Decon?

[KORBIN5895]

huh? Decon?

Really good rat poison.

[unknownclown]

ok I sent this earlier today....
a snake that size should be fed a rat that can leave a small noticeable bulge in its belly every 5 days. out of the 36 snakes I have here NONE of them get wrinkly from shedding and if you do a search on the internet you will find that nobody elses do either. What they do is turn a bit darker or faded and thier eye caps turn blue...

I also told her...
seriously you should lower your asking price so it can get a propper home and care asap. OR do some serious rehab for it and put it back on the market once it is healthier. I would be happy to help if you choose option B.

Just now I came on here and thought I thought I would check my email after reading these posts and this is what she sent me...

omg i removed the listing i went to petco and got him 2 adult mice i fed him in his cage because he wont eat outside of it and he is very mean and strikes at me. Please help the skin is peeling now cause i also sprayed water on him. what can i do to bring his temperment down so he is not so mean and to make him eat outside of his cage?? Please help i want to make him live long please help me

[millertime89]

tell her to not feed out of cage, once he puts some size on him its one of the most dangerous things in the hobby to try and feed a giant out of its enclosure because then you have to get it back in while in feed mode.

[Rogue628]

ok I sent this earlier today....
a snake that size should be fed a rat that can leave a small noticeable bulge in its belly every 5 days. out of the 36 snakes I have here NONE of them get wrinkly from shedding and if you do a search on the internet you will find that nobody elses do either. What they do is turn a bit darker or faded and thier eye caps turn blue...

I also told her...
seriously you should lower your asking price so it can get a propper home and care asap. OR do some serious rehab for it and put it back on the market once it is healthier. I would be happy to help if you choose option B.

Just now I came on here and thought I thought I would check my email after reading these posts and this is what she sent me...

omg i removed the listing i went to petco and got him 2 adult mice i fed him in his cage because he wont eat outside of it and he is very mean and strikes at me. Please help the skin is peeling now cause i also sprayed water on him. what can i do to bring his temperment down so he is not so mean and to make him eat outside of his cage?? Please help i want to make him live long please help me


Wow. At least she listened. IIRC, she has him in a glass tank so humidity is an issue with the shed, so that issue needs to be addressed. Burms really don't need to be on mice so talking her into switching to rats would help it's growth alot as well. As far as his striking, it could very well be because she's taking him out of his home, and/or it could be the husbandry or incorrect handling or just lack of handling. If I were a betting person I'd bet that with better husbandry and feeding schedule (as well as STOP feeding it out of it's home!), it's temperament will calm down.

You could always suggest she join here where there's more people that are more than willing to help her out. :)

I'm just really happy she listened and is now asking for help. It's definitely a step in the right direction!

[unknownclown]

I dont keep burms but this is my response to her anyone want to chime in with anything helpful?

To get the shed off if its coming off in pieces put it it a tub with a lid and holes in it and place damp warm cloth and leave it over night.

Did it eat? I really wish I was closer I have plenty of food here and we can get it good and fed. Was it bitey after you fed it?



Personally what I would do is after its fed put it to sit in the tub with a damp warm cloth and get rid of the shed. It should be left alone and not handled for 3 days after it eats so it can digest and there isnt a chance of regurge which can be quite common in snakes.



If the temps are right in its enclosure...78-80F the tub can be placed in there for the 3 days. it should calm down drastically after its been fed and had a chance to digest and finish shedding unless its just not used to being held.

[millertime89]

Direct her over here, we'll help her set things right.

[unknownclown]

Um I can...but Im guessing this here thread will throw her off a bit from the site....

[KORBIN5895]

This thread needs deleted if she joins.

[unknownclown]

Ok heres my last email...
Also I would stop feeding outside of the enclosure this is going to be a monster of a snake that neither you or anyone else is going to want to move or mess with when its good and hungry. I know alot of people go on about cage agression but that really isnt something you have to worry about with regular handling. The only time you really get cage agressoin is if the only time the enclosure opens you feed it.. there has to be a happy medium.

And now Im goin to bed :P

[millertime89]

Have Wayne section off the posts and edit some stuff so it looks like we're only just trying to help. And hide the posts like this.

[Rogue628]

Ok heres my last email...
Also I would stop feeding outside of the enclosure this is going to be a monster of a snake that neither you or anyone else is going to want to move or mess with when its good and hungry. I know alot of people go on about cage agression but that really isnt something you have to worry about with regular handling. The only time you really get cage agressoin is if the only time the enclosure opens you feed it.. there has to be a happy medium.

And now Im goin to bed :P


I know you're going to bed but I just wanted to make a couple of comments about feeding inside the enclosure. Hook training....or even taking something like a paper towel insert...and touching the snake with it, can snap them out of a feed mode and also lets them know (learned behavior) it's not feeding time. Another trick to use is to feed from one side of the enclosure and pick up from the opposite side. They're definitely not a stupid animal and are intelligent. You can teach them through consistency when it's feeding time and when it's not. Plus having a set feeding day helps alot.

[Skumbo]

while her trying to fix the situation is good, i know she wont be able to handle that snake when its bigger. do we have anybody able to take this snake on? :(

[Rogue628]

I can if I can get it before the ban. I have two extra set ups for animals. My larger one may get filled in the next couple of weeks but the other one I have is a good size for the burm. I also have plenty of feeders, from mice to rats, and even chicks :)

[Skumbo]

I can if I can get it before the ban. I have two extra set ups for animals. My larger one may get filled in the next couple of weeks but the other one I have is a good size for the burm. I also have plenty of feeders, from mice to rats, and even chicks :)

we could also "use the ban" to persuade the owner to give it away, let her know it'll be illegal to cross state lines with one soon, etc etc and maybe they'll just give it up to avoid the hassle

[Rogue628]

we could also "use the ban" to persuade the owner to give it away, let her know it'll be illegal to cross state lines with one soon, etc etc and maybe they'll just give it up to avoid the hassle

I never messaged her about the animal since there was enough people already doing it.

If anyone else is still responding to her, they can let her know about the ban and a possible home for it. I also have a vet I can take it to if necessary. It's the zoo's vet, but he usually has no problems checking out my rescues and giving advice or meds if need be. I think he likes the fact that there's someone here who actually cares about exotics. Plus I think he gets a kick out of seeing what else I've managed to rescue lol

[Skumbo]

I never messaged her about the animal since there was enough people already doing it.

If anyone else is still responding to her, they can let her know about the ban and a possible home for it. I also have a vet I can take it to if necessary. It's the zoo's vet, but he usually has no problems checking out my rescues and giving advice or meds if need be. I think he likes the fact that there's someone here who actually cares about exotics. Plus I think he gets a kick out of seeing what else I've managed to rescue lol

She never replied to me, but has to others here.. I really hope this ends with you caring for the snake, you'd provide it a much better home.

if whoever is in contact with her can explain that curing the snake is going to be expensive and that it will be illegal to move the snake soon, she should be willing to give up the snake somehow, the only issue is picking it up, obviously

[Rogue628]

It would have to be shipped to me. Not sure if I'd be willing to fork out 100 plus shipping on a snake that may require that money for meds, etc.

[Skumbo]

Not to mention i'd doubt the person would ship it properly..

[unknownclown]

Hi again... I spoke with her on the phone on my break briefly told her that it needs a
Damp hide to help with shedding. The snake has been hissy since she bought it but now she seems scared of it. She wants me on the phone with her while she tries to pick it up... that should be fun!
I will tell her about the ban but in my opinion the snake is in no shape to be shipped.
I'm starting to feel a bit helpless here since I'm way over in the Seattle area and can't personally come help her. She seems quite genuine in wanting the best for the snake. If there is someone near by that can take it I may be able to talk some sense in her to lower the price...

[millertime89]

where's she located?
Seriously try and get her on here, at least until she can find someone that can care for he burm.

[Will0W783]

The ban does not go into effect until the end of March. If she is honestly afraid of it, offer to pay for shipping, and have it shipped to you. If you can get her to ship it at no charge (other than shipping), I'd say it's a good move to get it out of her hands. Too many people buy baby Burms because they are cute and they don't really fathom how much work they are when they are full grown.

If you want, you can have her email me. I have a lot of experience with giant constrictors and rehabilitating Burmese pythons, and I'd be more than willing to help her out. I will PM you my email address.

[Skumbo]

Hi again... I spoke with her on the phone on my break briefly told her that it needs a
Damp hide to help with shedding. The snake has been hissy since she bought it but now she seems scared of it. She wants me on the phone with her while she tries to pick it up... that should be fun!
I will tell her about the ban but in my opinion the snake is in no shape to be shipped.
I'm starting to feel a bit helpless here since I'm way over in the Seattle area and can't personally come help her. She seems quite genuine in wanting the best for the snake. If there is someone near by that can take it I may be able to talk some sense in her to lower the price...

This is good! it's crazy how people who actually care can so quickly neglect an animal out of laziness (not looking up how to take care of it) or fear, the snake is probably pissed at her cause its living is crappy conditions..

Have you explained to her how huge these animals get? that she'll probably have to feed it rabbits and keep it in a massive cage eventually?

[millertime89]

I explained it in the other thread, the ban goes into effect 60 days after they're officially added to the list of injurious species, which hasn't been done yet.

[aj099]

OMG i checked your link and was bored so i started searching craigslist set to atlanta

and i came across this.........:pissedoff:

Ball Python with aquarium (http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/for/2857760907.html)

the add is this.

"ball python for sale, have 55 gallon aquarium, water bowl all for $150.00. Snake eats mice every 2weeks, loves to be held, never bitten or struck anyone ever. He is approximetely 2 feet long and full grown. Needs good home"


these are picture`s of said snake......:unhappy:WTF?

[aj099]

sorry to interupt,didn`t realize where this discusion ended up.:wacky:

[KORBIN5895]

Post that in our Craig's list section! That is one epic ad.

[aj099]

will do! i knew i had to post once i saw it haha.

[Skumbo]

any update from the guy who was in contact with this girl?

[millertime89]

see? like this one, I already read your reply about 10 minutes ago, yet it just popped up as having a new reply.