I got a big surprise yesterday...

[Will0W783]

...when my fiance picked me up from the train station, there was a big cardboard box on my seat. I said, "Uh-oh, what'd you buy now?" He had just been over to our friend's pet store to pick up crickets for the geckos, and Dave (our friend) had told him that when he came in to open the store for the day, he found a filthy, uncovered 10-gallon tank sitting outside the back door. In it was a tiny, emaciated blood python covered in stuck shed. He gave the snake to my fiance, because he knew we could help it recover. The little thing is so sweet! Its spine is prominent, although there is good muscle tone, and the stuck shed came off with a good soak. I am hoping the little one makes a speedy recovery! I haven't determined its gender yet- I am guessing male, but I won't know until we probe it and I'm not going to put it through that stress until it gets some weight back on. I've got him/her quarantined in my bathroom, in a 10-gallon tank on paper towel. I've treated it for mites with Nix- I couldn't see any on it but I wasn't taking chances, and when it poops I will have the vet check for parasites.

Anyway, here is the new little one:
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/1d783926.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/7002e01f.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/49a4fa85.jpg

[USMCgunner11]

It saddens me to hear abandonment stories like that. Good on you to give him a home. That's a good looking snake.

[Norm66]

Wow, some people....

Good for you all for taking it in. I can't wait to see how it progresses.

[Will0W783]

I have never seen a blood this skinny...poor little baby. :(
It was absolutely well-behaved while I worked off the stuck shed with Shed-Ease, warm water and a soft towel, and didn't even hiss. Its movements are good, it is active and curious, so I'm hoping the malnourishment won't leave any lasting damage.

People that could just dump an animal off sicken me. The temperature has been dropping into the 50s here overnight....I wonder how long the poor little thing was left outside...

[USMCgunner11]

50s!! I'm appaulled.

[Will0W783]

I was so saddened and furious too! I can't understand how people can be so callous and cold! I'm really hoping the poor thing doesn't get pneumonia from the cold. :(

[shaunyboy]

what a shame for the poor wee blood

at least he's in good hands now kimberly

cheers shaun

[alessia55]

Poor baby :no:

[exwizard]

Aww who would do that to such a beautiful little Blood. I dont understand it. Im glad he'll get better though.

[smoothie4l]

Poor baby, that's one skinny blood python. At least she/he is in good hands now. <3

[Will0W783]

I am really hoping that having been left out in the cold hasn't done any permanent damage to the little one. I will try feeding it this weekend, after it's had a day or two to settle in. It supposedly ate at the pet store as soon as they warmed it up.

[dshin963]

OMG... that blood is skinny... and sadly enough... it reminds me of the first blood I ever saw in person... at a big name Petstore... I wish you good luck with him...her :)

[marvelfreak]

Beautiful plus friendly and some dumb-ss just abandon it. All i have to say is thank goodness it in good hands now. Keep us post on how this little guy does.

[Rogue628]

Sometimes I really hate humans. Poor thing. :( At least it's friendly which I think is a good sign (stress, etc). Thank you for taking the wee one in. He's in good hands now and can't wait to see improvement pics :)

[Trollbie]

I'm glad he's in good hands now!!!!

[CK SandBoas]

He is definitely in better hands! I pray that the little guy thrives and grows under your care, Kim:)

[Lankyrob]

Think of it as karma, after your little accident the other day that left you devastated lady karma has given you an opportunity to redress natures balance by bringing this guy back to perfect health :) keep us up to date with how he progresses please :)

[CDN_Blood]

I'm happy to help anyone who's serious, dedicated and willing to learn, so feel free to hit me-up if you have any questions you think I may be able to help with :)

[jaleely]

Poor baby : ( stupid people. Gah, that snake is so much better off now.
It's probably dehydrated too. When we first eased our two emaciated ball python rescues into food, i injected some water under the skin of the food items so they got extra moisture. I did this for a while, because they were actually both impacted with urate lumps. One hardly, but did poo orange a little (sign of dehydration and harm to the kidneys) and the other i had to work out a HUGE plug of urate. I felt so bad for it! But i could tell within hours it felt better.

I sure hope there's no lasting issues with the little guy and he gains weight and recovers fast, and has no other issues. Poor thing!! : (

[unknownclown]

Wow... some people. Gorgeous snake btw. I'm not sure if you though about it but you may want to crank the heat up for him just incase he gets ri from sitting in the cold. In my experience its best to be ahead of the game with ri.

[Will0W783]

Thanks guys....I will definitely hit you up Todd if I have any problems. The new little one ate Saturday evening for me!! He took a f/t mouse, and kept it down just fine. I have been watching for signs of an RI, and so far so good. I have the heat set to 90 hot spot, and it's a 10-gallon tank so it should not be getting much below that on the other end. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that his recovery is swift.

BTW, Rob I think I am going to name him/her Karma. It kind of works for either gender, right? And it's a fitting name I think, given the circumstances of the little one's arrival. ;)

[CDN_Blood]

Bloods don't care much for high heat and prefer low-mid 80s :)

[Will0W783]

I thought I would keep it hot to prevent an RI, since he/she was sitting out in the cold, but I can drop it if you think that would be better. I noticed the snake has been sitting on the cooler end almost constantly, but is cold to the touch.

[CDN_Blood]

I'd probably take it to about 84, but that's just me. It's okay if they're cool unless they've had a big meal. You'll notice that it'll really kinda shuts down between meals, almost always wanting cool temperatures and staying very quiet. It'll go to the warmth when it's eaten.

[Will0W783]

Ok, thanks Todd! :) I'll drop the temps down right away. I've honestly never had a snake that went through what this poor fellow has, and just want to make sure I'm doing all I can to help him/her get better.

[CDN_Blood]

Yer doin' fine, just keep an eye on 'm :)

[jaleely]

keep us updated! poor lil thing. i really don't understand people sometimes, the only thing positive i have to say about them is they actually gave him up before they killed him with their poor care.

[Will0W783]

Karma is looking good- he's alert and cruising around his quarantine tank, checking things out. Whenever I come in the room, he pops his head up and slithers over to the glass and watches me. It's so cute!!

He looks a bit full near the back end- I am hoping that he isn't constipated or backed up with fecal stones from being so dehydrated.

[jaleely]

Feel around a bit...unfortunately i bet he is. Gentle smooshing and you can pop those right out. Just work it very softly like you're going to squeeze a toothpaste tube lol
I've done it with a healthy snake, that was dehydrated from being at the reptile show (rolls eyes) and with my rescue snakes.
I actually think it's surprisingly easy for them to form urate balls that can block their normal bowel movements.
The one snake, Ribs, was able to pass urates...but when i realized that ball was still there, and worked it out of him...i noticed a LOT more coming out! lol

[dshin963]

The other thing with bloods are that they do not usually poop as often as other snakes... It isnt uncommon for my blood to go 1 month without pooping... that being said when they do poop its a lot... :S

[CDN_Blood]

The other thing with bloods are that they do not usually poop as often as other snakes... It isnt uncommon for my blood to go 1 month without pooping... that being said when they do poop its a lot... :S

It really depends on how much they're eating. I find a lot of people are uneasy with feeding larger meals to their snakes, but don't let 'm fool you - he'd probably hold 2 large f/t rats comfortably once he's had a smaller meal to get his system working well.

Mine all tend to take their first poop about a 1-2 weeks after digesting a meal, and then again in another 1-2 weeks. They're pretty regular, but I think it's the large food that does it. I do let them go longer between meals sometimes, which is another reason I practice the larger meal option. It's just more natural for them in my opinion ;)

[millertime89]

So glad the little one is in good hands now!
Todd, if you don't mind my asking how long do you let your bloods go between meals? Just curious what you define as a longer meal. Based on your post it sounds like 3-4 weeks?

[KSTAR]

i never saw a blood that skinny but im happy he fell into your hands and im sure he will make a great recovery now! keep us posted

[Arc210]

Awh :( Who could do that to any animal? It's outrageous! I hope you can fix him/her, good luck :]

[Will0W783]

Karma chowed down a good-sized f/t small rat yesterday with no hesitation! Alessia got some good pictures- hopefully she will post them here soon. :)

[alessia55]

Perfect timing Kim- I'm uploading them now!

[alessia55]

Here he is coiling the rat we gave him :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/IMG_1147.jpg

[Will0W783]

Yay! Nice photo- it shows his pretty colors really well! :)

[jheane14]

nice color... the skinny thing problem would be solved in no time.. =)

[moshirimon]

can't wait to see her health go up. be sure to post pics once she puts on a bit of weight!

bloods are definitely one of my favourite snakes!!

[Will0W783]

I will definitely be posting lots of progress pics. I actually thought of a possibly better (albeit funnier) name this morning. I have been calling him Karma, but I watched South Park last night, and now I'm wondering if "Starvin' Marvin" wouldn't be a better name for him, lol.

What do you guys think?
Keep the current name Karma
Or start calling him Starvin' Marvin?

[Norm66]

I love Marvin for him. LOL. Clickety click click.

[alessia55]

Noo keep it Karma! I love that name :)

[Caylan]

Very interesting colour, Starvin' looks sweet! I might suggest a larger meal next time if possible, regardless I'm glad to see him eating, good on you!

[Lankyrob]

As Karma was kinda my idea i vote for Karma :)

[CK SandBoas]

I happen to personally love Marvin, as Marvin was my nickname back in High School, for some reason:D

[millertime89]

I actually like Karma.

[Will0W783]

Well I talked to my fiance, and he hates the idea of Marvin...he begged me to keep it Karma. So I guess his name will stay Karma. I can still call him "Starvin Marvin" as a nickname though, lol

[Lankyrob]

Wooohoooo :)

[Hurrok]

Karma is a lovely name, glad you kept it!

[CDN_Blood]

So, how is this one doing now?

[Will0W783]

Karma is going into shed again...I have him set up on cypress mulch with a huge water bowl now that he has finished the mite treatment. I am hoping that the remaining eye caps come off and that his skin looks healthier with the new shed. He's eating frozen/thawed small rats with gusto.

[CDN_Blood]

That's great news! Watch for mites though - there's no such thing as a one-time infestation - there is inevitably and second generation incubating if he had any in the first place. If he did, I'd keep him on paper for the next few weeks for sure.

Keep us posted 'cause we love success stories :D

[Will0W783]

I treated him with Nix for three weeks- and each time before a new treatment, I bleached the cage, rinsed with with water, dried it thoroughly, then applied the Nix and paper towels. No mites or eggs appeared after the second treatment, but I left him on paper towels until this past weekend.

I'll definitely keep everyone posted. :) I really love the little one- he's such a sweet friendly blood, especially when you consider how poorly he'd been treated.

[Will0W783]

Karma had his first shed with me...it came off in one piece. I found his shed floating in his water dish. He seemed a good bit tenser and jumpier now...I don't know if it's just that he is feeling better or if he was startled when I opened his cage.

I looked all over the cage and didn't find any feces though...I'm a tad concerned as it's been a month now with no waste-passing. He is looking for food again though, and I cannot feel any lumps in his intestines that would suggest impaction. Should I be concerned or keep feeding him like normal?

[CDN_Blood]

They can get a little touchy right after shedding. Just let it calm for a few hours and it should be back to normal.

People are usually quite surprised when they realize how much food has to go into a Blood before it'll warrant evacuation. There's a reason these are heavy-bodied snakes, so it really does take a lot more to constitute a meal that you're used to with other snakes. I say let it eat and eat and eat :)

[alessia55]

Karma had his first shed with me...it came off in one piece. I found his shed floating in his water dish. He seemed a good bit tenser and jumpier now...I don't know if it's just that he is feeling better or if he was startled when I opened his cage.

I looked all over the cage and didn't find any feces though...I'm a tad concerned as it's been a month now with no waste-passing. He is looking for food again though, and I cannot feel any lumps in his intestines that would suggest impaction. Should I be concerned or keep feeding him like normal?

Super glad to hear he shed! The little guy is probably recovering by leaps and bounds with you. If you can't feel any lumps, I'd say go ahead and feed him again. How many meals does he have in him? He'll hopefully poop after the next one. You know bloods have slow metabolisms. So if he's willing to eat and you don't feel anything unusual, I'd go ahead with it :)
Ps: I miss you

[Will0W783]

Thanks Todd! I appreciate the knowledge and advice. Alessia, he's had 4 meals with me (two were f/t large mice, two were f/t rats...first one small, this second meal was a medium). He took it fine with no problem, so I'm going to keep him on medium rats. He's a lot shorter than the other snakes that eat medium, but he's a blood so he's plump and I want the weight back on him. He looks a good bit less skin and bones already :)

[marvelfreak]

Glad to here he doing better. On average my bloods poop about once every couple months.

[Caylan]

One of my bloods so far has only gone 2 times a year, and its not to lack of feeding, she just really likes to hold it in until she explodes :D Glad to hear this one is doing so much better already, I'd love to see a new picture of the freshly shed little guy :D

[Will0W783]

I'll try to snap a few pics tonight if I remember...I swear some days I'm going senile already...I'd forget my head if it weren't attached, lol

[Caylan]

Oh yeah that's right, you're pretty busy lately aren't you? No pressure, I shouldn't be asking for pics anyway, I haven't posted any in a long time....

[CDN_Blood]

Glad to here he doing better. On average my bloods poop about once every couple months.

One of my bloods so far has only gone 2 times a year, and its not to lack of feeding, she just really likes to hold it in until she explodes :D ...

Wow, lol. Mine are incredibly predictable and regular. One or more of us are doing something wrong here, lol <runs away>

[marvelfreak]

Wow, lol. Mine are incredibly predictable and regular. One or more of us are doing something wrong here, lol <runs away>

lol
My big girl is going every month now. The babies still about every two months. I did up them to med rats this last feed. So i hope that helps.

[CDN_Blood]

Was it the larger meals with more time between trick, Chuck?

[alessia55]

I'll try to snap a few pics tonight if I remember...I swear some days I'm going senile already...I'd forget my head if it weren't attached, lol

Where's those pics? :laugh:

[CDN_Blood]

Where's those pics? :laugh:

LOL! I didn't wanna say anything, but sometimes a little pressure is fun <snickers and runs away again> :)

[Will0W783]

Gah! I forgot ....I'm sorry guys. I ended up having to tube and hand-shed the older eyelash viper. My fiance was supposed to be misting him down the last few days because he's been rushing me out of the house in the morning and telling me he already took care of the snakes....well when I went to clean cages last night I saw that poor Goblin had started to shed and it was not coming off well. I soaked him for 10 minutes, then tubed him and had John hold him the tube while I worked the skin off. I was quite nervous and heart was pounding, but Goblin is quite good-natured and he didn't fight the tube really. Needless to say...after that fiasco I forgot to snap some new pics of Karma. I will really try to remember tonight...lol. I need to set an alarm on my phone to tell me.

[CDN_Blood]

<insert impatient foot tapping here> :D

[Will0W783]

Sorry guys....I took pictures with our good camera yesterday, but I have to upload them. My fiance has the cord for the camera and he said he'd get it for me today.

[CDN_Blood]

Well that's IT! Put him on the phone...LOL :D

[marvelfreak]

Was it the larger meals with more time between trick, Chuck?
I up the size but going to keep time in between the same.

[jaleely]

I want to see photos of you shedding a viper, too *lol*

[Will0W783]

Here's Karma chowing down on a rat yesterday- he's up to mediums now.

[marvelfreak]

Here's Karma chowing down on a rat yesterday- he's up to mediums now.
Love his color.

[tinysdad]

thats how i got my male boa. the so called "snake expert" at a local pet shop had a bout 1/2 dozen boas in the store. i was lookin at an albino. there wer 6 adult boas crammed into a 55 gallon tank!!!! when i noticed on the concrete floor(with no heat source in february in northern ny!!!!) a 30 gallon tank with an 8 1/2 ft boa constrictor. he caught my eye because of his coloration (silvery) the guy said he was in there because he struck at him and was unpredictable.i looked at the snakes and monitors for about 30 minutes thinking this guy should be shot for his poor keeping practices, when he came back and told me i could take the big male for 40 bucks to get him out of his hair! ummm...yeah. so i bought him home, nursed him while in quarantine.(he had a resp infection from being n the concrete.) he's a good eater but he does hiss when you go to lift him from the tank, but he's a pussy cat when he's out. i have him in a 70 gallon right now but i'm building him a 6' by 4' by4' enclosure and he'll be relocating soon