Snake in trouble. Please help

Xacred · 06-18-11, 11:00 AM

Hi Guys,

I have issues. My boss just gave me a snake that was owned by her daughter who is now in the navy and can't take care of it anymore. I accepted the gift but I don't know anything about snakes and I think this one is in very bad shape. Here are what I know:

- The snake is a ball python.
- It might be a year old but regardless is tiny. It fits on my hand
- It was fed only once a month because that's what the owner thought it should do
- It never had one side of the cage with any kind of extra heating.
- The cage only has a heat lamp up on top and the temperature is 80 degrees on the cage even under the lamp.
- The sneak hasn't had any food in over a month now. It didn't tried to eat the last live mice it was given. In fact the thing started biting the snake and it wouldn't defend itself.

What's the problem?
- I only got this sneak yesterday. I never had a sneak and I know little about it. I've been doing a lot of research to try to save the animal.
- The coloring of the snake and the eyes look good
- The sneak crawled around my hand weakly yesterday but since then it barely moved.
- In over 24 hours it's not move one bit or shown any signs of anything.
- I put a heat pad under the tank and now it seems to have the appropriate temperature but humidity is at 10% on the gauge even though I live in Florida. How do I raise this? Bad gauge?

My thinking based on the little I know about snakes:
- I feel the animal has been overly handled due to the owner going to the navy. She probably grabbed her too much and now coming to my place it probably freaked it out even more.
- The lack of food being fed only once a month for a year and now going 6 weeks without a meal is probably made it weak.
- The animal hasn't move not even a tiny bit in the last 18 hours.

Perhaps a trip to the vet? I don't want to freak this animal anymore. I know little about this snake having just got it yesterday.

Please let me know. Any good advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Lankyrob · 06-18-11, 04:05 PM

Ok, firstly get the hot side temp upto 91f, make sure it has a hide both hot and cold side and a nice size water bowl. Humidity needs to be around 55-60%. Once all this is straight leave snakey alone with just water changes for 7-10 days to settle into his new environment.

After this offer prey but not live, either buy a live item and kill it just before feeding or buy frozen and then defrost it and heat it up either in a plastic bag submerged in warm water or a hairdryer or on a radiator. You will want to hold the prey in either a pair of tongs or long tweezers by the scruff and make it "dance" for the snake til it strikes. After a coupleo f minutes if it hasnt struck then leave it on a plate in the vivarium overnight, some snakes are shy and like to feed in total darkness.

Any other qustions just ask. It can be hard work etting things right but once they are snakes are pretty easy to look after.

sch1sm · 06-18-11, 05:35 PM

To add a little to robs advice. The right temp is essential for the snakes digestion and wrong temps can cause them to ignore food, Likewise they like to feel secure while digesting so a snug hide at both ends is ideal (Just large enough for the snake to fit inside but be able to feel the sides/top) Dont repeatedly offer a prey item as this can stress the snake and make it not want to feed. Ball Pythons are picky feeders in my experience but patience and reserch win thru in most cases.
As rob said Keep asking questions and Good luck

marvelfreak · 06-18-11, 05:47 PM

Rob got it spot on, just two more things. Go to Wal-Mart and get a digital thermometer For $8.00 you can get one that will tell you temp and humidity. Then once you have a accurate humidity read you'll know if it needs up. If it does you can lightly mist the cage to up it or put a bigger water bowl in it. Heat lamps tend to dry up humidity, so if the cage has a screen top you can cover part of it to help keep the humidity up.

Good job on taking the time to find out how to properly for these beautiful creatures. These is how i got my first snake to. My brother-in -law went in to the Marines so i took care of he's "Boa" which turn out to be a Ball python. The pet store he got it from told him it was a Boa. After i did some research i found out it was a Ball. The more i research them the more i fell in love with them.

natsamjosh · 06-18-11, 07:09 PM

Can you post a picture?

Xacred · 06-19-11, 08:48 AM

Thank you so much for your advice. Unfortunately I came home last night and the snake was dead. The room had that kind of strong smell I rather don't remember. I think it's been dead for a day. I did get the heat pad and got the temperature on one side as to where it should be and had a hiding place for it on both cold and hot sides of the cage. It's too bad it died. I tried to bring it back. I can only guess what happened. At least I have a good tank for a new one. It's pretty big and has everything I need now to own one. I would like to clean it really well before I put another snake in it just in case it died of parasites. Any advice on what chemical to use to clean this out?

Thanks again for your advice. I'm posting a picture of it from when I got it two days ago.

Xacred · 06-19-11, 09:07 AM

Here is a picture of the cage.

whoaxmary · 06-19-11, 09:15 AM

I use chlorhexidine soap to wash everything, and then a nice spraying of nix. (Seach forum for nix fix.)

It is too bad it died... I wouldn't just jump into getting a new one asap just because you have the tank, maybe take some time to keep learning here and find a good breeder so this never happens again.

Edit: Also, if it is a bp you want, I'd fill that tank with lot's a fake plants and more hides so it feels more secure.

Lankyrob · 06-19-11, 09:44 AM

Sorry to hear that it died - certainly do not blame yourself in any way as any damage was done by its previous owners.

My advice would be to spend a week or so reading through the BP part of this forum - you will gain lots of knowledge and quite possibly get new questions that you can ask us before the purchase of another snake.

DOnt forget to keep us up to date with how it all goes.

Freebody · 06-19-11, 10:49 AM

sorry to hear of the loss of this little guy, do some research here, their is lots of good stuff on all types of snakes/reptiles. i hope this does not turn you from herping, once you know what your doing with the species you pick, herping really is an enjoyable hobby.

Xacred · 06-19-11, 11:28 AM

Thank you. It's too bad how it all happened. I do wish to take my time and do more research about them. I also would like to find a good reptile vet in the area before jumping on buying one. They seem to be fun animals to have. It's too bad this one didn't make it but at least I tried with the couple of days I had it and that's all you can do.

Pythons seem to be a pretty good pet to have although when I got it I was told it was a boa constrictor. lol.. I was worried about what I might do when it grows to 15 feet. ha!

This is a great forum. Thanks for your advice.

ilovemypets1988 · 06-19-11, 11:32 AM

sorry to hear about your loss, it really wasnt your fault.

anyway, before you get another snake, you may want to "practice" regular maintenance with the tank, what i mean is:
do everything with the tank as if there was a snake in there, so you get a feel for it.
set up the temps correctly, see what it takes to keep humidity at the required levels so you know what to do when the time comes and so on.

also doing this would make your tank ready for a new arrival to and would iron out any inconsistencies that would normally come just after purchasing a new snake.

good luck and keep us informed

SpOoKy · 06-19-11, 11:57 AM

Sorry for your loss

Lankyrob · 06-19-11, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovemypets1988

sorry to hear about your loss, it really wasnt your fault.

anyway, before you get another snake, you may want to "practice" regular maintenance with the tank, what i mean is:
do everything with the tank as if there was a snake in there, so you get a feel for it.
set up the temps correctly, see what it takes to keep humidity at the required levels so you know what to do when the time comes and so on.

also doing this would make your tank ready for a new arrival to and would iron out any inconsistencies that would normally come just after purchasing a new snake.

good luck and keep us informed

This is a VERY VERY good idea.

Will0W783 · 06-19-11, 07:46 PM

I just noticed this thread now...so sorry for your loss, but kudos for trying to save it. If you decide you'd like to get another snake at some point, doing your research and checking out local breeders is your best bet. Depending on what part of the country you live in, there are many reptile shows year-round for you to see the different species and sizes of snakes and other reptiles out there.
I, and many others here I'm sure, will help in any way possible.