Need Your Help

paul · 05-15-03, 05:12 AM

Hi All
I was wondering if anyone can help me. I have a bp and she is usually very tame and gentle we handle her every day. Now she was in a rough shed about a week and a half ago which lasted roughly just over two weeks. Since her shed she has been acting very strangely. She has been staying in her log and when ever I go to put my hand into her tank she comes out of the log and goes into a defense positon like she is about to strike at me, and she has never done this.

If someone can please let me know what they think could be wrong.

Thank you so much in advance ( I just want my girl back)

paul · 05-15-03, 06:03 AM

Can someone please help me with this.

ReptiZone · 05-15-03, 06:07 AM

Did you check the old shed to see if both eye caps came off. Other than that I dont know what to tell ya I am gona need more info. You should refrence your records to see if there is any thing that was difrent since thar last shed B4 the bad one and you sould realy check out the temps in your cage that could be a problem. There is tomany factors in play here it is hard to just pick one with out seeing the animal or knowing the past records.

SerpentLust · 05-15-03, 10:44 AM

This is just with my Children's Python, I really can't speak for Balls...but mine gets cranky in the Early Spring time and it lasts about a month, sometimes two. She acts like a completely different snake. But I just prepare to be bitten, still handle her and show her all the lovins I can, she gets ove rit everytime.

Jenn

vanderkm · 05-15-03, 12:28 PM

Certainly the possibility of retained eyecaps because of a poor shed is a good one. If she is having difficulty seeing, she would definately be more likley to be defensive. Our ball pythons have been tolerant but sensitive snakes and something that had been a frightening experience would be enough to make them reclusive for a while. When you say it was a bad shed, do you mean you had to work with her a lot to get peices off - could that have been uncomfortable enough for her not to trust you any more. Is there any chance she is being fed live prey and she has been injured by it? Do your hands smell like something that would be a threat to her - like after petting the dog without washing first, or handling another large snake? Just a few ideas, but hard to know without more info.

mary v.

paul · 05-15-03, 07:08 PM

Her eye caps did come off actually that was the first thing to come off, what I meant by a bad shed was it was very flaky and took her a long time to get it all off. After it did all come off she was fine with us handling her, it has only been the past few days.
Also we are feeding her frozen rat pups and she ate yesterday and the day before. She is usually very active a night but like i said she has been staying in her log and I can't even put my hand in her tank without her coming out as if she is gonna strike.

I just can't figure it out cause this is not like her, I have never seen her like this (this is our first snake and we have had her since Oct).

Please help

ReptiZone · 05-16-03, 04:44 AM

when was the last time it deficated it could be constipation I am just throwing stuff at you hoping that you will find somthing hat could be. that way we can work on a few things like I said with out seeing the snake it is hard to realy say and even if I saw the snake it would still be a gamble it could be kidney stones any external perasites. what you are looking for is some sort of behaviore change other then the striking dos it choose not to move sertin ways for a specific reason soaking for verry long periods of time stuff like that once you pin point the difrent symptoms that we can assosiat them with a disorder parasite or desise of any kind then go to the vet and ask them to check specific things cause if you just bring your snake in and say I dont know what is wrong then they will take your cash and and say it was your imagination or somthing along thows lines.

paul · 05-16-03, 05:19 AM

I really appreciate your help.
She does not even come out of her log besides just her head, the only time she will come out half way is when i put my hand in she will go into a s shape and stretch herself up. And as for a her bowl movement yes she has been going. I really can't pin point the problem myself either and as i said this is all new to me.

Thanks so much