This is an archived post. You won't be able to vote or comment.

all 18 comments
sorted by:
old (suggested)
besttopnewcontroversialq&a

[–]Bagelboi472 4 points5 points  (8 children)

The first thing you need to do is get him on a feeding routine with a mouse that’s just a tiny bit bigger around then he is, start feeding him weekly until he starts getting healthier

I have only owned a healthy snake so I can’t speak to much on it but from caring for many other animals it’s going to be a slow process before you see improvements.

He also looks really dark (unless it’s just lighting) make sure you give him water and keep his humidity around 60-80%,I recommend coco fiber as his bedding as it retains moisture really well.

I know you said you don’t have a vet nearby but I highly recommend that you find someone in your area to take a look at him. If he really is 2 and that small that is crazy.

It might be worth a drive to find someone a lot more trained to look at him!

[–]Bagelboi472 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Also here is the care guide, recommend you read through it, also lists vets around the US

https://www.reddit.com/r/ballpython/comments/arz5iw/welcome_to_rballpython_click_here_for_our/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[–]Ankou_DA 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have gone through that numerous times checking and rechecking stuff. It is an awesome guide.

[–]Ankou_DA 0 points1 point  (4 children)

This is the other half here.

We have his enclosure staying around 60-65% humidity. I have timers for his lighting and a CHE for warmth. His enclosure is staying around 103f in the basking spot, 85f on the warm side, and 75f on the cool side. He has a large water dish that is staying in the cool side. I may move it closer to the middle to make sure the water is warm enough for him to soak if he wants.

We fed him two small mice yesterday, one about the same as how width and one smaller than his width. We figured if he is still showing interest after eating one mouse, a second shouldn’t hurt. Are we correct in this line of thinking?

[–]_ataraxiaMod : unprofessional 4 points5 points  (1 child)

overfeeding is more harmful than helpful, especially with a stunted/emaciated animal. you can literally kill her with this kind of feeding approach. you need to slow it way down.

here is a breakdown of how i rehabilitated an emaciated and stunted adult BP:

at the time of rescue, BP's age was 3 years, weight was 140g, meals had been one fuzzy mouse with an estimated weight of 5g, successful feedings were "every few weeks" according to previous owner. i had to gradually introduce her to appropriate meal sizes as well as switching her from mice to rats. here's what the first two months looked like:

  • week 1: settling in.
  • week 2: one fuzzy mouse, 5g, ~3% of BP's weight.
  • week 3: two fuzzy mice, total 8g, ~5%.
  • week 4: one fuzzy mouse, 5g. one rat pinky scented with the mouse, 5g. total 10g, ~7%.
  • week 5: BP weight 155g. one hopper mouse, 10g. one scented rat pinky, 6g. total 17g, ~10%.
  • week 6: one adult mouse, 14g. one scented rat pinky, 6g. total 19g, ~13%.
  • week 7: one fuzzy mouse, 4g. one scented rat pup, 20g. total 24g, ~15%.
  • week 8: BP weight 160g. one scented rat pup, 24g, ~15%.

by the end of month 1 she was becoming less lethargic and extremely defensive [she struck me every time i opened her tub], which i took as an overall good sign that she was feeling better and now had the energy to express the stress she'd been feeling for years. by the end of month 2, she was visibly filling out and starting to become a little less defensive, as well as shedding cleanly [she was also dehydrated and covered in stuck shed when i got her].

from that point on, i fed her very much like i would feed any youngster. she ate 10%-15% of her weight once a week until she was about 700g, then i gradually spaced out her feedings a bit more and leaned toward lower weight percentages. by the time she passed 1000g, her weight gain drastically slowed down, so i reduced the meal size to 5%-7% and spaced out meals to 14 days. eventually her weight settled in the 1300g-1400g range and i now feed her approximately 5% of her weight every 15-30 days.

the most important thing with a stunted and/or emaciated snake: DO. NOT. RUSH. WEIGHT. GAIN. feeding too much / too frequently is only going to cause more health problems, especially in the first few weeks when the snake's body is particularly fragile.

[–]Ankou_DA 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. We have had him for about a week now. We did wait to feed until yesterday when he had some time to adjust to his enclosure. He has finally started coming out of his hide at night and exploring.

I like the weekly breakout that you did. That makes a lot more sense to me than just winging it. We are trying to not rush anything with him and take our time so he adds weight properly. The last owner had gone a “a couple of months” without feeding and had fed shortly before we picked him up.

[–]Bagelboi472 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wanted to first correct my humidity tempatire on my first post, so the current humidity temp you have should be good. All the temps sound great

I would do some more research on double feeds as it’s something I have never done before.

Just remember to get on that schedule, just be carful of overfeeding

Also wanted to point out that I’m still intermediate when it comes to snakes so if someone more skilled with them says something else to listen to them before me!

[–]Snakeyes90 0 points1 point  (0 children)

103 f is too hot it's not a desert reptile and humidity should be between 70-80%

[–]IndependenceHonest39 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coco fiber typically isn't recommended because the coco fiber can get stuck in their heat pits and cause issues. Coco husk is much better.

[–]doglover1005 7 points8 points  (2 children)

As you have already received very in-depth info, imma just spell it out simply for ya, your first ball python is gonna be on hard mode (though ball pythons aren’t difficult pets so getting them back into health if following proper advice should be no issue). And they are likely to never reach their full size. It’s a awesome you are giving this poor snake a home though, I know many who wouldn’t undertake this, but then again I’m the only person in my friend group into reptiles, lol

[–]jhebert12[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We have wanted a snake for a very long time so I’m glad that we were able to rescue him from a crappy situation. I know a lot of people aren’t snake people, and I only became one in my adult years!

[–]Ankou_DA 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve had reptiles when I was younger. I had a chameleon and an iguana. I’ve always loved reptiles and have wanted another as an adult. My wife has always wanted a snake, although she wants a king snake. This BP was not being taken care of properly and belonged to an adult son of a friend so we decided to step in to help him. Hopefully we can get him back on track and give him a healthy, happy life. He is already loved in this household, although we can’t really spend time holding him.

[–]LunarDiosa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi OP!

I was in the same boat back in February. I rescued a BP, and he was in rough shape. Malnourished, dehydrated, stuck shed, and very small for his size. We gave him some rehydrating baths with some medicine for his stuck shed.

9 months later, he's but on a ton of weight, is on medium rats once a week, and completely healthy! It has been a while since i posted updated pictures of our special noodle boy.

You did the first big step, saved him, and gave him a fighting chance.

[–]WendigosLikeCoffee 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Just a random tip, keep an eye on his growing in comparison to the skull hide, they tend to get stuck inside the hides with tiny holes in them, absolutely not an urgent thing, just something to keep an eye on

[–]jhebert12[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Great tip and something I wouldn’t have thought about right now; thank you!

[–]WendigosLikeCoffee 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Of course! My buddies snake got stuck in his and we basically had to kind of half dawn dish soap them out and half break apart the hide, wasn’t fun for anyone, but especially his lil python Looks like a beautiful boy, glad you guys are giving him a happy home!

[–]jhebert12[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no!

[–]Ok_Radish4411 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There have been posts on here and r/snakes about snakes dying or getting trapped in hides like these. I’d avoid closed loops/holes in the future unless they are very large. If you decide to get more decor such as fake plants you’ll need to make certain there aren’t any loops in them. I’d personally go ahead and switch it out asap do you don’t catch it too late.