LauRuffian
Perpetual Newbie
I really need to stay away from that "Oh, Craigslist" thread--second time a snake I've posted about there has wound up going home with me. 
He's not nearly as severely emaciated as poor Runway (my other CL rescue) was, but he's still noticeably underweight. More concerning (perhaps a bit alarming) is the beating his skin has taken--scrapes, bites, and scars, particularly in the front quarter of his body. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm seeing. I'm thinking the damaged scales could've come from prey bites (they fed live only), scraping his prominent spine along the screen lid, burns from an improper heat source, poor health, and/or poor husbandry, though I'm not sure what the combination was. The owners did tell me their ball python (also since sold) developed a skin infection/burn from lying in his own waste. Um... :eek1:
I do want to add that the owners were very kind people who seemed to have acted on impulse buying him and a female at a reptile show a year ago (one of those, "You bought WHAT?" when they got home stories) and did the right thing recognizing they were not the right home for him, particularly when the female became gravid. I applaud them for that recognition, and that it came now, and not when he was as bad off as Runway. (FWIW, they sold the female a while back to someone who had experience breeding corns and that person successfully hatched the eggs.)
Regardless, he's ours now and will be babied along with the rest of ours. ♥
They say he was sold to them at the reptile show as a bloodred stripe--yes? No? I'm getting feedback he looks more like a pinstripe motley, though that's a new one to me.
Now! Pics! All of these were taken as part of his intake--marking what his body condition was like at the starting point:
Whole body shot
Prominent spine (I know this angle exaggerates it, but it really is noticeable when handling him--he feels delicate)
Details of some of damaged scales:
Initial weigh-in:
I was surprised he was 400g. He feels very thin in my hands, so I think what was throwing me was he's thin for his body frame, but is actually a deceptively bigger snake. My goal right now is to round him out--it's more about getting him to a healthy shape and "feel" than a number, but I estimate he needs another 100-150g at least. Funny, my girl Zuri is 330g, but she is properly round and healthy, so she feels bigger in my hands. She's just a smaller girl.
Seriously, this dude is beat up.
But he's a pretty boy regardless.
He's not nearly as severely emaciated as poor Runway (my other CL rescue) was, but he's still noticeably underweight. More concerning (perhaps a bit alarming) is the beating his skin has taken--scrapes, bites, and scars, particularly in the front quarter of his body. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm seeing. I'm thinking the damaged scales could've come from prey bites (they fed live only), scraping his prominent spine along the screen lid, burns from an improper heat source, poor health, and/or poor husbandry, though I'm not sure what the combination was. The owners did tell me their ball python (also since sold) developed a skin infection/burn from lying in his own waste. Um... :eek1:
I do want to add that the owners were very kind people who seemed to have acted on impulse buying him and a female at a reptile show a year ago (one of those, "You bought WHAT?" when they got home stories) and did the right thing recognizing they were not the right home for him, particularly when the female became gravid. I applaud them for that recognition, and that it came now, and not when he was as bad off as Runway. (FWIW, they sold the female a while back to someone who had experience breeding corns and that person successfully hatched the eggs.)
Regardless, he's ours now and will be babied along with the rest of ours. ♥
They say he was sold to them at the reptile show as a bloodred stripe--yes? No? I'm getting feedback he looks more like a pinstripe motley, though that's a new one to me.
Now! Pics! All of these were taken as part of his intake--marking what his body condition was like at the starting point:
Whole body shot
Prominent spine (I know this angle exaggerates it, but it really is noticeable when handling him--he feels delicate)
Details of some of damaged scales:
Initial weigh-in:
Seriously, this dude is beat up.
But he's a pretty boy regardless.
