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Need advice from BP owners...

This one time, at band camp, I had to take a Rock Python on a kid's show, Lunch With Casey. I was a docent for the zoo in St. Paul, and every animal I took on Casey had an incident of some sort. So here I am, this kind of dorky 17 year old, with a big ole snake, Moonbeam. We (at the zoo) always called her her. She was in a large (room-sized) enclosure with a bunch of other pythons, all donated to the zoo when they got too big for the owners. Moonbeam was the only one of the bunch that was deemed "tame."

The camera man asked me, before the show, how to tell male and female pythons apart. I said, well, if she was a male, she'd have these things called spurs, but she's a female, so she doesn't, but I can still show you where they'd be. If she was a male. So I get Moonbeam out of the bag- she was a big snake. Maybe 50 pounds. But sweet. I roll her over, and there, at her vent, are spurs. OMG!!! I just picked her up at the zoo in a bag, I didn't get her out myself!! But this snake is nice, and looks like the Moonbeam I have grown to love. Time to go on camera!

It turns out that no one had ever sexed Moonbeam, and she was a he. I sure had a few scared moments, wondering how I was going to take an unknown male snake on a live TV show, though!

Nanci
 
Hi Chris, you wanted my input...

My advice, keep him in a small, clean cage. Newspaper as a substrate and hides at either end. Don't touch him, don't even look at him for at least a10 days. Keep his hot end temperatures above 90, in my experience ambiant isn't important.

In the condition hes in I wouldn't handle him at all until hes guarenteed to feed every 4/5 days for you. I would also skip mice altogether unless thats his preferance. Rats will bulk him up much quicker. The temperature of the prey is vitally imporant. The hotter, the more likley he is to take it. Royals reply on their pits alone to sense food. Dip the nose in boiling water for a few seconds before offering.

His survival is dependant on the amount of attention you DON'T give him. As strange as it sounds royls don't like people. An active royal is an unhappy royal. A happy royal sits on his heat all day and only moved his butt to strike at the next rat passing over his head :p Main advice, leave him alone!

When feeding, don't attempt to keep looking in on him. He will take it in his own time. I had put mice/rats in with royals and they have not taken until the next evening so don't lose hope and take the prey item out after a few hours. Don't even attemp to feed in a seperate tub LOL

As a royal keeper, patience is the only thing you will ever need, and trust me it pays off...
 
Oh I forgot, if it has really obvious spurs its probably a male, but the only sure way of knowing is by probing! I can take a guess with a picture of the spurs/tail, its pretty easy with royals.

And I adore his name ;) I sure hope you work some magic on the wee man, hes got lovely markings!
 
Chris, I had no doubt You'd end up with the BP. I'm glad they gave it to you to try and bring it back to health. I would probably have done the same, but I'm lucky in that most of the reptiles at our shop are actually well taken care of. I don't think they take in rescues like your shop does so that's probably the difference. Either way i'm so very happy for the BP that he's in a home that will give him a wonderful life....THANKYOU!.
 
Thanks for the input, Elle. I know you have some beautiful royals, and I think I remember you had some with issues, though I'm not sure. His sex doesn't really matter to me. I never really intended to OWN one, let alone considered breeding one...he's a he as far as I am concerned ;). And the spurs are VERY obvious. They were the first thing I noticed(besides his obvious health issues) when I picked him up, and I wasn't even looking...I felt one. I just hope I can turn him around. He sure is pretty for such an ill young man...

Any idea on his eye? Does that look like scar tissue? I'm gonna take him to the vet next week, hopefully get a fecal sample before that to bring in, and just have Doc give him a solid physical, in case I'm missing something...
 
If its scar tissue then theres nothing you can do but keep it clean until it fully heals. I'm sure it won't be that cosmetically obvious. As for the spurs its likely they are especially obviously due to the dilapidated state of him... Wait till he beefs up and I bet you won't notice them.

Nope no problems with my royals, just my bank account because the ones I want are soooo expensive LOL, you live once though right?! I do know a few tricks not in the books to get them feeding that has worked with western hoggies too. But in all honesty, a royal who is happy in his environment should have NO issues. Remember they stress easily and are very sensitive to environmental change.
 
Bless him. He's such a cutie, well done to you for rescuing him.

Good luck getting him eating regularily.
 
I know you checked him for mites, but do you remember Janine's new MBK, that she thought had retained eyecaps, because of the white around his eyes, but actually it was mites? Is that white line on his cornea, or just very close to his eye?

Nanci
 
If it is wearing a pink bow it's a girl, blue bow it's a boy~
Thats just about as accurate as saying the spurs make it male! LOL!
BPs have spurs, males AND females.

I would do like everyone else has suggested~ clean small cage~ strict quarantine~ newspaper substrate. I'd go ahead and use Provent-a-mite just for good measure. Keep humidity high. A couple good long soaks for hydration. Leave the eye alone until after the next "Good" shed. Could be any number of things including a little damage to his current eye cap from him trying to rub off the stuck eyecaps. Keep him clean, hydrated and as well fed as he will take till after the next shed and then have a look at that eye again.

Good luck!
They are resilient little beggars~ he'll probably make a full recovery with your good care!
 
Live and learn Nanci~
I'd been told the same thing about BPs several years ago before I ever owned one. It's not true though. BPs have spurs. Males and females.
 
I wonder about other pythons, then...Maybe Moonbeam really was a female! I've been wrong for 30 years!

Nanci
 
Well...I'm convinced the white thing around his eye was old, dry skin. After his first night at decent humidity levels, it has disappeared, along with more of the "bad shed" from his head. I'm defrosting a small adult mouse right now to see if he will take it.

Already he looks better. His skin has a nice sheen to it, where ever there isn't old shed covering it up, and his tongue is constantly flicking...something which wasn't happening hardly at all in the shop. I sat up for a little while last night and just watched him under an incandescant red bulb. He made a few laps around his new home, checking things out, reaching towards the top, trying to find a way out...and then he settled in a corner near his heat pad, curled into a small, loose ball, and went to sleep...I assume he was sleeping, he didn't move.

All in all...I really think he is going to be just fine. I just think he needed someone to actually give a crap about his health and well-being. I'm really excited about nursing this poor baby back to health. I can't wait to see him in all his royal glory...

I will keep you guys posted, and thanks to everyone for the help, advice, and encouragement. I don't know if you guys are aware of this or not but...I couldn't do this without all of your support. I'm a fairly smart guy, and I definitely did my research before deciding I would take him. But your encouragement and kind words will keep me going when things seem bleak, so...We BOTH thank-you for that...
 
I think I might cry! lol

Glad hes doing so well... Just a bit of TLC and he will be right as rain in no time! Keep us posted.
 
I'm glad to hear he's doing better. This community sure is supportive and willing to give any advice and encouragement to each other, that's for sure.

I'm glad I found this place. I'm sure I'd still be a 1 snake owner if not for all the wonderful info I found here.

Thanks again for taking in that poor baby Chris. Without you I'm sure he wouldn't have made it.
 
While my experience with balls isn't much at all, I'd be careful with feeding that often, at least at first - the last thing you want is a regurge at this point. If it were me, I'd keep the prey a tad smaller than his widest diameter and not more than every 6 to 7 days until he gets back on his feet...er...scales. =)
 
Well...he didn't eat the adult mouse I gave him 2 days ago. It was disheartening, to say the least. But I have left him alone, unbothered and hidden since then, and he has rewarded me with private, nocturnal viewing opportunities. He is really a pleasure to watch as he cautiously inspects his new home, reassuring himself of his safety.

Just about 10 minutes ago, I dropped a stunned hopper in the tank with him, and, to my pleasure and surprise...it is gone...down the gullet, with a smile on his face. He's such a goodboy :).

He's coming along nicely...most of his old shed is coming off, his eyes are starting to clear up, he has a semi-healthy shine to his skin, and he appears as though he may go blue again any day now. I cannot believe how much pleasure I can obtain by simply watching him get better. I think he is an incredible animal with an unsurpassed will to live, and I really look forward to the day he is healthy, vibrant, and FAAAAT!!

Thanks for sharing my smiles with me-
Chris
 
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