Need advice from BP owners...

[tyflier]

So, I went to my favorite pet store today, the one where I got both my kingsnakes from, and saw something that truly disturbed me...

About 2 weeks ago, a young boy of about 10 brought in his ball python because he "didn't like it anymore". This thing is in absolutely HORRIBLE condition. At about 8 months old(I am guessing, based on the time line), this thing is barely bigger than my Florida king, has a head full of old shed, scars all along it's back, and is severely dehydrated.

The young lady working is scared to death of snakes, but I asked her if she minded me looking at him, which she said was no problem, as long as I put him back, and she didn't have to touch him .

I took him out of his cage, refilled his water dish, and asked her for a small bucket of water, which I put the BP in, and he immediately started drinking HUGE gulps of water. After about 10 minutes in the bucket, he started looking for a way out, so I took him out, and he was instantly improved...moving around, flicking his tongue...being curious as a snake should be...none of which was observed prior to the soaking.

I asked when he ate last, and she said that he hadn't eaten since he had been back in the store, and for at least 3 months with the young boy...so probably about 4-5 months total without food. She was kind enough to let me pick out a mouse to try and feed him. He eventually ate a small f/k weanling. The store clerk was a little nervous when I told her I would only feed him if she let me kill the mouse, so I said that if he didn't take it, I would pay for it. He had a bit of a tough time eating the small weanling, but eventually got it down...and it stayed down.

I put him back in his cage, and watched for about a half an hour, to make sure he didn't regurge right away. Then I left to get ready for work.

Here's my situation:

This is the same store that I "rescued" my Florida king from. The owner is out of town until tomorrow, but I plan on going in and talking to her about another rescue for this poor boy...she simply doesn't have the time and energy to devote to nursing him back to health.

So my question really is, in the opinion of experienced BP keepers, am I in for disappointment if I try to rescue this guy? The money is inconsequential, as I know I will get an incredible deal on him, if not free, just to give him a chance. I am also not worried about giving money to a "bad shop", because I know this place is really good with their reptiles. I do NOT blame them for his condition. But am I going to end up with a dead BP on my hands for sure, or do you think it is worth a try? After I fed him and put him in his cage, he was definitely in better spirits...crawling around, flicking his tongue, drinking from his water dish...all normal things, but all things that he definitely was NOT doing when I first got there.

If you more experienced BP owners think it is worth a shot to help this poor guy out, what advice would give me for nursing him back to health?

Any input and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[JasonGranger]

I have no advice except to keep his temperatures at a steady 80-84ºF ambient and 90-94ºF warm, and make sure that the humidity's above 50%.

 

[Hypancistrus]

Reminds me of the condition my coworkers BP seems to be in lately. She is shedding, but the shed is in multiple pieces, and her sides seem to wrinkle an awful lot. He stopped feeding her for a while to "slow her growth down," which seemed odd to me... good luck, and keep us posted, whatever you decide!

 

[JasonGranger]

Also a good idea to bump the humidity up to 70% ish when shedding...

 

[tyflier]

Sounds like your friend might need a little smack and a reminder that it is a living creature, not a barbie doll.

I think I am going to take it, if I can get the price right. I asked the girl today what the owner was asking for him, and she said that they were trying not to sell it until they got it healthy, but, with the way it is in a petshop, they simply don't have the time to devote to nursing it back to health, and it is actually getting worse, instead of better. So, hopefully, the owner will let me take him cheap, just to give him a fighting chance.

I will absolutely take some pictures of him when I bring him home, and then, if/when he becomes a healthy and vibrant royal, I will post the before and after. I don't want to post pics when I first get him, and than have him die on me. That would be too distressing. But once he is a healthy and vibrant animal, I will be happy to share the progress...

 

[Hypancistrus]

Sounds like your friend might need a little smack and a reminder that it is a living creature, not a barbie doll.

*goes back to reread* Yes, never did say friend! He and I do not agree on what counts as proper care for an animal....

 

[tyflier]

*goes back to reread* Yes, never did say friend! He and I do not agree on what counts as proper care for an animal....

SORRY!! All the more reason to give it a smack in the head, then... :bang:

And yes...I called the coworker an "it"...doesn't deserve to be humanized...

 

[cassandra]

All animals deserve a chance and if you've got the room to quarantine him, cash to cover at least a fecal and perhaps a vet visit in case the little guy doesn't improve, from what I've read, bp's are quite resilient...I'd go for it and give him a chance to live and thrive. =)

 

[Chris Olson]

I have a lot of boids, so I wouldn't want to risk my collection. But, if I didn't have the others, I would take it on and prepare to be frustrated. Bringing back a ball is not always easy. Balls respond very poorly to stress. Usually by not eating. If you take him home, be sure, as Cassandra wrote, to quarantine him. If you have ANY other pythons or boas, do yourself a favor and get blood work and a fecal done before you take him home. Have them do a biopsy to look for inclusion bodies. If there is any chance he has cryptosporidium or IBD (and if I right about it being a farmed ball) then it might not be worth the risk to your collection.

Chris

 

[tyflier]

The only other snakes in my collection are colubrids. Also, it is definitely a CB ball, as the store it is currently in originally sold it, when it was healthy, and the kid whose mom bought it for him brought it back, unhealthy and frail.

It ate for me at the store today. It took an f/k weanling mouse, and definitely perked up and became interested in it's surroundings after I gave it a good soaking in lukewarm water to try and re-hydrate it. When I first took it out of the enclosure, it curled in a ball and made no effort to flick it's tongue or investigate it's surroundings. Immediately after the soaking, it worked it's way around my hands and arms, checking things out, flicking it's tongue regularly...the normal things a snake would do. It also "hugged" my hand with quite a good deal of strength. I know that BP's will often curl into a ball when they feel threatened, but this one was just very lethargic, and not even remotely interested in it's surroundings until after a good soaking in water and a long drink. When I first walked into the shop, it was curled in a corner of it's enclosure, head buried under it's body. When I left, about an hour and a half later, it was actively crawling around it's enclosure, taking long drinks of water, and investigating everything with a good flick of the tongue.

Quarrantine is not a problem, and neither is a vet visit, should it be necessary.

I think, in all honesty, that the poor guy just needs some TLC and an attentive owner. As I said...I know this particular pet store to be VERY good with their reptiles, and I know for a fact that this snake was sold about 6 months ago as a healthy, CB animal. However, the kid that got it never took care of it, and it had escaped numerous times, and burned itself slightly on an exposed incandescant bulb the kid was using for heat. If I didn't honestly think it could be saved, I would be discussing options for euthanizing it, rather than trying to bring it back around.

I have already checked it all over for mites, and found no signs or symptoms. A fecal sample will definitely be brought into my local vet for examination at the first available opportunity. I checked it's mouth and the gums and teeth are a healthy looking pink, not red, though this is an un-informed observation. It appears as though the biggest problem this poor guy has is dehydration and lack of an owner that gives a sh...darn...

 

[Nanci]

Like from the second you saw it there was really any chance of you not bringing it home...Good luck, and thank you for rescuing him.

Nanci

 

[tyflier]

Like from the second you saw it there was really any chance of you not bringing it home...Good luck, and thank you for rescuing him.

Nanci

Funny...my roommate said the same thing...

Actually, I had no intention opf purchasing a BP anytime soon, or even in the foreseeable future. I just think this little guy deserves a chance...

 

[Plissken]

If he ate for you, that's a good sign. If there's life there's hope, as they say - I would go for it. Sometimes they just need someone to give them a shot at life. One of my snakes is a rescue, and almost a year on he is still with us and doing absolutely great - it sounds like this BP has some fight in him.

Good luck, and please keep us updated.

 

[Nanci]

Well, it's a good excuse to experience a species you otherwise wouldn't have gotten involved with!

I like BPs, I love how they feel, I like playing with my friend's BP, I think they are gorgeous, but I've never met one I couldn't resist. When I handle one, I don't get that "I have to get one of these or my life will not be complete" feeling like I have with a couple other snakes.

None the less, if I were in your situation, I'd take that little guy home in a heartbeat and nurture him and cherish him and probably end up with more of them, then, after I fell in love with that one...

Nanci

 

[Nanci]

He'll be a great snake for your daughter, too, when he's back on his feet.

Nanci

 

[tyflier]

Well, it's a good excuse to experience a species you otherwise wouldn't have gotten involved with!

I like BPs, I love how they feel, I like playing with my friend's BP, I think they are gorgeous, but I've never met one I couldn't resist. When I handle one, I don't get that "I have to get one of these or my life will not be complete" feeling like I have with a couple other snakes.

None the less, if I were in your situation, I'd take that little guy home in a heartbeat and nurture him and cherish him and probably end up with more of them, then, after I fell in love with that one...

Nanci

I feel the same way. I've always thought they were beautiful, and always respected them...just never found one I simply HAD to have. But this guy has broken my heart with his plight.

Unfortunately, I got called into work this morning, so I haven't yet had the opportunity to go to the store and talk to the owner, yet. We wil see what happens this afternoon...

 

[tyflier]

The owner of the shop gave him to me. She said that if I was willing to put in the time and effort, and since I was such a good customer, if I wanted him, he was mine. So he is chillin' in his new enclosure, checking things out...trying to get used to what it is like to actually be owned by someone that cares about him.

He is about 10 months old, and weighs 124 grams. How bad are we? Any ideas? His back bone is easily felt through his skin, but he still has some reasonable strength to his grip. After I gave him a bath yesterday, most of his old shed(s) came off, and today he was MUCH more active than yesterday. We'll see how it goes...

Now I need a name...

 

[Nanci]

Yay!! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: I'm sure he will do wonderfully in your care! What a lucky guy. Need some pics!

Nanci

 

[JasonGranger]

The owner of the shop gave him to me. She said that if I was willing to put in the time and effort, and since I was such a good customer, if I wanted him, he was mine. So he is chillin' in his new enclosure, checking things out...trying to get used to what it is like to actually be owned by someone that cares about him.

He is about 10 months old, and weighs 124 grams. How bad are we? Any ideas? His back bone is easily felt through his skin, but he still has some reasonable strength to his grip. After I gave him a bath yesterday, most of his old shed(s) came off, and today he was MUCH more active than yesterday. We'll see how it goes...

Now I need a name...

Wow, that's small for a ten month old. Keep him on a steady feeding schedule and he should regain the weight, though. Other than that, just keep him warm, give him hides, have his cage in a quiet-ish room, and you should be good unless he has internal problems or is just stressed out a lot. Try not to handle him much until he's eating regularly.

 

[tyflier]

Yea...I'm gonna put him on the "tyflier diet"...a large fuzzy every 4-5 days until he starts gaining some weight back. He's super small, from what I have seen of BP's.

I decided to name him after our resident Boid Maniac, Miss Tula_Montage, so from here on out he shall be known as King Tula Royale, or King for short.

Following are a couple pictures of his horrible condition. When he is healthy and vibrant...I will post updates. Quick question...One of the pictures is a closeup of his right eye. There is a small "sliver" of white something there. It looks like scar tissue, to me. Anyone have any ideas? You can also see small burn scars up and down his dorsal area from where he would crawl up and curl around the bare incandescant lightbulb the kid used as heat inside his enclosure, and some of the old shed still left on his head. Both of the retained eyecaps and a good portion of the retained shed along his back came off after I bathed him yesterday at the shop. I removed the retained tail-tip shed when I brought him home today.

Also...I keep caling him a him. He has 2 anal spurs. Would my assessment of male be correct?