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angry impulse buy

It really isn't worth the lives of your collection to save one animal. I know its mean to say. It's not worth rewarding bad business. I refuse to go into those stores all together!
 
I said if it was me, I would qaurantine it -__- if I knew I couldn't save it then I would have it put down at my local reptile vet.
 
Here is a few pics I snapped before doing a substrate change. They aren't the best as I took them with my phone.... but let me know how you think he looks. He actually looks better than he did when I brought him home, alot of the shed is off of him now. I'm concerned about the wrinkles in his folds.
BloodyBaroness...I didn't think you rude. I'd rather have it given to me straight forward than sugar coated and have something horrible happen. Thank you for helping me. I did buy him knowing that it is a possibility that I couldn't help much, if at all.
Anyway...here he is

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lovesbuggs said:
Here is a few pics I snapped before doing a substrate change. They aren't the best as I took them with my phone.... but let me know how you think he looks. He actually looks better than he did when I brought him home, alot of the shed is off of him now. I'm concerned about the wrinkles in his folds.
BloodyBaroness...I didn't think you rude. I'd rather have it given to me straight forward than sugar coated and have something horrible happen. Thank you for helping me. I did buy him knowing that it is a possibility that I couldn't help much, if at all.
Anyway...here he is
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Getting the stuck shed off can greatly improve how they look.

He is thin, and certainly needs TLC.

Keep the temps in the high 80s range on warm side, don't let it get below 85. Cover the enclosure with a towel on top and dark paper on all sides. That will make it cave-like and help ease stress, it will also help hold in humidity and heat. Go fully hands off for three days. Just a quick peek to make sure he is okay, just don't pick him up or move him.

On the fourth day offer him a small meal inside his cage. Ball pythons stress for strange reasons so feeding containers are not a good idea. Make sure the prey item is SUPER warm. Use a hair dryer to get it nice a warm to the touch. Drop the meal in and recover the cage. Walk fully away for an hour. Check on it, and it it's not eaten, leave over night.

Over the next month, you take the paper off the cage one side at time. That way he gets used to his surroundings slowly. Trust me, ball pythons can be picky feeders and the covered cage trick has nearly a 100% success rate.

I will be happy to help you on the way through, just know we might hit some rough spots.
 
Thanks guys! he's pretty huh? :) think I decided on Sloan for a name. Not sure he's a he but Sloan works either way and it means warrior ;)

Thank you so much BB! I can use all the help and advice I can get. I've done all the thIngs you suggested so now...3 (anxious) days wait.
 
I told some people about the trick of heating up a f/t mouse. Heat the mouse in a cup of hot water. When the animal is fully warm, take another cup of water and heat it in the microwave to near boiling. Just before offering the mouse, dip the head or just the nose in the boiling water. Dry thoroughly and offer with tongs. Many balls and most pythons that are night hunters target on high heat. The boiling water will heat the nose area up to very warm signatures usually inciting a strike. He does look a bit underweight and for the heck of it, I'd offer a meal to see if you can get him going. If he doesn't eat, try again in a week. I took a ball from the vet that came from petsmart and never could get it to eat. Hopefully you'll have better luck. I am with the others in that paying for the animal brings profits for the store, just as petstores make money off of puppy mill puppies. If people don't buy, they won't sell because it's really about the almighty buck. I wish our local petsmart would only carry cornsnakes or milksnakes. They handle stress much better than the balls do and many of the ball pythons are imports-unlike the corns.
 
Sarah1228 said:
But if someone wants to buy an animal to give them a better life, why not?
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Because they are PAYING THE STORE MONEY to neglect their animals!! It is NOT rescue, it is paying someone to mistreat an animal, therefore encouraging them to do it again.

Edit: That's not to say that I'm not glad this snake is in a good home now. Kudos to lovesbuggs for being willing to help a snakie out!
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Today is feeding day. Will try this afternoon. I have some small f/t mice that are too big for my corns to take so I'm starting with one of those...is this ok? I think it may be a hopper not a pink. It has barely a bit of fur on it, not much. My guess is that Sloan is hungry! He acts like my snow corn when it's feeding time...almost like he's in hunt mode yesterday and today. He seems to be doing great so far though...fingers crossed that he eats. I have noticed when he turns his head a certain way it looks as though one eye still has the cap from the bad shed and from what I can see he still has one spot that is waiting to come off...about an inch square. He roams is viv every so often and has found his favorite spot that lets him check out whats going on around him but is a little hidden. If someone makes a noise he pokes his head out of the leaves. I can usually see part of him all the time though. He never hides in his hide spot. He para-scopes quite often when he roams...normal? Viv is blacked out on 3 sides, top covered with a black towel. Temp is steady at 88 and humidity between 50-60. Hope that all sounds good. Anyway...here's hoping he eats ;)
 
I tried feeding him this morning...family issues last night prevented it...he immediately stuck and balled up. Started swallowing and then the f/t mouse exploded...and he spit it out. Ew it's all over his head :( Every mouse I have gotten in my last buy has exploded and the snakes won't eat them. I have to go get more mice. Should I wait to try again or after I go get more mice (from a different store) try again today?? I'm pretty sure he's hungry. I thawed the mouse in a glass of super hot tap water, dipped its muzzle in microwaved water then dried with paper towel.
 
When thawing smaller items, use hot but not super hot. Excess heat will weaken the abdominal wall of the mouse resulting in well....Explosion.....most snakes don't care and even seem to like messy meals, but evidently you got the clean freek! Dipping the nose still is good practice. Sounds like he will eat though. Try again in a few days.
 
Another thought might be to just thaw him up by sitting him on the counter. Then dip the head in hot water/pat dry. If they're exploding, my bet is they are getting too hot. Could be another issue, but try room temp thawing next time...
 
Thanks MegF. I will try again in a few days. I like the idea of dipping the nose. That's where he stuck first. My corn always eats from the rear first...maybe dipping the pinks nose will get her to take it the right way. Thanks again.
 
elrojo...I thought that too. But didn't think he would eat if it wasn't warm. But I will keep that in mind too. Thanks.
 
If they are sensing heat and it smells like a mouse, they will probably take it. New babies are another matter, almost all baby balls need live hoppers the first couple meals until they've figured out what eating is. I only suggest room temp thawing because outside of a re-freezing issue, etc., overheating the guts is likely what made them explode under pressure.
 
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