Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, i will try to get this across as best I can(i'm a bit frustrated at the moment) I purchased my first Ball morph this past January(pastel) He was born last year, and has just gotten his second RI. I took him to the VET, and had a long conversation with her. After talking to me for a few minutes she reassured me that it was nothing that i had done. Possibly could have too large or a cage (4'2'12". She suggested the possibility that any snake with a color morph could possibly be more prone to sickness. Ive seen this type of reaction in pure bred dogs in the past. My question to the plethora of much more intelligent people than I goes as follows. Are color morph snakes more prone to sickness? Please any thoughts at all would be welcome. I am very upset about my Pastel being sick again. I was hoping to breed him this year so that i can start my Super project.

Thanks in Advance
Jason

What are your temps? To be blunt I was always told RI's are the keeprs fault. i could be wrong and if i am i hope to learn a lesson off this post.
-----
Dave

www.DNReptiles.com
Myspace/DNReptiles
Myspace/blog

RI's are due to husbandry error. Humidity and temp problems cause RI's. If you are getting recurring RI's I'd seriously look closer at your temps and humidity.
-----
Nita Hamilton
--------------
Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

I strongly disagree . Now I'm not saying that morphs have any thing to do with it but some animals are more prone to sickness . just like with any species some are just more prone,
maybe its born with a weekend immune system or some other reasoned but to say categorically it is the keepers folt is B.S.
Mother Nacher is smarter than us all.&you mite do well to remember that. One day something will happen to something in your care that is beyond your control and someone is going to point
there high powered perception at you!!

I'm sorry for the spelling errors but I was a might upset.
thanks and GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOU DO!

i have a snake iv had for just over a month it's an adult... but it has worms 2 kinds and an RI... vet said they do go together a lot.. the worms due weaken the animal and make it prone to sickness sometimes not always...also there is a type of worm that lives in the lung it self an will present as a recurring RI... iv had snakes for 12 years this is my first RI they are not common( im sure this snake was sick when i got it and it isn't very sick its being treated and i rescued this animal)

Your right some times an animal may have a condition that causes it to be weaker. The other 99.9% of the time it is keeper error!!!
-----
Nita Hamilton
--------------
Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

This of course coming from someone that thinks ball pythons have poor sheds because they lack intelligence?? You seem to be the type that likes to find a reason other than your own fault for everything, such a typical attitude in todays society that teaches "It can't possibly be my fault, blame someone or something else"
-----
Nita Hamilton
--------------
Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

You know ,I was talking about a particular snake I rescued from a pet store and it is dumb it will not shed on its own! the skin can be falling off of it and it will not rub on anything in order to help its self. It will not strike at its food or at anything at all . I have to rub the fuzzies on his nose and he will open his mouth and I place it in and he closes his mouth and finishes them on his own. I believe it is from years of inbreeding at a farm in Africa. But I suppose you are going to tell me that it is the folt of its keeper. since you have never laid eyes on him or held it in your hands. but I don't need to justify a thing to you. the hundreds of reptiles I have saved from death when a lot of others couldn't and all the ones I have raised speak for there selves. just because you didnt understand or I didn't explain it so you understand and yes I did not do a good job getting my point across because I was in a big hurry doesnt mean I am wrong . If I feel or someone shows me I am wrong I will be the first to admit it. but in your Post you didn't leave room for any thing but it was the keepers folt!
and it mite be but until you know all the fax you can't say that . if you or so negative to people they will quit asking.
The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
thanks. PS. can't we just all get along!!

wow
-----
Vince Pramuk

I don't mean to be harsh, but it always the keepers fault. the snake being a weak individual is extremely unlikely. They have evolved over the millenia in an extremely harsh climate and the vast majority of weak individuals were culled long ago.

Instead of being insulted and lashing out, you could look to see where your errors occured, like the juvenile in a 4.5 foot cage. As was stated by others in this thread, that is way too big for such a little snake to feel secure in, and it will usually try to find security at the expense of everything, including proper temperatures. That is the most likely reason your snake got sick (for the second time). Look to the most likely cause of the problem, not some far fetched theory that will save your ego from a little bruising. Its about the snake, not you. Accept that the caging is innappropriate and fix it and I'm sure that you won't have this problem again. Good luck.

Will

Reptiles will often choose security over proper temperature. A cage of that size is unnessicarily large and may stress the snake, leaving it more prone to illness than if it were kept in a more reasonably-sized enclosure. In addition, it's not always easy to heat an enclosure of that size to the proper thermal gradients.

I agree that RI is usually the fault of the keeper. Yes, the individual snake could be "prone to illness" or could be harboring parasites - but until you get your husbandry in order, I'd say those causes are a bit of a "long shot."

Tim

First off, thanks to everybody for your thoughts. Second, this question was not to take blame off of myself for the size of the cage or anything that i might have done. This was merely teasing an idea that i had never heard before. I think too often on these forums people let them selves twist things around into something a little different that it was presented. I never once said that i was not at fault, I merely asked a question.

Jason
P.S.
"The only dumb question, is the one you dont ask"

A-men!

I'm going to disagree with your vet to a point - sure it's likely that some animals are more prone to getting sick - but it has more to do with how they are kept, and their temperment than it does with their color. And if your snake had an RI and it was not taken care of properly it can lead to repeated bouts and permanent damage to the snake which will cause more illness. Make sure your vet is a reptile specialist that knows how to properly treat an RI in a snake.

I'm not sure how big your snake is or it's temperment - some snakes will do fine in a big enclosure some will stress - stress leads to weakened immune systems which can lead to health issues. Make sure you have a proper gradient maintained (It easy enough to do with a little tweaking) as well as pleny of comfort spots (hides and tight corners and someplace to stretch out without being too exposed). If you've got one of those snakes that is high strung - a small enclosure would be the best solution and for his recovery you might want to consider a tub anyway - and make sure you thouroghly disinfect the cage before moving him back in there. And if you have more than one snake in that big tank - seperate them - I don't know if you do but I thought I'd better throw that in - usually after I've given this speal - I get a reply "but the other snake in the tank is doing fine" LOL.

If she didn't do it while you were there have your vet check for parasites. Make sure that you are providing fresh water every day - balls won't normally drink stale water (go figure) and dehydration can lead to problems too.

Best of luck with him!
-----
Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizards of unknown origin