Hi, First please allow me to apologize for the length of this post... I am relatively new to the practice of snakekeeping and am learning so much all at once, it is reminiscent of induced labor! ( But a lot more pleasant and enjoyable!) I have had 2 Rosy Boas for 1 year (as of August 2004). I also have 1 Rosy born Sept 2004 (full sibling to the original 2...They have been such a joy to care for and interact with. I had been playing with the idea of getting a Ball Python since becoming entranced with the 2 that my daughter got for her daughters when a lady brought hers into the pet store... tank, reptile carpet, UTH and all because she couldn't keep her anymore. She was at the pet store for 4 weeks before I came in for mice and fell in love with her and immediately put her "on layaway" (an act that my husband will never let me live down!!!) As soon as I got her home, I saw that she had a retained eyecap and I also found and removed a tick. . I was afraid of damaging her eye so I did not attempt to do the scotch tape thing or anything so I took her to my herp vet and he did a fecal on her and told me to use mineral oil for her eye and that she was in unusually healthy condition. Because she is so well fleshed out she seems like CB but with the tick and scars and non-eating, I wonder if she is WC...any way she tested positive for a parasite and he sent me to a compounding pharmacist for a prescription... when I gave her the 1st dose...she became very agitated and tried to get away from me. Following is the account which I posted on a different board but got no replies to...I hope y'all can help me, please...
On 2 different occasions I have seen my adult ball python pass different sized egg shaped (kinda crunchy) masses along with fecal fluid and material...I have had her for three weeks and got her from the local pet store who got her from a lady who couldn't keep her because of her lease. I have the feeling she is wild caught because I have found a tick on her and she has several scars along her backbone. She is very humble and meek and I just love her to death. The first time she passed the masses was when I administered the first dose of Metronidazole, prescribed by my vet for Trichamonads, and the 2nd time (about 2 weeks later) was when I was taking her out of a warm bath (90 degrees) Both times, she seemed like she was straining extensively and trying to get away from me...poor baby, I felt so sorry for her...can you imagine being her, out in her natural habitat and then being captured by who knows who and passing through who knows how many different hands until she ended up in my inexperienced hands... I am very sensitive to this in my dealings with her as I wish to cause her as little stress as possible...She never ate for the pet store (four weeks) or for the lady that brought her in (don't know how long she had her) and she hasn't eaten for me...should I try to feed her or just wait until she starts looking for food like my Rosys? Thanks for any help you will share with me!!! Rj
