Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello there. I will be aquiring my first BP this weekend. I suppose you can call it a kind of rescue. Ill give you the details and maybe you guys can steer me in the right direction?

Anyways, the snake is approximately 7-8 yrs old. First owner had it for 5 or 6 years and the last owner has had it for 2-3 years. It's not been housed with nor exposed to any other snakes for at least 2 years, most likely since birth tho.

Has not been handled for 3 months, aside from myself taking it out of cage yesterday to have a look at. The snake used to belong to the sellers son but he left it at home when he moved out. According to them it was handled regularly and SOMEwhat well looked after. They said it does need assistance with shedding and such. I have no idea what the conditions it lived in were when the son was around but now it is Very bad. The snake is defintely thin, being 4.5ft long it is maybe the thickness of a tennis ball.

The enclosure it is in is a 4ftL x 2ftW x 18inD display case. Half of the back is a sliding glass opening and the other half is a wicker panel so I doubt that much heat/humidity stays in the cage. They said their son used to spray a pile of moss when the snake was shedding, but i doubt they do as they dont know much about him. They mentioned they tried feeding him 4.5 wks ago and he just guarded the rat and wouldn't eat it.

Anyways, the snake is close to shedding as his eyes are pretty cloudy nose is very flaky and his scales catch on my skin/clothes/everything.

Anywho, any helpful advice/info you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated as this snake is new to me. Another question, i've tried lookin it up but i've gotten alot of diff answers. What's the best temp gradient for a BP (Warm Side/Cool Side) and the ideal humidity %(s)?

Thanks So much for your help!
-Astin

Astin:

I would spray the snake pretty heavily with water three days after the snakes eyes turn back to normal color. Do this once a day until the snake sheds. It will set the snake up for a good shed.

I like to keep my ball pythons cool end at 83 and hot end at 87.

You might want to begin a preventative mite program as soon as it sheds. Treat for mites every three weeks. This will minimize and hopefully eliminate any mite problem from begining.

If you need any more help I can be reached at (408)981-6694.

Good luck.

Brian
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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

THANKS so much. I may be calling you in the near future! hah

The temp gradients that have worked for me are about a 90 (give or take a degree) hot side, and anywhere from 75-80 cool side, depending on how cool the house is.
Ideal humidity is anywhere from 40%-60%, but it sounds like the ball you're about to get has been very dry for quite some time. Regular soaks every other day or so should help. Make sure the water is lukewarm, and doesn't go more than partway up the snake's sides. I live in an area that gets pretty dry, and have seen a few snakes with the severe dryness you describe. Usually keeping the humidity adequate and regular, short soakings do the trick. After a shed or two the dry, scratchy seeming scales should smooth out.

My snakes invariably shed within a day or two of going clear again after being blue, so you should probably start soaking now for the shed that's coming up.

Wait until after the snake sheds to offer it a meal when you first bring it home. It probably won't eat while in shed anyway, and that'll give it time to settle in. Don't offer the rodent every day if the snake doesn't eat - just set the rat up in it's own cage and offer it again in another week.

Good luck!

~jenny
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