Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my bp (fluffy ^.^) i noticed is sneezing, which is odd. and i hope he doesnt have a cold. is that even possible?

also his belly is a bit pink. some of the scales seem a bit dead looking at the edges, but otherwise he looks healthy.

i think he might be thinking of shedding. (he just shed a month ago) but hes only 15 inchs.

tianna
763-300-3110
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Proud mommy of Blighter ( sandfire beardie 6mo), 4 dogs, 2 fish, 4 horses, 1 cat, 1 legit barn cat, 15 other barn cats that just come to eat all our food, and any stray or animal that needs a loving touch. Obsolescenttears@aol.com

What are the temps in his cage? They need to be 85-90 on the hot side. I know that a snake's belly might get pink when they get ready to shed but I don't know if it's as drastic as you describe it so I don't exactly know what that could be. Hopefully someone will chime in on this subject.

well i just put him in his feeder tank to let him eat. i think its shedding pink so i think i just went into panicking mom mode.... but i am worried about the heat thing. i dont have temp things in his 10 gal. but his basking is 100 watt and his night light is 60. i have to pick up heat gage things tomarow. in a 10 gal im sure its more than enough heat. he is in reptibark suptrate. ive always had issues picking the best subtrate. i cant use newspaper because he climbs his cage and falls down A LOT and i dont want him to smack the glass and get really injured.

wheres the best to buy wholesale frozen mice for cheap fuzzies. it seems everywhere its 40 bucks to ship and that is hard to come by but paying 10 bucks for 6 fuzzies is terrible too.

thanks for all your help!!!
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~Tianna~

1 BP norm 'Fluffy'
1 st. bernard/great paranese mix 'Chester'

Climbing the glass "ALOT" may indicate the husbandry may not be adequate. Maybe he's trying to tell you something...keep researching, you are headed in the right direction.

hes in a 10 gal tank, waterbowl with opening in top so he can lay in it, he has a long and is using repti bark suptrate. i give him a bath in the bathtub (aka putting a inch or so of water on the bottom of the tub and letting him swim) about once a week. i figured the cage climbing was because he was hungry when i bought him he was eating 4 pinkies and 2 fuzzies every 4 days (frozen) ive had him a bit less than a month and he eats mayhap 1 frozen fuzzie a week. and i tried feeding him more often but he just sits and pouts. would a bigger tank make him happier? i try to hold him a bit daily and he seems happy out, sometimes he sticks around sometimes he decides to run off. he doesnt show major adjatation except the escape acts. i would say hes 14-18 inchs
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~Tianna~

1 BP norm 'Fluffy'
1 st. bernard/great paranese mix 'Chester'
I am a fostermom for pitts/bully breeds (mainly pitts and their mix's) my current is Anjel and she lives up to her name to such a amazing extent!

We must all learn to blame the DEED and not the BREED, dogs are what we make them. Remember Pitties rank above labs in temperment testing, and that says something.

Obsolescenttears@aol.com

he has a log not a long
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~Tianna~

1 BP norm 'Fluffy'
1 st. bernard/great paranese mix 'Chester'
I am a fostermom for pitts/bully breeds (mainly pitts and their mix's) my current is Anjel and she lives up to her name to such a amazing extent!

We must all learn to blame the DEED and not the BREED, dogs are what we make them. Remember Pitties rank above labs in temperment testing, and that says something.

Obsolescenttears@aol.com

Ball pythons are nocturnal burrow-dwellers -- they prefer dark, round, tight hides that they can cram themselves into with no light peeking in. Log hides make them feel exposed. He also needs to have two of them -- one on the cool side of the tank, one on the warm side, so he doesn't have to choose between temperature and security.

Also, constantly climbing and trying to escape is a big sign of stress -- a happy ball python will stay in their hide most of the time and not do much. I think your temps are way too high -- a 100w bulb will COOK a 10 gallon tank, especially because you aren't using anything to check temps or regulate the lamp. You need to buy a digital thermometer with probe or a temp gun. This is the one I use from Lowe's:

www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=21243-1308-00887GT&lpage=none

Put the unit itself on the cool side of the tank, the end of the black probe on the warm side underneath the hide. This will show you what temps he's feeling.

Also, Tosha is right -- get rid of the lamps, these animals don't bask like lizards. They absorb heat through body contact, so belly heat is better. Get one of those Zoo Med under-tank heat pads from PetSmart/PetCo, stick it to the bottom of one side of the tank, and get a thermostat to control it (this is necessary). This will provide much better heat.

Feeding in a separate tank is not necessary -- and it isn't going to hurt him if you use newspaper. They can handle short tumbles. When you fix the temps, he should stop climbing and won't be falling.
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Some issues I see right off:

1. Bathtub - not a good idea most balls hate water - bathing him is likely very stressful and really not necessary.

2. Not exactly sure how big he is hard to tell from your description - but if he's past his first few meals he can easily eat small mice or rat pups - pinks and fuzzys aren't a good meal.

3. Overhead heating is pretty useless for balls - throw out your bulbs and buy an UTH and a digital thermostat measure your temps at snake level.

4. Cover the screen top of your cage you are loosing valuable heat and humidity

5. If his primary hide is a log that is not at all a good hide - he needs something more enclosed to feel comfortable - remember tight fitting and dark!

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

Insert Silly Quote Here

omg really? wow.

okay what kind of a inclosure do you think is best? and what kind of heat did you suggest i have never heard of it. im used to my bearded dragon then i guess, i used to bath her and she loved it, been a long time since i had a snake. and i cover the side with a sweatshirt (the side that has no light on) so the heat is pretty well maintatined.

give me your email and i will email you pictures of him
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~Tianna~

1 BP norm 'Fluffy'
1 st. bernard/great paranese mix 'Chester'
I am a fostermom for pitts/bully breeds (mainly pitts and their mix's) my current is Anjel and she lives up to her name to such a amazing extent!

We must all learn to blame the DEED and not the BREED, dogs are what we make them. Remember Pitties rank above labs in temperment testing, and that says something.

Obsolescenttears@aol.com

He doesnt have mucous(sp?) comng from his nostrils or mouth does he? It could be a respitory infection I would make sure my temps are correct, or bump them up to 90 if not and monitor..

no his nose is fine and his vents are cute and pink. high end temps are 90
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Proud mommy of Blighter ( sandfire beardie 6mo), 4 dogs, 2 fish, 4 horses, 1 cat, 1 legit barn cat, 15 other barn cats that just come to eat all our food, and any stray or animal that needs a loving touch. Obsolescenttears@aol.com

I agree with one of the above posters, I think you are cooking your ball python with that 100w bulb. That's probably why it is moving a lot, it is trying to escape the heat. You should NEVER heat a cage if you don't have a thermometer/heat gun to monitor the temps. I would say to put one thermometer on the warm side and one on the cool, but with a 10 gallon you are unlikely to have a gradient of warm/cold, especially if you are heating with a lamp.
I've used 100W bulbs to heat 50 gallon size cages! More heat is not always better!

I'm honestly surprised that the snake is still alive. That's got to be a furnace in there, especially if you are covering it to keep heat in.
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~Sara~
"If you look down on me, I am evil, If you look up to me, I am God, if you look straight at me, I Am you"
-Charles Manson