RCReptiles.com

[eden]

I went to the pet store to get rats for my snakes yesterday. The owner told me she had been waiting for me to come in because she had a sick baby ball and she didn't know what was wrong with it. i brought it home and set up a hospital tank, about 95F on one side and 85F on the other. The most similar problem i have seen is stargazers, although from what i know that is not too common in balls. This one is not doing the complete backwards spiral like with stargazers, but it looks similar. The snake is pretty alert and will right itself when flipped upside down. ive also seen it exploring the tank looking like there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but when it is resting or sleeping it almost always has its head tilted back and upside down. it appears to be at a healthy wait, so i thought i would give it some time to get used to its new surroundings before i try feeding. if you have any ideas about what the problem is it would be a great help.

[Jordan700]

It might be toxicity poisoning. What was the substrate that the pet store had it on? And did they have any live plants in the cage?
Keep the snake on paper towels or newspaper. You should soak it multiple times a day.
By the way it comes in and out of these fits, I would say that it’s a mild case. (If poisoning is the cause) Hope this helps. Keep us updated! :wink:

[eden]

i do have the tank lined with newspaper, and as far as i know, the snake has only been at the breeder, the pet store, and my house and has not come into contact with anything poison. The rest of the snakes it was with are not showing any similar symptoms.
At the pet store, the owner thought it might be some sort of inner ear problem, but i haven't been able to find any sort of information on that. i wasnt sure if humidity would be good for something like that, but i do have a small water bowl in the tank for it.
Thank you for the suggestion,

[RonCrawford]

[Jordan700]

It doesn’t have to be actual poison to hurt a snake. Things like banana plants, and coco bean wholes can easily kill a snake. Pythons are WAY more effected by IBD. While a boa may live months or even years with IBD, a python will usually die with in a few months. I would strongly suggest telling the shop owner not to sell any of the balls for the meantime.

[deborahbroadus]

I won't say anything, because both Ron and Jordan gave you very good advice and I don't want you to feel attacked. I would want to take in every sick ball, or animal that I see, unfortunately I can't or I would risk my other animals. I did take in two rescues, but I also took them to the vet to vertify that they were healthy.

Sometimes we forget that our animals can get sick when we haven't had any problems in a long time. Please do keep the animal away from the rest of your collection and wash your hands each time you handle the snake before handling the rest of your snakes. I do not want to preach, but we do care. Let us know how it goes and good luck!

[eden]

I definitely didn't take any chances - the sick snake's tank is far from the others.
Sorry for not introducing myself. my namie is danielle. i worked in an independent pet store for almost five years in charge of the reptiles. i was also the one who took care of most of the sick animals, although i've only been taking care of my own for the last few years and they've always been healthy, so my memory's a little rusty. (i have four ball pythons - eden, 11 yrs; kow, 10 yrs; violet, 8 yrs; and bohdi, 7 yrs; and a candy cane cornsnake, scarossar, 6 yrs)
i also have a conure, micky, that i acquired while working at the pet store. Her owner felt he didn't spend enough time with her so he gave her to the pet store and, long story short, i ended up taking her home. she later lost the use of her feet. other than a very small space in her spine (which also was there in much older xrays when her feet were still ok) there was no other known explanation. after going to four other vets, i met dr. anson and dr. vittetoe of brighton, iowa. they are the most intelligent and caring vets i have ever met. micky now gets acupunture and has regained some movement in her feet, although she has apapted well to not being able to use them.
i called the drs this morning. their first thought was also ibd, but they are doing a little research and are going to call me back.
i did also call the pet store to let them know

[deborahbroadus]

[Jordan700]

Any updates? :?

[eden]

the baby ate a small fuzzy mouse last week on its own. i have not seen it sleeping with its head upside down once since then and it has been much more active. though i dont really know how eating would fix something like this, it appears to be better. it passed last week's meal just last night, so i am going to try again today.

[deborahbroadus]

[Jordan700]

Don't be fooled by this behavior. IBD can come and go. When it gets more prominent it will fully attack, killing the snake. Not saying that your snake has IBD just saying don’t be fooled into thinking it’s healthy again.