shedding stimson's python

[Missstacey]

Hey i am new here,

My friend has 2 baby stimsons pythons. They are under a year old and since she has had them they both started shedding that was 3 months ago they both have not eaten since she has had them and their skin looks all yuck :? and they wont eat at all i know from my 2 carpet pythons that they dont eat about a week beofre they shedd but hers have been shedding for almost 3 months i have since taken them for the week i have been putting shedd aid spray on them and offered them pinkies but they not intrested in moving or even trying to shedd......They have water and have good heat now that i have taken them she didnt have any heat on them i am so angry with her :evil: its mading me sad as i dont want them to die :cry:

Any ideas please ?

 

[PhilK]

Woah.. so how was she keeping them? How are you now keeping them?

Please post photos of their skin, I don't understand how they can be shedding for three months?

Give them heat, water and hides and hope they come good if she won't take them to a vet.

Also, give her a slap and tell her to Google things before buying - it isn't hard.

 

[ezekiel86]

Haha good call Philk
yeah photos of pythons would help ...
even photos of what you are keeping them in and temps of hot end and cool end...
where do you feed them ..?

 

[Missstacey]

hi, I know right not happy..... she was keeping them in a cardboard box till she got a cage ( 3 months later nothing ) .... i have breight a clear plastic storage box from bunnings put some air holes in it i have a towel in there and a heat pad under it.... i have a hide rock and a few sticks n stuff to see if they will use them to shed..... Yes i know she has seen my 2 snakes n thought ohh yeah dont look to hard..... mine are lovley and healthy.
Im olny new to this ill try n work out how to post a pic ............

 

[xxMelissaxx]

Oh God, that's horrible. I'll keep this short because I don't want another infraction.

Please tell me you have a thermostat, the correct temps in both the warm end and the cool end, and get them to a vet.

If you do not have the appropriate experience to nurse these animals back to health - post on here and an experienced keeper will take them and do it for you or they will die.

A cardboard box with no heat for three months? Someone should have intervened a lot earlier. Such disgusting treatment of these animals.

 

[Khagan]

That is shocking.. She honestly doesn't deserve these animals back. A cardboard box ***? If she can't afford to properly set them up then she should sell/give them to someone who will actually look after them.. Giving them back would be a death sentence for them =\.

 

[Missstacey]

Its 24 up one end and 18 down the other.......She lives 8 hours from me so if i knew they wernt healthy and eating i would have got them along time ago........ i know how to look after snakes i have 2 of my own.... But i have neva seen skin like this.. i have been putting the snake shed aid on every few hours but they feel so dry

 

[GSXR_Boy]

Jebus!:shock:

You really need to sort out those temps a bit better to start with. A hot end of about 32/33c and give them plenty of fluids. They look really dehydrated.( one in particular) When they next look like shedding put the water bowl close to the heat source to raise humidity. Try and have a water bowl big enough so they will soak if need be (though my stimmies rarely so). When they do shed have a real good look that the tail tips, eyes etc have shed too. I also think that they may have a few sheds in quick succession to sort out that mess. If it is patchy when they shed next time you will have to soak them and manually remove it. Good luck!

My girl just pointed out something i missed. Is that carpet your keeping them on? Get rid of that and have some clean paper towel or newpaper as that won't be helping the cause. I'd also be keeping them in a small plastic tub too with a few hides.

 

[cement]

Get them to a vet. Keep them on a heat mat so they are 33 degrees all the time, if they have no wounds soak them in 30 deg water for two or three hrs, twice a day. Just make the water 1 cm deep and keep it on heat mat and monitor the temp, so it stays at 30 deg. Put a stick or rock in so they can prop their head if they want. Don't bother feeding them until they shed and are looking more hydrated and lively. Oh and chuck the shed aid in the bin.

 

[Missstacey]

One has skin over its eyes.... he is the real bad one... i have sorted out the temp issues..i have put a massie water bowl.... i just turned around and one is in it already lol ...........i have put them in my old cage i had in the shed... it has a propper set up....lets hope they get better real soon

 

[GSXR_Boy]

Hopefully that skin comes off with the next slough. Sounds like she didn't water them for the three months hence being in the bowl.

 

[xxMelissaxx]

Its 24 up one end and 18 down the other.......She lives 8 hours from me so if i knew they wernt healthy and eating i would have got them along time ago........ i know how to look after snakes i have 2 of my own.... But i have neva seen skin like this.. i have been putting the snake shed aid on every few hours but they feel so dry

Agreed with everyone else - your temps are/were too low. I didn't say that you couldn't look after snakes, but having two of your own and nursing mistreated snakes back to health are two different things. Is your heat mat hooked up to a thermostat? They are probably quite severely dehydrated amongst other things, and are at real risk of perishing if not taken care of properly.

Get them to a vet or give them to someone who can.

Good luck.

 

[user 23122]

ime no expert but those stimmies look well beyond what a few soaks and a big bowl of water can fix they need a vet and an experienced reptile vet at that. Your friend is an idiot and if the snakes survive this should not go back to her under any given circumstance.

 

[Riggsy]

Yeah bad....a Vet is definately the go but in the mean time....let them swim and soak in warm water for 10 t 20 mins every 2 hours. Get or buy some Vitamin E cream. No perfumes or additives. Just plain Vitamin E cream from chemist. About $5 for a litre. After each time they soak put cream into your hand and let snakes slide through your hands so they get coated. Once the skin seems to be softening up. You can try to help them shed by starting at their top lip gently picking at the top layer of skin. A bit like when you have sunburn and you can peel off the top layer of skin. If it doesn't come up easy then leave it longer and repeat the process. By the look of the photos they is probably a couple of old layers there. They will be alright once you get them off. Good Luck.

 

[xxMelissaxx]

You can try to help them shed by starting at their top lip gently picking at the top layer of skin. A bit like when you have sunburn and you can peel off the top layer of skin. If it doesn't come up easy then leave it longer and repeat the process. By the look of the photos they is probably a couple of old layers there. They will be alright once you get them off. Good Luck.

This could do more harm than good if done incorrectly...bit risky.

 

[Riggsy]

Yeah can be....if you are as gentle as you would be with your own skin and it's ready to come off then it will come away easy. I've done it heaps with mine ( Got 10 snakes ) and never had a problem.

 

[xxMelissaxx]

Yeah can be....if you are as gentle as you would be with your own skin and it's ready to come off then it will come away easy. I've done it heaps with mine ( Got 10 snakes ) and never had a problem.

I'm sure it can work - but anyone, especially someone who is inexperienced may unintentionally do damage. There are safer methods that can work. Plus, these poor little things have been through enough trauma for the moment! Damaged scales, and a resulting infection in the state that they are in would probably see the end of them.

I really, really hope they get to a vet. There's so many things that could be wrong with them after being kept in such conditions.

 

[Riggsy]

Yeah I hope they get to the vet next couple of days too. Just in case it takes longer hopefully they will start to shed themselves first with the moisture they're getting now...

 

[PhilK]

Take the poor little buggers to the vet and get your friend to foot the bill, as well as any other expenses you are incurring by keeping them at your place.

Poor little things, that really is completely shocking. Keep them warm and hydrated with plenty of soakings. Don't feed them until they are looking much better.

 

[Scotty99]

A cardboard box, I thought it was a cruel joke at first when i read it but obviously not by looking at the pics, be off to the vet if it were me.