Martha Makes Her Debut and Monty is not impressed.........tee hee!!!

Well, we've been having problems with our male bp named Monty......he's been having weird molting problems.......since posting my problems with him, I have learned that he is very under weight, dehydrated, not digesting properly, and not regulating his body temp properly. Finally, I've got the correct set up and he is doing great. well, tonight when I went to pick up a few things at Petland, my son went straight to the reptile department, just like he always does, and came back with the news that they have a ball python for sale. Her story is this......She was surrendered to Petland because her owners abandoned her in the apartment building suite that they vacated in a quick hurry. The new tenants took her to Petland and they sold her to me for $585 Canadian dollars. She is very beautiful. I really want to get her weighed to see how big she really is. Here are a few better pics of her. I will keep her and Monty apart for at least 3 months. I do not know anything about introducing snakes of same species to each other. She is way bigger than him, so she may eat him......She could ya know! He's that small that he'd make a good meal. We are also doing good handwashing in between handling them both. Petland said that she was seen by a vet a few times, and that they probed her to find out her sex. I want a female so I can eventually breed her. Is there any way to tell their sex from their appearance or characteristics. She isn't old that. Maybe 8 years old they thought at Petland,. How can you tell how old they are? Is ther any formula to figure it out? Also, she is strong........VERY STRONG......All muscle.....Does she need any vitamin supplement based on her size? I was told to feed her 3 adult mice every 5-7 days. What do you think? We do not have rats here in Canada. They don't sell them alive,only frozen. She will only eat live food. Picky girl that Martha. I just don't know if the mice will have enough electrolytes and calcium in them for her. She's a pretty big girl.

$585 CA = $523 US....WOW, I hope she's at least 2000g+ since you paid that much. Keep her in quarantine for at least 3 months, you never know if she could have mites or a disease that could pass to Monty. Hand sanitizer is the best thing to keep handy. Also, ball pythons aren't social animals...they should always be housed separately except for the sole act of breeding. Here's a link on reasons not to house ball pythons together:

http://ballpython.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3358

There's no way to tell gender other than having the snake probed; males and females are identical in outward appearance. There also really isn't a way to tell age other than that she's an adult so she's at least 2-4 years old. Snakes don't need any kind of vitamins or anything like lizards do...they get everything they need from their prey. 3-4 large mice every 7 days should be perfect for a ball python of her size. Feeding an adult every 5 days isn't the best because it leaves them in a constant state of digestion. One larger meal weekly is better. Where in Canada are you? I know a few people in Canada and they are able to buy live rats for their snakes. Maybe the area you're in doesn't have them.

Well, Martha really didn't like her new home because she crawled right out of it last night. I had it duct taped on every side and edge I could think of, and she still got out in the night. I underestimated her strength. I found her about 2 feet away in a toy box almost froze half to death because there was a fan blowing on her. She warming up right now in a heated blanket and it liking it very much. I think I have to go to Petland and get her a proper enclosure. I guess the rubbermaid thing isn't going to work because she really doesn't like it. I thought about taking Monty out of his cage and putting her in there and then buying something smaller for him. I still might do that. Monty doesn't need something as big as 35 gallons. He uses only about half of it anyways and spends 90% of his time curled up in his cave. Maybe I'll get him a 25 gallon tank and give the 35 gallon one to Martha. They would both be pretty happy I guess. I am going to get Martha weighed today at Petland and I'll tell you how much she weighs. I would suppose at least 2500-3000g. They told me that they could have sold her for $1200 but since she was a surrendered animal, they could only charge half of what she was worth. Up here in Canada, these creatures aren't easy to come by. I live in Grande Prairie, up in Northern Alberta by the rocky mountains. I would like to feed Martha rats because it would be alot cheaper, but I don't know where to find them live. I can buy them frozen, but the petshop said she wouldn't eat frozen. I guess we'll find out. Well, thanks for your advice. Monty is doing much better. I will not house them together on a regular basis, and only will put them together for mating.....I want to get Monty about her size before I mate them (it might take me a year or 18 months to do so). We'll work at it. Well, take care and great information pages by the way. You must really be into snakes hey!!!!!

Cher

Males can successfully mate at 800-1000g, so he doesn't have much farther to go. He just needs to get nourished and have his husbandry fixed and he'll be good to go.

Just because Martha escaped doesn't mean she doesn't like her enclosure. All snakes are escape artists and if they get the chance, they'll do it. As long as her temps are correct, she has a few places to hide, and fresh water, she'll be just fine in a plastic tub.

Is there anywhere that can sell you live rats as pets? Or are there no live rats anywhere at all?

Well, Martha pulled my rubber arms and we broke down and bought her a 40 G terrarium. Brande New. I put coconut bark on the bottom, an UTH on one end with a blue bulb over top the UTH for basking. I have a thermostat connected to these two to keep it at a good temp. She is much happier in there as she has a bit more room (actually alot more room). And she is warmer. I was having a hard time getting the temp up in the rubbermaid. Anyways, she's had a very good first day in her new home. Boy does that cononut bark stink. It' smells really strong like dirt, but kind of a sweet smell as well. It should taper off as it dries out. Rats are illegal in Alberta....hence they can only come in frozen, pre-killed packs from a registered place of business (like a pet store). Anyone caught with live rats is fined and relieved of their rat population by the S.P.C.A. So, feeding her rats is out of the question. She was raised on mice, so she'll stay on mice I guess. It's just going to be so expensive to feed both my snakes now. Monty eats two mice a week, and she'll eat about 3-4 the petstore told me. at $4 a mouse.....I don't know, I think I'm going to try and strike up a deal with the petstore owner. Martha has some very thin retained eyecaps from her molt a few weeks ago. At least that's what it looks like. Unless she's dehydrated/stressed from her frequent moves. It looks like she has a road map/veins on her eyes. They are clear, and bulbous (not indented), but they have little cracks in them. They look nice and moist, and feel smooth to touch. What do you suggest? Spraying her with a bit of water? Leaving it until the next molt? She should molt about every 2-3 months hey? Do you think it's possible that I could get Monty to her size? Or is he stunted now that he's been this small for so long? I really want him to thrive and be healthy. I really don't think he's ever been healthy. I think he's just been surviving (barely). I am surprised that all he got was pneumonia when I brought him home. He was a very sick little snake. He's been cold, hungry and lonely for 6 years.......It just makes me so mad that he's suffered for so long, unneccesarily. When I seen Martha, and what potential Monty has, it brought tears to my eyes. Have you ever bred ball pythons, or any kind of snake for that matter? Thanks for keeping up with the posts, it's nice to find someone to ask my questions to. If you are getting sick of me, then I understand....lol.

Cher

Just to show you a picture of Monty and Martha side by side.......You can see the difference hey????? Monty is the same age as Martha, but definitely not been cared for the same (These are newly acquired animals for me). Monty's previous owner ovbiously didn't do their homework.

You're so cute, it's obvious you're from Canada because you end a lot of sentences with "hey". lol! My husband's side of the family is from the upper peninsula of Michigan so they all do it too, I love it.

Monty should be able to put some weight on and grow, but it may take him awhile even with steady feeding. I doubt he'll ever get to the same size as Martha, but he could. You never know. Just keep improving things as you have been and I know he'll make a good rebound.

The wrinkles on Martha's eyecaps are probably from a bad shed and lack of humidity. If you make sure her humidity is at 60%, they should smooth out. If they don't, it's nothing to worry about and they'll fix themselves after her next shed. My snakes shed every 1 1/2 to 2 months, so she should get it fixed soon. Just make sure that while she's shedding, humidity is at 70-75% to help ensure a full, easy shed. Same with Monty, he sounds like he needs a few good sheds to clear up.

Coconut bark does have an earthy smell -- I loved it when I used it. It is so great for humidity and keeping temps right, plus the color change tells you when you need to mist. It's awesome. I'm really glad those links helped you and that you were able to get better enclosures and equipment. Martha should be just fine in a 40g, I used a 40g for my first big adult male -- he's over 4 feet and 1800g and he was very comfortable in it.

This is my first year breeding, I have a pastel male that's just about ready to go, as well as a few normal males and normal females. Hopefully everyone will do well for me!

Why are rats illegal up there? Fear of disease or something?

Originally Posted by JenHarrison

You're so cute, it's obvious you're from Canada because you end a lot of sentences with "hey". lol! My husband's side of the family is from the upper peninsula of Michigan so they all do it too, I love it.

Very cute!! I was thinking the same thing!!

Sounds like Monty is in good hands and being loved now!! YAY
As far as mice go for feeding, I definately suggest looking into breeding them if you can, you will save soooooo much $$ if you do. It might take a few to get them breeding but the babies grow to maturity pretty quickly and you should have your own home grown food in no time! Another benefit to breeding your own is that you can be sure the mice you are feeding them are healthy because you raised them! Good luck with them both!!
oh, and I can't see the pics ...bummer.

Originally Posted by 6y0ballpython

... I would like to feed Martha rats because it would be alot cheaper, but I don't know where to find them live. I can buy them frozen, but the petshop said she wouldn't eat frozen. I guess we'll find out. ...

Cher

I've gotten adult females switched over to frozen, it just takes some time & patience. You can try feeding her a mouse (have a thawed rat at the ready), as you see the rear of the mouse go down, wiggle the rat (at the end of tongs) in front of her. She should still be in feed mode, & take the rat. After a few feedings she should take the rat without having the mouse first.

Best Wishes & Congrats on her.