Soleil My Ball Python

Question
QUESTION: I just got my ball python last Wednesday. She was fine with me picking her up, but now she pulls her head back and intimidates me to not pick her up. I did feed her last night too, but I am so anxious to hold her! I know she needs to get used to me also but why is she acting like this? You can see her body move up and down breathing, when normally you can't see her breathing. I wish I could be more brave...should i just let her be or is it just getting to my head?

ANSWER: Hi Ettienne,

Ball pythons are a very docile and shy species. This can mean a little more patience is required to help them settle into a new environment. You have already crossed a major hurdle by getting her to feed for you in her first week. Snakes that have just fed can feel particularly vulnerable and will act defensively while they are digesting. Give her at least 48 hours after feeding before attempting to handle her.

I am assuming that she is a young animal and young reptiles are often more nervous then their adult counterparts. They mellow out as they mature.

There are a few things that can help overcome her nervousness and yours.

Make sure there is no scent of her food nearby. Snakes will make a feeding strike at any movement if they smell prey. Wash you hands to remove the scent of any other pets as well.
Give her plenty of chance to know you are there, remembering that snakes often sleep during the day.
Try not to expose her suddenly by quickly lifting her hide spot away.  Once she knows you are there, you can slowly lift her hide away. Never reach into a hide area to grab her. Make your movements around her slow and steady.

Birds are a natural predator of most snakes so anything swooping down from above (like hands) can trigger a defensive response. Most snakes are "head shy" and balls are no different. Try to approach her  more from ground level and from the side if possible. Reach slowly but confidently for her and scoop her up around the mid coils/ mid-body area. Try to avoid nervously reaching in a then pulling back with your hand repeatedly.
Once you have her in your hands support her weight in a couple places along her body so she feels secure (nobody likes to feel like they are falling!) Let her move in a controlled way through your hands without actively restraining her.

If she continues to go into a defensive position that you are too nervous to reach past then sometimes placing a small towel over her head will calm her (and you) enough to let you pick her up. She should calm down after a few regular handling sessions. Cut back on handling if she goes off her food.     



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay,
Now she still has her eye caps, and is breathing through her mouth...I read it is most likely a respiratory infection or something how do I help her? Her cage is up to 90 degrees in the day... should I leave them on 24 hours until she gets better?

ANSWER: Hi Ettienne,

You mentioned that she still has her eye caps. Did you mean that she has recently gone through a shed and the eye caps were retained or did you mean that her eyes have gone cloudy and she is about to shed? Retained eye caps will need to be removed. She should never should have been sold to you with retained eye caps!

Retained skin around the nostrils can affect their breathing somewhat making it abit more audible. Startled or frightened balls can emit a brief hissing sound. Is it possible that is what you are hearing?

Are you hearing any whistling, clicking or popping  sounds as she breathes?
Is she breathing with her mouth open and have you noticed any excess liquid in her mouth or bubbles around her nostrils? Those are further signs of a real respiratory infection and she should ideally be seen by a vet. In the meantime, you can raise her basking temp. up to 95F to boost her immune system. Try to keep her above 75F at night.

I know you have only had her since last week and she has fed for you during that time. It would be unusual for a new ball python with retained eye caps and the start of an upper respiratory infection to feed so readily.

I will need some more clarification about her eye caps, breathing, shedding etc. before I can advise you further. Do you have past experience with snakes or is Soleil your first one?


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: There is definite clicking, and breathing through the mouth. When I bought her she had just shed so it made sense that she still had "eye caps", but now they won't come off. It looks like dry skin on her eyes. I have looked closely at her nose and it looks like some blockage in her nostrils.

She also opens her mouth frequently, but not in any defensive way, and is not grumpy at all. She is definitely not hissing either. She is not about to shed either and there is no bubbling or excess mouth fluid.

This is my first time with a snake

Answer
Hi Ettienne,

The eye caps should have come off with the rest of the shed under normal conditions. If they are still on her eyes then that is an abnormal situation that needs to be addressed. Retained caps can interfere with subsequent shed cycles resulting in 2 or more caps covering her eyes. That can lead to eye infection and damage.

It can take some experience to determine whether a ball really has retained caps or simply dry eyes. Dry eyes often develop slight dents that can be mistaken for retained caps. Retained caps often (but not always) have a visible skin tag around the edge of the eye.
There was a story in "Reptiles" magazine a few years ago about an owner whose Ball python was left completely blind BY HIS VETERINARIAN!. The vet mistook dry eyes for eye caps and removed the top layer of the snake's eyes, blinding him.

The photos in this link show a retained cap with a skin tag:

http://www.ballpython.com/index.php?page=bpfaq

http://www.anapsid.org/eyeshed.html

You have also described several symptoms of a true upper respiratory infection in Soleil. URI's can sometimes be reversed by raising the hot end to 95F and keeping the correct humidity level but you are taking a chance. If it progresses to full pneumonia then her chances of recovery, even with antibiotics, become slimmer. I would really encourage you to make a vet appointment with an experienced reptile vet who can treat the URI and also assess the eye situation.

You can find a reptile vet through herpvetconnection.com or through the website for ARAV, the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians.

For now, stop handling her completely until this situation resolves. She needs the optimum temperature of her enclosure and to be completely stress-free in order to fight off any infection.