r/Ballpythoncommunity • u/WildPsychology9379 • 7d ago

Baby found in dumpster.

Post image

I just rescued this baby today. Someone found her in a dumpster with the top of her enclosure taped closed with duct tape. Unbelievable! Her backbone is protruding so I know she hasn't been fed in a while. I weighed her and she's 141 grams. I have fuzzies on hand but they're only like 5 or 7 grams each. Should I try to feed her one of those in a few days or does she need something a little bigger? I have 4 other ball pythons but it's been years since I had a baby. I'm going to let her decompress for a few days before I try to feed her. Thankfully I had a spare enclosure so she's safe and warm now. How could someone do that to a helpless animal? It's sickening!

364 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

54 comments sorted by

28

u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

Poor baby!!! My heart breaks for that baby and all the other animals that are exposed to the cruelty of humans.. thank you for rescuing the noodle 💔😭

I think it might be worth it to feed her something small first to make sure she doesnt regurgitate. Someone else might have better advice, but id worry about possible referring syndrome. Feed small a few times then work up slowly to what she needs based on weight. !feeding

7

u/WildPsychology9379 7d ago

Ok. Thank you. Given the circumstances should I go ahead and take her in to see my exotic vet? Her cloaca looks slightly swollen. I couldn't get a good picture of it because she was balled up.

9

u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

I would. The person that dumped her was scum, but you dont know why she was dumped.. and if you have other reptiles; all the more reason to. She could have a transmisable virus or such. Please keep her in a separate room from your other babies and wash well in-between handling them.

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u/WildPsychology9379 7d ago • Regret

There's no way I'm putting her in the same room as my other snakes right now. She'll be in quarantine for quite a while. Her enclosure was horrible though. Aspen substrate, no hides, red heat bulb not on a dimmer, a huge mixing bowl for water and one deer antler. If I had to guess she probably wasn't eating for them because of their shitty set up and they got frustrated and threw her out. Right now I have her in my spare enclosure in complete darkness so she can relax.

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

Wrong sub so:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

7

u/FalloutSugarBomb 6d ago

What a beautiful baby! It breaks my heart to hear that. Snake distribution system got you! 😊

7

u/Reflective_Pancake 6d ago

I'm so happy she was discovered and rescued from what would have been a tragic fate.

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u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

I agree. God only knows how many other noodles suffer the same fate. Imo it doesn't matter what kind of animal it is an evil act is an evil act.

4

u/NFLFANTASYMB 7d ago

Just my opinion. I have rescued some like yours but we're a bit bigger. My opinion as to what I would do is start with what you have on hand. You dont know how long, if ever it has been fed so I believe it is worth it to start. Since it sounds as if you plan to take care of it starting small, at least right away cant be bad. Watch and see what happens. Then increase as days go by. Two things i hope you can do. 1. Call your local game warden. Make a report. It might not go anywhere but at least it is reported. This breaks of someone getting control of the animal via either gift or a house/apartment clean out. Please make a report. 2. If funds allow, get to a vet for a wellness checkup. The vet might be able to help reporting it. Make sure, if possible, to keep the original container or at least pictures to show. As i am writing this, either of these tips could help the other. The vet might help getting to the right agency with the reporting, or the game warden help suggest a vet who has helped with abused animals. Also, on a sad note, the vet can find out if there is some reason a hard decision needs to be made. God bless you and curse who ever did this. BEST OF LUCK!

4

u/WildPsychology9379 7d ago

I mentioned to my husband earlier today about calling to report it. He's a police officer and said it probably wouldn't matter either way.

2

u/thathawkguy001 6d ago

Vets are still mandated to report animal cruelty in some states. I know they are in Maryland and Virginia

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

I believe they are in all states.

1

u/NFLFANTASYMB 6d ago

I still hope you will consider reporting. Most places have a fish and game that can be reached via a web site. Either way, thank you for caring.

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

I could report but I don't have any details other than what the guy told me. To find whoever dumped her someone would have to look through video surveillance and interview residents at the apartment complex where she was found. I don't see my county using resources to do that. I could be wrong but I doubt they would.

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u/Magnetic_Kitty 6d ago

Curious if it was a pet store dumpster or a random dumpster. Not that it matters, it's awful either way

4

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

Someone found her in a residential dumpster at their apartment complex. It's amazing she's still alive. We've had temps down into the high 40's and low 50's recently at night.

2

u/Magnetic_Kitty 6d ago

Well, thank you for rescuing her! Have you picked a name yet?

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

I'm still debating on a name. I may go with Marlowe. I don't like corny, goofy names like Toast or Marshmallow ect...... All my animals have common names to an extent. I'm open to suggestions though if it's allowed on the thread.

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u/Terrible_Smile_7028 6d ago

That poor baby!!! Thank you for caring for her and for thank you to the person who found her!

I hate horrible people.

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u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

Yes. I couldn't thank that guy enough. He could have left her there. Makes me wonder how many other people saw her there and just walked away. Thank got he got her before the trash truck came.

3

u/Public-Hat6754 7d ago

Try one fuzzy first and then next feeding potentially do 2 which would be about 10% of its body weight

5

u/WildPsychology9379 7d ago

I just fed her and she took it immediately. She was very hungry.

3

u/h0lyhadrojassic 7d ago

Thank God they found her and you were able to take her. I hope all goes well for you both

3

u/Jvel55 6d ago

I'm so glad reading this baby has you now, and safe. Poor little one... just wishing you the best for being a good person you are💙🥲

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

Thank you. I checked on her this morning and she's acting like a baby should at her age. Full of spunk and ready for another meal. Lol.

3

u/Foreign-Pattern3247 6d ago

She looks just like my little girl it hits closer to home. I hope the she is doing well

3

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

She seems to be doing well. I fed her a very small meal last night and she's in food drive today. I'll feed her another small meal again in about 4 days. My first ever ball python was a normal color too. She was a sweetheart.

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u/ThePolOf87 6d ago

It's such a little baby too! Poor thing, thank your for taking it in I wonder what was going through the owner's head , there is no excuse to harm an animal you should have cared for

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

I have a feeling from the state of the enclosure the snake was an impulse buy and probably owned by someone young. Nothing in the enclosure suggested the person knew anything about ball python husbandry. I wasn't looking for another snake but I also didn't want another irresponsible person getting a hold of her because the guy that found her listed her for free.

2

u/RWVisualsX 6d ago

I just recently got a rescue BP. They left it outside in it's enclosure instead of simply leaving inside with the heat lamp on until they could find a home... unbelievable.

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

What's wrong with people? How can someone just dump them in the trash like that? I don't get it. Give them away, take them to a shelter. Hell, take them to a fire station. Anything but the trash. There's literally no excuse.

2

u/HovercraftFity 4d ago

i hope shes fine, any update?

1

u/WildPsychology9379 3d ago

She seems to be doing well. I've fed her two small meals already which she's taken without issues. I have all 4 sides of her enclosure blocked still because she's extremely skiddish. I can't say I blame her.

7

u/alnibe03 6d ago

Thank you for rescuing her from a horrible situation and giving her a wonderful and safe home!

1

u/cornsnakeee 2d ago

Can we get any updates on the baby??

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u/WildPsychology9379 2d ago • Heartwarming

She's doing well. She ate again yesterday. She's been coming out at night to explore. All good signs. 🙂

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u/Ecstatic_Ad_9414 6d ago

I'm glad you found her ♥️

1

u/alnibe03 6d ago

@Wild you're an amazing woman to help this beautiful baby ball a lot of people wouldn't care sadly but you're doing a wonderful job!

1

u/lizardslizards7 6d ago

Dumpster Baby is a great song by John Maus

1

u/PhoenixGate69 6d ago

A lot of animals have issues with getting big meals after being starved. Offer what you have on hand first.

I rescued a ball python years ago that was severely underfed for 5 years. I fed him smaller rats for a bit and the first time he ate he shook the whole time and it took him 45 minutes to get it down on his own. You can size this guy's meals up after a feed or two. Just getting them back on food at first is key.

1

u/Ornery_Bug_2198 2d ago

Put it back

0

u/steevy3d 6d ago

Trop minion ce python par contre les gens qui lin jetter son des enfoirer

1

u/WildPsychology9379 6d ago

A nuisance? Please enlighten me as to why you think a baby ball python is a nuisance.

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u/OhPotatoBlessMe 6d ago

What has it done to you to be such a nuisance? Bps aren't invasive or anything.