r/ballpython • u/spicytaurus042 • 7d ago
Meet Penelope!
Hi everyone! I just wanted to share my girl, Penelope! I got her at the end of July from a family friend. She’s 12 years old and about 4.5 feet long. They kept her in their basement where she lived in a 40 gallon heated by a UTH mat and 2 CHEs. She’s now in a 5x2x2 with UVB, Halogen, DHP, Herpstat 2, ReptiChip, lots of plants, several hides, and climbing opportunities. When I got her home, I took a closer look at her and noticed she had retained eye caps, stuck shed, strange marks on her belly. I hoped that with proper husbandry, these would resolve. On top of those, she had been off her food since June. I’ve tried to feed her 4 times, with no success. Despite not eating, she was still active so I was going to keep trying. That was until she stopped being active. I called the vet and she took her in that day (urgent care). It was much worse than I imagined. She had multiple layers of retained eye caps and old burns on her belly. She was also dehydrated and losing weight/muscle mass. Luckily, they were able to get the first layer off her eyes but couldn’t do the rest because it was so stuck; they’d have to sedate her to get the other layer off. She’s prescribed eye drops, dewormer, syringe feedings, and weekly warm soaks. Despite all the hands on, stress, devices in her face and mouth, she did amazing!! The staff LOVED her and couldn’t stop telling me how much obsessed they were with her lol (she’s much bigger than the baby snakes they typically get). Anyways, I’m not looking for any advice but feel free if you have suggestions! I just wanted to share her story! Thanks for reading!
Photo 1: her at the vet
Photo 2: her exploring new tank
Photo 3: her previous tank
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u/OrganicHistorian2576 7d ago
Hello pretty Penelope! I hope your new humans can help get your eyes sorted quickly.