Constricted by my other ball python

Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:40 pm

Hi all, just thought I would share this weird bit of info with you and hear your opinions. So Ive got my Ball Python that I bought last month, now my wife wanted one for her birthday as well, so I went on Friday to buy hers, but I wasn't finished with the cage yet so I put hers in with mine until I finished the cage on Saturday. Everything was fine, the two didn't look like they were bothered with the other being there, so we went out for the night and when we came back, we took both snakes out from where they were lying together, then I noticed that the new one was flat in the centre, but it was moving around and appeared normal, except for the flat part. We took it back to where we bought it from and the guy told us that the ribs are broken and it looks like it was stepped on or something, but both snakes were safe and sound in the cage and there is nothing in the cage that could have fallen on top of it, so that leaves the only "logical" explanation, that mine actually constricted the other one, which is very weird, but there is no other way that it could have been hurt like that in the cage, so that must bee what happened. I left it at the shop, to see if it would eat on Sunday,which it did, but I also bought another one as it is a my wife's birthday present. Ive taken it back home and it seems fine, so we will just have to wait and see how it will be when it gets bigger, so now we have three Balls and hopefully it will grow up to be a perfect snake.
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Scar69 » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:53 pm

Hi Piera,

That does sound pretty strange!
Could you maybe post some pics?
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:58 pm

I will see if I can post some pics tonight. Maybe I shouldnt have putt them together before they have eaten, maybe it was a feeding issue, because I was planning on feeding them on Sunday only?
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Scar69 » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:01 pm

I doubt it would have been a feeding issue,
Whats also strange about this is the fact that or rather you didnt mention any Bite marks ?

Whats the odds off him constricting without biting!
What would be the reason behind that ?
Very Strange indeed,
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:19 pm

I didn't see any bite marks, but like I said, nothing in the cage could have hurt it, Ive got the water bowl, a hide that looks like a roof and a small fake branch that is lying at the bottom, nothing else and I know for a fact that it wasn't stepped on as we took it home in the box that it was put in, we took it out and putt it straight into the cage with the other one and then we watched it for a wile, especially to make sure they were okay with each other. The new one went over mine and mine just moved back and went into the hide curling up like it usually does as it seems to like hiding in there. Other than being constricted, I have no idea as to how it could have been hurt like that.
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby steve » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:20 pm

I highly doubt that the snake would have the strength to break ribs, especially in one specific spot, with no bite marks. sounds a little bit suspect. Are you sure that there was nobody who could have tampered with the snakes while you were out? Kids, a malicious neighbor or something like that?
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby nbdreyer » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:36 pm

It is not a good idea to keep ball pythons together. It can cause some problems...
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:42 pm

I know that they might refuse to eat if putt together, but I wasn't planning on keeping them together for long, only until the cage was done on Saturday. Are there other reasons for why you shouldn't putt them together?
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby nbdreyer » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:05 pm

It can stress them, feeding problems, males may fight...
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:15 pm

nbdreyer wrote:It can stress them, feeding problems, males may fight...

Maybe there was a fight, because they are both males?What is also weird, is that they were lying together inside the hide and they looked really relaxed when I took them out.
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby nbdreyer » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:38 pm

Post some pics and let's see what it looks like.
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:45 pm

I will post some pics tonight, maybe things will make more sense then. I really hope that it will be okay and live a normal life, because it is a beautiful snake.
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Ales » Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:49 pm

My one brown house snake constricted and killed another but it was after feeding and I could not feel any bones broken.
I've been told that snakes don't break their preys bones,I suppose a mouse is very flexibly(skeleton wise) ,maybe snakes ribs can't move anywhere and can break.
What a world....
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Piera » Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:53 pm

Here are some pics, although you can't really see it properly. On the first pic it is where the top right loop is and the second pic is that spot from the side. Hopefully it is not that bad. It was very peaceful after I took it out.
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Re: Constricted by my other ball python

Postby Bushviper » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:18 am

Besides the part where we say do not keep more than one snake in a cage, or dont get the snake till the cage is ready, I also think that possibly the snake had this injury earlier. Ball pythons coil up or inflate themselves and seeing an injury like this is not always easy at the shop.

Could you PM me the name of the shop as I have a suspicion about this scenario.
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