New Adoptees

[nita]

Well, I went and picked up 2 new ball pythons tonight. I was told they were 10 yr old females. When I asked about their eating habits she said they ate live only and other than Recoil not eating for the first 8 months when she got her they had never missed a meal. She also fed them live in their living tank wich they both live in. Recoil has retained shed on the first third of her neck, I put her into a rubbermaid with a damp cloth to help but it still isn't all off, the humidity though in her new home should complete the job. They are extremely small for their age and probably will not get to full adult size since they obviously have been underfed for the last 10 yrs. Here are their stats, Whiplash weighed in at 1140g and is approx 12 yrs old She is a decent length and is easily handled though, I have yet to actually measure her, I want her to get settled in a bit better. Recoil only weighed 916g and is approx 10 yrs old I offered them food and they both ate 2 large mice, I know that is only a snack but it was what I happened to have left over from the weekend of feeding my other 4 and since the woman I got them from said she figured it was probably time to feed them again I didn't want to make them wait since she obviously wasnt' feeding on a regular schedule. She claims they never missed a meal since she has had them and have been healthy but she seems to think that Recoil shedding in pieces and having to be soaked is normal. I didn't say anything to her just took them and thanked her for them or I would have been very rude. Just glad they are mine and will be getting proper care from now on. I am also planning on switching all of mine to frozen thawed rats as I now have 3 that will eat 4-6 mice a week. I want to get them on FT med rats and the younger 3 on FT small rats. Hopefully they will all start gaining weight good if I can get them on FT rats. Also I don't know for sure if they are female or male, she commented that they had never laid eggs but they arent' big enough for that anyway. She did say she had observed them with their tails twisted together and had assumed it was mating behaviour but nothing ever came of it. I will be bringing them to the next ERAS GM and see if Neil can probe them and let me know for sure what they are. Wish me luck!!