I don't think Sasaran's actual body has been shown in the anime yet so spoiler warning just in case. I also made up his colour pallete since I couldn't find any references.
Anyway, here's Iguin my beloved (unbiased) and his pet cat.
Found this cutie on a busy hiking trail. He was released back into the brush about 5 feet from the trail so he wouldn't be stepped on.
Main matrix appears to limonite. A small sample put in hydrogen peroxide released large amounts of colourless, odourless gas that if our identification is correct should be oxygen.
Our best hypothesis for the weird 'vein' lines is some type of ferric oxide leaching from the limonite.
We also tested to see if it may be anaerobic bacteria but there was no change. The lines do not respond to the hydrogen peroxide like the matrix does. The lines also seem to be slightly harder than the surrounding stone but they are only surface level. Also the rock is fully dry, there is just a lighter coloured streak in the middle.
This is all speculation so if someone more knowledgeable could give their expertise it would be greatly appreciated!
Picked my boy up off of Facebook Marketplace by accident 3 weeks ago. I had bought a 55 gal with a stand for $50. The plan was to get a male hognose from a local reptile show in November, and spend the time until then slowly buying the stuff it would need. The listing did not mention any current inhabitants.
I convinced my mom to come with me (tank was heavy) and drove an hour and a half one way for the tank. When I got there the seller said the tank comes with a heating pad (not attached), a large hide, a resin decoration, and one of those background sheets you put on the outside of the tank.
The hide was big for a reason. The reason being a 4ish foot 14 year old ball python who was terrified. We were taking the hide out and were going to pour out the substrate for easy transport when he bit my mom and we realized he was balled up in the back of the hide. Obviously the bite wasn't too bad, but it was definitely a surprise. I felt super bad because we wouldn't have started upturning the tank if we knew he was in there.
1 hide, a detached heat source, a large shallow (⅔in) water dish, an inch of completely dry coconut bedding full of old shed, a weird resin decoration that I can't identify it's purpose, and no light except for a normal lamp a few feet away. All in a 55 gallon tank for at least 11 years.
Only after the bite were we informed that he came with the tank. I've never owned a python, and I hadn't planned on getting a large snake for a few years, but I couldn't leave him in the situation he was in. Got him out of his tank and it took about 20 minutes of him death gripping my arm to coax him off. He didn't strike at me but he refused to let go and I didn't want to hurt him on accident by brute forcing him off. The seller donated a pillowcase for transport and garden gloves in case he struck again. Was told he was usually very friendly. He was a classroom pet for his first 3 years then a normal pet at home for the next 11.
I didn't have substrate, heat, hides or anything when I got him home. The tank was literally the first step to getting a snake in a few months. I got rid of any soiled substrate then moistened what was left. Put his hide back and gave him my kitten's old water dish (well cleaned). He just drank and drank and drank. I finally got to see him fully and his eye caps were dented and scratched, his face was scratched up, and his body was covered in messed up scales. I think he might be a bit skinny but I'm not positive. Even after all of this there was 0 aggression. He was just so tired it was heart breaking.
I went to Petco, PetSmart, and pet supplies getting him overhead heat, a light, 2 hides, branches, fake plants, substrate, humidity and temp readers, ect. I knew he needed a bigger tank but I couldn't afford $600+ for a new one plus all the stuff I'd just bought so I went back to FBM and found a PVC 120gal, front opening with a stand (uninhabited) for under half that. I was able to pick it up yesterday but it needs some work before I can set it up. It had adhesive inside that I've been spending hours scraping off with a butter knife and I had to remove the old peeling silicone which I'll be replacing once it's cleaned with aquarium silicone.
He shed last week on Tuesday in 3 pieces. His previous shed (which I cleaned out of his substrate) looked like confetti so I'm happy with the bit of improvement.
I renamed him Toblerone and I swapped him to f/t small rats. I weighed him (1594g) and fed him 3 of them (equalling about 80g) on Thursday. His seller said he's been on live mice every Wednesday his whole life and wouldn't eat frozen but he took them without any issues.
Every night I sit with him with the tank lid off and he watches me for a while. I've gotten him used to seeing me and me moving things in his tank. I got a snake hook to help with moving him since it's a screen top and I don't want to scare him by reaching over him. I let him sniff at the hook every day when I change his water and I gently pet him with it if he's out and about. He was a bit cautious at first but now he doesn't really care about the hook or me touching his things.
Tonight I decided to try holding him for the first time. He was out of his hide watching me and I opened the tank. He came up the side and I gently lifted the rest of his body out. I brought out his cool hide in case he felt like he needed to curl up. Immediately he was slithering all over me, exploring the bed (I put a soft textured blanket down), and sticking his little tongue out. Almost all the damage on him is gone after his shed. He's so smooth, his eyes are clear, he's like a new snake. And he was so friendly and curious. He even allowed me to gently touch under his chin to check his mouth area.
I think honestly this was meant to be. It sucks that I wasn't prepared for him (RIP my bank account) but I love him so much and I can't wait to give him the life he deserves.
Some crappy pictures I took tonight as tax. I was more focused on watching his reactions/looking for injuries than I was on good photography, but know that he's the cutest little guy.