rescued Bredli

[ShepQLD]

The only retained shed left on her is about maybe 2 cm at the very tip of her tail, Im not to concerned about that but I am rather concerned about how loose her skin is looking, I am figuring that maybe I just need to keep bathing her just to boost her hydration levels IF thats the only cause for 'loose skin'? I was concerned that it may have been lack of food but judging by the advice I have been given on here I am thinking its more likely to be that she needs water rather then food. I dont really want to put her through another car trip to the vets. I will certainly keep people updated on her condition and rest assured there will be a shout of joy bouncing off the forum walls when she eats her first meal! lol Id be interested to hear what weights other peoples 15 month old Bredli's are. I couldnt believe she is only 25 grams, Im wondering if thats not so bad considering her length is only about 40-50cm though?

 

[Snakelove]

The tip of the tail is the most dangerous and crutial part of retained shed. I had to bring my spotted last time to the vet coz it had retained shed on its tail and the last 1cm of it died coz of the shed cutting the blood circulation to its tail. So i suggest you do it asap before it's too late.

 

[shellfisch]

The tip of the tail is the most dangerous and crutial part of retained shed. I had to bring my spotted last time to the vet coz it had retained shed on its tail and the last 1cm of it died coz of the shed cutting the blood circulation to its tail. So i suggest you do it asap before it's too late.

I would have to agree

 

[bfg23]

You should have already got ALL the retained shed off of her, and stop pulling your snake out to weight it and give it baths.

Leave it ALONE for a week or two and then try to feed it.

 

[ShepQLD]

bfg, due to her terrible state of dehydration, the vet instructed me to give her a bath every two days. when I did so today I weighed her at the same time because someone had asked me for her weight. I wonder perhaps if you have missed the point of just how sick she is? if I left her alone for two weeks there is a really big chance she would die. judging by the fact that after not bathing her for four days her skin is looking saggy again Id say its more important that she is hydrated then anything else. It is not my intention to stress her out but it is my intention to give her every chance at pulling through. not meaning to be defensive but im doing everything Ive been told to do for her and I am very concerned for her.

 

[Snakelove]

Hopefully you haven't just ignored my post and look past it. I'll say it again for the animal's sake, please get that last bit of retained shed on the tail cleaned up then leave it alone.

 

[Chris1]

when offering food i would go with the smallest easiest to swallow food u can find,...

the diamond i got in a very bad state was over 5 foot long and she had trouble downing the mice i had fro my 2 foot bredli at first,...it took her about an hour cos she was so weak.

at this stage u want to make it as easy as possible for her,...some nutrition is better than no nutrition.

after bathing coat the tail tip in oil or moisturiser so the retained shed is kept moist for as long as possible.

 

[ShepQLD]

no snakelove, Im on it and I appreciate the warning. I also got some non scented baby sorbolene cream that apparantly is not harmful for them, thanks Chris. I really appreciate all the support I have been given with her. I wont try to feed her again until Tuesday or so at the earliest and I will track down the smallest pinky rats I can find first. As she has only ever been force fed chopped up pinky mice Im hoping that that perhaps a tiny pinky rat might smell different enough to encourage her to eat. Ill keep you informed

 

[Kristy_07]

Shep, not to add just another point of view, but I would probably be getting the retained shed sort, another couple of baths for re hydration if you think it's a concern, but still leaving her alone for a good few days before trying to feed her. She won't eat if she's stressed, and with all the moving around and baths and everything else, there's a good chance she is.

Bath her, and then give her a big water bowl she can soak in - if she's getting more active, then she'll use it if she needs to. But I'd say there's a good chance she will still refuse feeding if she's being picked up and handled and bathed everyday. I hope that's helpful and not too critical or redundant. Keep us informed!

 

[Snakelove]

I can't imagine how tiny a 25gram yearling bredli must be. Don't they even hatch with more weight then that?

 

[Fantazmic]

if you are worried about hydration and you dont want to pull her around by bathing...a spray with a fine mist of water say morninglunchtime and nightime is a much more gentle way of introducing water to her system without 'pulling her around'
and use paper towel as a substrate in the enclosure so that it keeps absorbing excess moisture so that she isnt lieing in water as too much dampness can cause scale rot.

also i had probs with getting my jungle to eat who came to me in poor condition but certainly not as bad as your little girl. I tried and tried to feed him and the more i did the more stressed he and i got. I left him for 5 days (nearly killed me I think i was more stressed that he was) and waited. eventually he was looking around and I tried him again and he ate. Something to try is ...skink tails....if you can get some....rub all over the pinky mouse or rat. Also dipping in egg or chicken stock I have heard can help.

However i think she is just exhausted.......She needs to have a sleep...this is what my snake did and then was hungry. He curled up on his heat mat and I just kept his hydration going with a sprayer and otherwise left him alone and he seemed to sleep and sleep and then he was hungry.

Dont forget if you keep the hydration going and the heat she will be able to relax and minimise her energy output and can last a while before she needs to eat.

Good luck and fingers crossed she eats soon but I think I agree with the others warmth and hydration and lots of rest and she will be hungry

Elizabeth

 

[cwtiger]

Shep,
You are doing everything humanly possible for your little girl. Yes the shed has to come off and you can't do this without handling her as you have worked out for yourself she is dehydrated and again the best way to hydrate her apart from saline injections under the skin is to give her a good old soak in a bath for aleast 30mins again this means you need to handle her. A dehydrated snake will not eat no matter how long you leave it or how hot you make their enclosure. You are following the advice of your vet and the advice from others as well as following your head. The feeding will come in time once you have her hydration sorted. The warm bath and sorbelene will help get the remaining shed off you are doing a wonderful job with her she is a very lucky little snake.

 

[Cold-B-Hearts]

hope the little guy pulls through it would be great to see him a foot long or so in a fair few months

 

[mysnakesau]

I agree that misting can be a good help. Increasing humidity will definitely help with her next shed. But just remember don't let her cage get cold. Humidity is warm, cold damp cages aren't so make sure her warm spot is working good and all will be sweet.

It is important that the skin on the tail tips come off, but honestly I hardly see a great drama with just one shed. If it continually happened shed after shed and the skin was not removed, yes it can cut circulation, but if you are having that much trouble getting the skin off her tail, don't fret too much just yet. Let her settle into her new home, perhaps keep the humidity level up higher than you normally would for a bredli, especially coming into next shed. With your assistance in this way, the chances of her shedding well, and the tail piece coming off next time round are quite high. When she can settle without being disturbed, she will warm up, spring is with us now so she should start eating good. If she refuses, try again next week. But don't stress about the skin. I am not saying it isn't important, but really there's no need to panic. Just look after her normally and prepare to assist her next shedding. As soon as you see her eyes blue, mist her every day until she has shed. This will help her immensely.

 

[Fantazmic]

hi Shep how is she going????

we would love an update

Elizabeth

 

[ShepQLD]

Hi Fantazmic
not really much to tell just yet. she is getting more active in her tub and I have even seen her bathing herself in her water once now so I havent touched her since the weekend when I put a little cream on the tip of her tail. (the rest of her shed has now come off!!) they are all due to be fed today though and Im thinking since I am awake (thanks to an unwelcome visiting rat in my roof!!) I might feed them now while they are all in 'hunting' mode. Ill let you know how I go! fingers and toes are crossed that she eats!!

 

[ShepQLD]

I dont think I have ever had such a proud moment. I found some of the smallest pinky mice I could find, rubbed them on a pinky rat, offered her two and waited. by the time my Diamond had smashed her food and my Stimson had politely swollowed hers Pashcar finally after looking at it for what felt like ages took the most careful of bites. she did struggle getting it down even though it was tiny but she moved on quickly to number two as soon as she had finished. she then started looking out the tub at me, poking her head against the lid which I havent seen her do before. I figure... hey... if she wants to eat Im not going to stop her... I quickly heated up another pinky, with no pinky rat to wipe it on I figured this would be a real test... almost as soon as I shut the lid she was on it.
I cant tell you how pleased I am. we are now just in 'build her up' mode. she is retained shed free and EATING!! HOORAYY!!!
I will post pics on here from time to time to update you on how she is going, I cant thank you all enough for your help and support with her, I really feel like we are finally coming out of the woods.

 

[shellfisch]

she is retained shed free and EATING!!

Thats so good to hear! Good job!

Michelle

 

[adfel]

Thats great news Shep.... I am so happy for you and to hear that all the hard work you have put in has paid off... Well done!!!!!

 

[ShepQLD]

Thanks guys, I really couldnt have done it without the advice and support from so many of you. I hope you are all patting yourselves on the back as much as I am! This little girl will survive and an awful lot of the things that have been done have only been done because of this site. Otherwise the poor thing would have been back and forth to the vets constantly. I am over the moon with how she has progressed, even after giving me such a scare on the weekend looking like she was going backwards. I am MUCH happier knowing she has food in her belly, she may still be a little 'saggy' looking, but if she is going to continue eating like she did last night I dont think she will stay that way for long!! Thank god shes a fighter and thank god for the ability to contact knowlegable, logical and kind people! (yes I am a bit sooky, thankful and happy today... on top of Paschar eating, my budgies who I had given up on breeding have hatched out thier second baby today!! its all very exciting at my place!!)