Looking desperately for some advice!

[Chookhead]

Hi all,

I have an 8 yr old Male carpet python who is about 2.3m long and who seems to be having a few problems. About 2 months ago, I got him a heating wand for his tank and due to a fault with the somewhere in the connections, the wire just kept geting hotter and hotter until it completely filled my tank and bedroom with smoke and burnt the all the bark at the bottom of his tank. We both got out fine.He was on injections for 2 weeks, just for respiratory problems, but thats all fine now as well. However, since then, he has not eaten. Its now been nearly 7 mths, I have tried chicken blood on a rat, have tried removing him from the tank and feeding him but still wont eat. spends all day and night in his water dish.

Have cleaned the tank thoroughly twice now, have checked him for mites, and checked the temperature as well, thats all fine, he shed about a month and a half ago, it was a perfect shed, dont know what else to try before having to get someone to force feed him.
Is it maybe shock of the fire, or that he is scared...Im outta ideas?

Cheers Chook

 

[Australis]

Whats a heating wand?

 

[Soldiers_Girl]

I second that, what is a heating wand??

 

[caustichumor]

I thought the same thing, all I can think of is an aquarium heater?

 

[Tatelina]

What did the vet say 7 months ago?

Maybe he's still healing his internal injuries? (Internal burning?) *shrug*

 

[Gavin]

isnt a heating wand like a rod that heats up?, do u still use a heating wand or a different heating system?

 

[serpenttongue]

I thought the same thing, all I can think of is an aquarium heater?

Yeah thats what i thought. If so, they cannot be used outside of water(as far as i'm aware). No wonder there was smoke!

Most males dont feed around this time of year (including their winter fasting).

 

[Australis]

I think ive see these heating wands lol :| a few people use
aquarium heaters.

 

[funcouple]

its like serpenttongue said. aquarium heaters must be submerged in water. id suggest that you talk with the vet about your snake not eating for 7 months. maybe it needs to be force feed

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

Ummm my male eats and has eatin all the way through winter but my female has gone off her food, australis do you know of the vitamin spray that has a certain scent that helps them want to eat and helps with vitamins?

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

No force feeding a 8yo python give him time he will eat just dont try force him other wise stress will make things worse

 

[=bECS=]

this heating wand... was it caged at all, or could the snake wrap itself around it? It sounds like an aquarium heater, which needs to be in water as its been said, but if he was wrapped around it when it was continually heating up, he may have cooked some internal organs.

 

[gman78]

God help him if he's in a cage with a fish tank heater.
Wouldn't it blow up out of water anyway?

 

[wokka]

Looking at the amount of negative comment when "you" dont know what a heat wand is or what happened, I'd hate to see what you say when you find out what actually happened.
Chookhead, What is the animals bdy condition like now? (Body weight)

 

[wokka]

The decision as to wether to force feed should be based upon the animals condition, not upon how long since it last fed.

 

[gary.wheeler7]

r u abble 2 still handle it .has it lost any wate give it a daily mist the smoke could have burned its lungs .is it still drinking. and does it still thermoregulate ok

 

[Chookhead]

OK...OK so im not too crash hot, ill just call it the heat thingamabobby (aka...Heating Cord)!
Sorry about all the confusion, now you can see why i need help

 

[Chookhead]

Hi Gary Wheeler,

Yes i can still handle him perfectly fine, no hassles at all, he hasnt dropped any weight that is all that noticeable and he still drinks all the time. the vet checked him over for internal burns but there wasnt actually any flames just the smoke from the wire, so unless its chemical burns. breathing seems to be quite usual in that respect

 

[Chookhead]

Hi Gaven,
No im no longer using the heating cord...I dont trust them anymore and im still in contact with URS as too why this happened, dont know if its fault with cable or thermostat.
Anyway, i have installed another ceramic light fitting into his tank and now he has two lights as its a huge tank so he is ok

 

[Chookhead]

Wokka....
Body weight is fine, he gets checked quite frequently at the vet. body is fine as well, he has shed perfectly since. I know what an aquarium heater is......just didnt explain that it was a heading cord. It was spread out on the bottom of his tank underneath his bark