Urgent!!!! Very sick childrens python :'(

[veenarm]

Can I suggest soaking him and giving him a bath?

I did that with burns etc, soak him in a bath type solution with just luke warm water and betadine thrown into it ... he healed very quickly (also using a light not a mat helped aswell)

No one is perfect, we are human we learn from our mistakes is all that matters.

 

[jacinta78]

Can I suggest soaking him and giving him a bath?

I did that with burns etc, soak him in a bath type solution with just luke warm water and betadine thrown into it ... he healed very quickly (also using a light not a mat helped aswell)

No one is perfect, we are human we learn from our mistakes is all that matters.

I have been putting betadine on him and spraying him with a luke warm mist spray. Any good or should I do the soaking???

 

[junglelove]

wow some people were harsh!!

but finally someone said soak him!! this is the best way to rehydrate your snake. put him in a tub he cant escape from fill it a little with luke warm water not very deep, and make sure you have a rock or something in there for him to sit on. (so he doesnt drown if hes unwell) you can leave him in there for about 15 minutes.
misting is good but soaking is better he can absorb more fluids that way.

Fortum is a reguarly used antibiotic injection - metacam inj can aslo be used for pain relief.
Dont blame your self many people will feed out live if their animal hasnt eaten it can stimulate them a bit more. but again dont stress if hes not keen on food one of my guys didnt eat for 6months.
hope hes ok
you can inbox me if you want some unjudgemental advice x

 

[Gruni]

How's your little guy going now Jacinta? Any improvement?

 

[jacinta78]

How's your little guy going now Jacinta? Any improvement?

Hi,
He is still going that is the main thing.
He is still very dry, I have been soaking him in luke warm bath, checking him all the time.
My concern is i have been trying to offer him a pinky rat to eat (as his mouth was sore so I thought little would be good) Anyway not only will he not take it and hasn't eaten since before Christmas, He acts like he is scared of it. Do you know what I could do or should I be worried that he hasn't eaten. I have heard people giving their snakes chicken necks, could i try that as maybe it has a different smell.

Please if you have any other advice I would love to hear it as i am still so worried about him

Cheers

 

[Renenet]

Jacinta,

Glad to hear your boy is hanging in there. Does he look any better, do you think? How's the hole healing up? You must be due to take him back to the vet for another shot of antibiotics soon. Let us know how it goes.

I wouldn't stress about the food for now. Snakes can go for a long time without it, even sick snakes. The snake might not be hungry for a number of reasons. The sore mouth might be one - it could hurt or it might have temporarily damaged his Jacobson's organ, which is what he uses to smell food. It could also be that the snake's body wants to put all its energy into healing. Just give him heat and continue the treatment to help that process along.

 

[jacinta78]

Thank you, was so worried that he should eat because it has been so long. I thought he was looking a little better, but today he is looking particularly dry. His hole does not seem to have changed much. I am due for the vet this week. He said the antibiotics last 2 weeks, but i'll call this week to see what he has to say.
Will Aladdins Jacobson's organ heal if that is the case and if so how long does that take do you know?
I am keeping a close eye on him as i am so worried, so any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[grannieannie]

Hell, maybe I shouldn't say this....but I can't believe what's happened. I know people make mistakes, but like I said, I can't believe what has happened to this poor creature. As you said Jacinta, you do need to do more research. Maybe you should give the little guy to someone else and then do some more reasearch and start again when you understand more of what is involved with keeping and feeding a snake. I'm really trying to be gentle with my comments....but maybe a dog or cat might suit you better for a while !!! Sorry, just my opinion.....

 

[jacinta78]

I have had my snakes for over 3 years and have never had any problems. This is one mistake i have made. Didnt realise you had never made a mistake in your entire life! I thought it was a human thing to make mistakes. maybe you should keep your opinion to yourself. I am looking for help not for people like you who think they know it all to have a go at me!!!

 

[grannieannie]

Jacinta....I don't think I know it all...and as I said I know people make mistakes...everyone does. I have a Stimmie, he'll be 4 at the end of March, I've had him 3 years....basically the same species as you have. But the first thing I was ever, ever told was NEVER, NEVER, NEVER feed live prey...it's illegal, it can be cruel to both snake and prey. Unless you thoroughly research the animal you're going to buy, everyone will tell you it's irrisponsible to get one. And please don't tell me to keep my opinion to myself, because this is an open forum and I can give my opinion. I have been a member of this forum for a long time and I have a very good reputation here. I hope your snake recovers completely and that you get years of enjoyment from it......I've had my say, and I'll say no more.....but I was entitled to voice my opinion.

 

[eipper]

Suggest to the vet the use of baytril
as the antibiotic. If the snake is emaciated then rehydration via soaking in water with a 10% dilution of a gatoraid/ electrolyte type drink will help.

As for feeding if it has been off its food for about a month now I would not worry.. Stress of attempted feeding will cause stress levels to rise and further suppress a compromised immune system.

7good luck

 

[jacinta78]

Well I was never told that. I only did it as he hadn't eaten and I was concerned. First you say I should give him away now you hope I get years of enjoyment. You can have an opinion, everyone is entitled to one. But I am concerned about my snake and would much rather people's help than people like you telling me I should give him away.

Suggest to the vet the use of baytril
as the antibiotic. If the snake is emaciated then rehydration via soaking in water with a 10% dilution of a gatoraid/ electrolyte type drink will help.

As for feeding if it has been off its food for about a month now I would not worry.. Stress of attempted feeding will cause stress levels to rise and further
suppress a compromised immune system.




7good luck

Thank you. Imwill be giving those names to the vet. He hasn't eaten for about 2 months now. How long should I wait before being concerned?

Thanks

 

[phantomreptiles]

Live feeding is not illegal but very much frowned upon, and should only be done if the reptiles life is in danger, eg will die in the next few days if it does not eat. (This is for Qld, not sure of other states)
Two months without food is of no concern, they are amazing creatures and can go a very long time without food. My 6yr old spotted only feeds for six months of the year, he stops in April and resumes October, he always has done this, his temperture never changes as he isn't being used for breeding. He only loses about 50gm over the six months.
There is some good advice on here, but the main thing is finding a good vet, some antibiotics don't cover everything, although Fortum is a fairly broad spectrum, even if your vet is not a specialist, he will be able to access fellow veterinarians, also he should have access to something call Veterinary Information Network, this is used for this exact thing, it is for vets only, and they post questions on a forum like this (without the snarky remarks though and yes I have been known to give snarky remarks too) so they can get the advice of people who do deal with reptiles all the time. It is world wide so generally always someone can help at any given time.
At the moment keeping up with the soaking (supervised) and making sure your temps are correct and seeing your vet again are the three most important things at the moment.
Don't worry about feeding at the moment.
Have you got a thermometer so you can keep an eye on the heat mat temperture and a thermostat so it can stop it getting too hot if you are not there, these where mentioned near the start of this thread so I am sure you have gone out and purchased these items if you didn't already have them.
Once you python is better, perhaps find a reptuable member on here who can give you the correct advice in regards to set up, heat, feeding etc via email or PM's, as I agree I certainly would not let anyone into my house.
You may have had the snake 3.5yrs but as someone said they are very hardy, so perhaps things have been wrong for a long time and finally something pushed it over the edge, such as an injury from live prey.
This is all just in my opinion.........

 

[Darlyn]

To give you an example of the food situation my 5 month old Darwin stopped eating for 4 months. No detrimental effect
and she eats like a champion now. Good luck. Welcome to the forum and read a lot of hubandry threads.
You'll find great information and it appears you need some.

 

[Gruni]

Good to hear he's hanging in there Jacinta, certainly go bak to the vet if you think there has been no noticible change and maybe recommend that he could network with one of the vets we have mentioned who do have herp experience. Grannie wasn't trying to upset you she was worried about your snakes recovery and thought maybe a more experienced keeper might do better, I think she was also concerned that you sounded so ill informed at the start of the thread. You are already taking the right steps and you are learning, I hope you have tracked down some of the books that are out there, your town library should be able to source them if needs be.

Also just a thought, ask your vet if there is a WIRES member near you who has experience with snakes who you could talk to and may be able to help you with first hand experience.

Good luck and keep us posted. Some pics would be interesting to see.

 

[jacinta78]

Thank you I will call this week ask about him talking to other people. I am doing everything i can for him. I have got a book am are reading it. I will be getting more books too.
The wires thing i will ask the vet and ask around the town as i live in a small town people might know.
I will try and get some pics and post them for you.

 

[stimigex]

There is a vet close to you in Kyabram that has reptile experience!
Her name is Kerry Fraser and she is with the Kyabram Vet Clinic,she is very good with reps.
Personally i would not even take a dead animal to any of the vets in Echcua!

 

[jacinta78]

There is a vet close to you in Kyabram that has reptile experience!
Her name is Kerry Fraser and she is with the Kyabram Vet Clinic,she is very good with reps.
Personally i would not even take a dead animal to any of the vets in Echcua!

Thank you I will give her a call.

I didn't go to Echuca with Aladdin, non of them will even look at a snake. I took him to Rochester who was good with him, but I will give Kerry a call tomorrow.

Cheers

 

[akuji]

I had a jungle go 7 months with out eating as a guide. I was starting to get a little worried by the end

 

[jacinta78]

I had a jungle go 7 months with out eating as a guide. I was starting to get a little worried by the end

cool, thanks for the time frame