Advice needed on underweight BP

[Brstin2flames]

Hi Everyone,

I'm not sure how old my BP is, as I got him from a pet store. Basically, he (not sure what the sex is actually) has been underweight since I got him. They were feeding him pinkies at the pet store when he was big enough to be taking full grown mice. I purchased him in July and once he got the right size f/t mouse he was eating every 5 days for a while, then every 7 days. He was gaining weight pretty well and starting to look nice and round, but ever since November he hasn't been eating weekly (more like every 14 days) and hes starting to look skinnier again. I've tried offering a second mouse after he is finished swallowing the first but he wont take it.

Like I said, I don't know the age, but he is 364grams and approx 25inches in length. Does this seem under weight?

Does anyone have any tips or anything I can do to get him up to a healthy weight? I read that if he starts to feed on one f/t mouse to try and introduce the head into their mouth and have them continue swallowing. Is this ok to do? Any advice would be awesome as this is my first BP.

Thanks so much!

PS...I know, a pet store pickup...not a good move. But its my first, and I was going to wait until a show came around but I saw this guy and couldnt help it, I got really excited!

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Being from a store, it may need a dose of Panacure for internal worms or Flagyl for flagellate parasites. These will increase appetite and clean out any bad buggers inside.

At that weight small adult mice would be ideal or rat weans at 4-6 weeks old.

Are all of you enclosure stats correct? Hot side 90/92, ambient temp 78/80, humidity 60-70%, hides, etc?

If everything is perfect and the problem persists much longer I would call around to find a vet near you with experience with snakes and take it for a check-up/deworming.

[dragonboy4578]

I second that!!!

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Oh and as for FT.. Don't try to switch it to FT until it is eating very regularly on live. Then try FT, warmed. We can give you a lot of tips for switching from live to FT. If it's not eating and gaining weight on it's regular food items then trying to assist feed a FT may put it off of FT and make the transition harder. Was it always taking FT or was it on live. I guess that's the question we need to ask.

[loonunit]

I STRONGLY recommend getting a fecal done and flagellates diagnosed by a vet BEFORE you subject the poor little guy to the treatment. Because the treatment is pretty rough on their innards. You know how antibiotics kill all the good bugs along with the bad? That's how my vet described it.

(And the treatment did help with the appetite problems in my two snakes who had flagellates? But it was diarrhea and OH MY GOD THE STINK once a week for three months afterward.)

Anyway, yeah, he's on the slim side, but I wouldn't panic. A lot of bps fast their first or second winter. Usually they wait until they've hit 500 grams, but I have a pied male at 425 grams that only eats once every three weeks, and only hoppers. He's about as long as yours, or even longer, and he's producing sperm plugs. And he's otherwise healthy, but man, I wish he'd eat something larger than his head.

So get the fecal smear done. But if the smear comes back clean, try not to worry about you guy too much for a while yet? Take his weight every other week, maybe try offering smaller food for while. If you get very desperate, you can try live hoppers. And if he drops 30% of his weight, THEN you should start really worrying.

[Brstin2flames]

Thanks everyone for the replys! My husbandry is 92 hot side, cold side is at 82, my ambient temps are a little low at 74, my humidity is 60% sometimes drops to 50%. Could the low ambient temps, or lower humditity at times be the problem?

He was on frozen thawed at the store, I've continued to keep him on frozen thawed. I'm feeding adult mice at the moment.

I've been told so many times that it's normal for them to slow down on feed in the winter and it definitely occured in november when he started eating a little less than normal. Before that he had a fine appetite and struck at prey pretty quickly when offered.

Again thanks for the advice!!

[Brstin2flames]

Just curious so I can at least prepare myself when I take him into the vet...Is the fecal smear and antibiotics pricey? Like would you compare it to the same price it would cost for a fecal test for a dog or cat?

Also...how do you give a snake antibiotics? Never had to do this before...

[llovelace]

Well this is the time of year (breeding season), that some snakes will go off feed, just make sure your husbandry is spot on, with at warm spot of 93-93*, continue to offer feed every 10 days.

[Brstin2flames]

Well I'm taking him into the vet tonite for a check up...I figure since I never got a checkup back in the summer when I got him that its probably a good idea. I'd rather be safe than sorry!!

[Brstin2flames]

I just wanted to share with everyone that he went to the vet last night and has a clean bill of health. The vet said he looks great, a tiny bit under weight but he looks healthy overall. He also probed him for me and he is officially a HE! lol.

Thanks everyone! It feels good to know he is a healthy BP.