Personality change? HELP!!

[GreenBean]

Hello everyone,

I am new and should probably introduce myself in a different area (will look for that later), but I am DESPERATE and don't have time right now to do much navigating through this site.

PROBLEM: My very sweet young male ball today--for the FIRST time ever--recoiled and struck at me. He did the exact same thing later in the day. So, that's TWICE in one day and he's never done it before. Again, he did not bit, and I didn't even see his mouth open, but you KNOW what a strike is when it happens! He has NEVER exhibited this behavior towards me or anyone before. Nothing new in diet, housing, etc. What are the possible explanations for this?

BACKGROUND: Bought him 6-7 weeks ago. Do not know his history so I assume he was wild caught. He appeared to be in great health. However, I started to notice something going on with the tip of his tail. I took him to an "expert" whom I trust. He said, "Tail rot. Try treating with topical antibiotics and bacteriostats (I tried Betadine soak (tail), Silvadene cream, Neosporin, etc.) If it gets worse, bring him back here or take him to a vet." I also made his ample environment drier and warmer--upper end of recommendations. He has clean water bowl, Aspen bedding, two hidey holes, gradient temps, etc. I don't see much progress in one week and tip of tail is feeling a bit hardened (necrosis?) now. It appears thusly: There is a band of subcutaneous blood about 1/8" from tail tip and this does not appear to have spread but only darkened in color and become more "solid" looking. He also has responded as if it was sensitive for the last couple days when I applied antibiotic treatment. The "infection" does not go up as far as his cloaca and does not appear to be spreading.

DIET: He did not eat anything for the first several weeks (tried frozen mice every way you can think of), and I became concerned. I know eating can be sporadic, but he WAS getting skinny. I was advised to try live mice--it worked immediately. Gave him another 2 days later. Beautiful. Tail not improving despite added nutrition. AND, he has only peed once and that was yesterday. I have YET to see him poop! Might he be impacted? Would this explain his behavior?

Anyway, despite all the TLC I've given him and his usual docile, curious, sweet demeanor, he struck out at me not once, but TWICE today. What the **** is going on?

GB

[nachash]

Okay, honestly, his personality should be the least of your concerns. If you even have the thought of necrosis pop into your mind, please take your animal to a vet. Not some declared expert, and actual licensed vet. The amount of pain that animal must be in... imagine if your finger started losing it's blood supply and slowly decayed. The reason your animal needs to be seen by a vet is, if it is necrosis, only a vet will have the necessary resources to save your animal's life. Once tissue actually starts decaying, raising temperatures and lowering humidity is not enough. Changing bedding isn't enough. Your animal needs a vet

[GreenBean]

Nachash:

Ok, I don't disagree with you, but the reality is that it's Saturday and I'm in very rural country for the next several days.

And here is something else: I just checked his tail again and it actually looks/feels better. I don't understand this apparent fluctuation: it looks one way early in the day, then maybe better or worse later the same day. How can this be explained? It honestly appears to have better circulation now (and I noticed this before I even read your post). And you're wondering how on earth I can judge that. Well, like you said, we know the difference when we've got a digit that isn't receiving ample blood supply: color changes, can't move it so easily (without discomfort, at least), and if it continues with any regularity (short of necrosing), the tissue will even shrink, perhaps become atrophic. So, what I observe is something of a reversal of all that. And, at the moment, I have only myself and this forum to look to.

So, while your advice is perfectly sound, it is not an option at the moment and so I seek here the experience of others, suggestions based on education or experience, signs/symptoms I might also consider, things I might do to make him more comfortable, etc.

AND, I'd really like an answer to my initial question: why would a BP strike out when it previously had not--given all circumstances are the same? Is this, in fact, what they do when in pain?

Thanks.

GB

[angllady2]

First of all, SEE A VET, as soon as is humanly possible.

I don't give a rat's hind end how much of an "expert" this guy is, if the snake is even suspected of having something as serious as tail rot it needs a vet, this is not a DYI thing.

Second, I highly doubt it is wild caught, unless you bought it from an importer. Almost all pet shop snakes are captive bred now.

Third, depending on how big/old it was when you got it, it may not have known what a frozen mouse was. I advise for now offering one adult live mouse every 5 days. No smaller and no sooner. He will need time to digest his meals, or you'll cause a regurge and that's a whole other problem you don't want to have.

Fourth, if this poor thing's tail IS rotting off, it probably hurts like the devil, and YOU'D be crabby too in his place! Take him to a qualified vet, get that tail looked at, treated and better, and you'll be amazed at how much he'll return to being your sweet baby.

By the way, if he struck at you close mouthed, he was only warning you. If he meant to bite you, you'd have been bleeding. You'd probably need a magnifying glass to see it, but you'd have been bleeding.

Finally, you call his enclosure "ample". Remember these snakes are shy and quiet and like small tight spaces to live and hide in. If the enclosure is too large, stress will also cause sudden mood swings.

I wish you all the best with your baby. Please heed my advise, he'll thank you for it.

Gale

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Is there a ring of what might be layers of multiple stuck shed on his tail? This can happen if they are poorly housed with low humidity and not fed properly. it will eventually cut off circulation and cause tail rot.

If there is no ring of anything that might be hard, built up shed, then for some reason, the tail area may have scale rot.

Why it would only be the tail is a mystery but if it is not improving on a daily basis, it really does need an exotics vet.

The mood change is probably hunger. He went a long time without food. You finally gave him what he considers food and you kick-started his feeding response. That coupled with the discomfort he must surely be in if his tail is that far advanced. As was stated already, don't be concerned about him striking at you, be concerned about his health and tail.

[GreenBean]

Gale,

Thanks for your response.

I find it interesting that you state most stores sell captive-bred snakes as everything I've read says the opposite is true: overwhelmingly pet stores carry wild-caught animals. Is this something that has changed very recently and perhaps what I've read is grossly out of date? I certainly assumed when I went looking for a pet that what you say is the rule rather than exception. Now I realize what an important consideration this is when shopping. This IS my first time.

GN

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Baby BPs are so plentiful these days that most are captive bred here in the states. Most of captive hatched babies that are imported from Africa actually go to breeders first. They pick the ones they want to breed and the rest are usually sold through reptile classifieds sites or to wholesalers.

Even these babies generally won't have bugs or any serious illness because they are taken and shipped within hours of coming out of their egg. As long as they do not spend any time in the wild, they don't usually come in contact with these things.

Being captive hatched and being wild caught are different. I believe most babies in pet stores now are likely to be captive bred in the states though.

[SpiffyYoshi]

I see that a lot too about pet stores selling w/c. It could be because they were written years ago when that actually was true.

[babyknees]

I agree with everyone else. Don't worry so much about him striking at you and worry more about his health. If he's in pain I wouldn't be trying to handle him except to observe the injury and apply antibiotics. Look up a reptile vet and go there as soon as you can - even if you think that he looks like he might be getting better. Also he's probably CB like everyone is saying. I've read a lot of things that say "all babies in pet stores these days are wild caught" but it's old and out of date information.

[DemmBalls]

I agree with most others...Who cares if he struck at you? It happens to me every day. Snakes strike for two reasons...Defense and Hunger. Your situation sounds like a defensive strike...Probably due to the pain he is in or being insecure.

How about some pictures of the snakes tail and his enclosure. I would imagine that would help us answer your questions.