Might loose a bp

[ChrisS]

My baby pastel girl has been a problem feeder from day one for me. The first three weeks in my care she wouldn't eat for me. I finally got her to eat and she regurged, waited two weeks with the same results. After that I took her to a friend of mine who has been keeping snakes much longer than I have to look at her and get his retired vet friend to look at her. She went into shed so it was three weeks before we tried feeding her again. She took it with no regurge, and did well for about 8 feedings. Well the past three feedings (all two week intervals) have been regurged. She has had a fecal done and has no parasites. She is loosing weight (even when she was eating) and really has no weight to spare. I'm really not sure what other options there are other than put her down because I can't continue to watch her waste away. Is there anything else I can try? Her meals that she was keeping down were mice hoppers and small ones at that. She refused rat pinks and adult mice. Temps (cause ill know you'll ask) 88-89 hot spot 84ish cool end humidity 55. Kept in 6qt tub on aspen.

[Royal Hijinx]

I would try a temperature gradient of low 90's to 80.

How much does she weigh, and how much weight has she lost. Also, pics would help.

[ChrisS]

The weight when I received her was 57 grams and now she is 44 grams.

[kylesreptiles]

Contact Reesy (in my friends list) and ask him about benebact. He had a female yellow belly that was regurging so he put benebact in her waterbowl and she hasnt regurged since then. He will know where to buy it at and how much to put in her water.

[Dracoluna]

Contact Reesy (in my friends list) and ask him about benebact. He had a female yellow belly that was regurging so he put benebact in her waterbowl and she hasnt regurged since then. He will know where to buy it at and how much to put in her water.

I would recommend the above. From the sounds of it, your girl doesn't have the proper amount/type of gut bacteria to digest properly. It happens when a snake regurges quite a bit. Bene-Bac is a probiotic supplement for animals and I've seen used in mammals with great results. For any regurges I get, they get a probiotic supplement (I use the human type and it works though mine aren't chronic regurgers so I'd recommend the Bene-Bac as well). That combined with slightly higher temps (about 2 degrees), smaller meals (doesn't show after they eat really), and a lengthened feeding schedule (from 7-14 days apart instead of 5-7). It allows their system to return to normal. If that doesn't work, I'd look into a tube mixture that will be even easier on her digestive tract. The only issue with tubing a snake is it can do more harm than good because of the amount of stress. It is a last ditch effort when everything else fails.

[Dracoluna]

http://www.drugs.com/vet/bene-bac-pet-gel.html

http://www.petco.com/product/14786/P...-Bacteria.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Bene-Bac%...=bird+bene-bac

Just a few links for research and places to get it. Check the contact for dosage though I'm pretty sure you can't overdo it. There shouldn't be any issues if she gets more than she can use. It will just pass through. It's not like other things that can build up or be harmful in larger amounts. It looks like the bird bene-bac is the closest to the natural gut bacteria needed for reptiles as well. Hope this helps.

[kitedemon]

What is the ambient air temp? I wonder if it is high, snakes simply cannot digest if the core temp is too high or low. I would wonder if the temp is high over all. small snakes generate heat during digestion 9mine raise the hide temp by 3 or 4 degrees after eating. I would suggest dropping both temps over all, hot spot to 88 and cool to 78-9 and the ambient around 80.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I had a tragic loss of a hatchling last year due to a congenital deformity of the digestive system. He was a sketchy eater, finally started eating regularly, and then prolapsed. Vet put it back, but to no avail.

The truth is, sometimes there's something wrong inside, and it can be very difficult to tell that the animal's not just a slow starter. I was literally a day away from selling him when he prolapsed--I had no idea there was anything seriously wrong, especially since he'd begun eating regularly.

Your girl, it sounds like something is seriously wrong. A snake with the proper temps, that's not being overhandled...well, it just shouldn't regurgitate, much less do so repeatedly.

I wish I could be more positive, but I don't think gut bacteria will fix something like this. (Frankly, I've always been skeptical of using products like that for reptiles, which must surely have very different species of gut flora than mammals do...yet the strains in the products seem to be the same ones used in humans).

[ChrisS]

I had a tragic loss of a hatchling last year due to a congenital deformity of the digestive system. He was a sketchy eater, finally started eating regularly, and then prolapsed. Vet put it back, but to no avail.

The truth is, sometimes there's something wrong inside, and it can be very difficult to tell that the animal's not just a slow starter. I was literally a day away from selling him when he prolapsed--I had no idea there was anything seriously wrong, especially since he'd begun eating regularly.

Your girl, it sounds like something is seriously wrong. A snake with the proper temps, that's not being overhandled...well, it just shouldn't regurgitate, much less do so repeatedly.

I wish I could be more positive, but I don't think gut bacteria will fix something like this. (Frankly, I've always been skeptical of using products like that for reptiles, which must surely have very different species of gut flora than mammals do...yet the strains in the products seem to be the same ones used in humans).

I fear you are right, though I hope for the best and am looking at all my options.

[SRMD]

Benebac!