Is my Vet right or wrong??

[Jonny2184]

I was over at the vets on the weekend having her check my cat out.
While I was there I asked her about my BP.
One questions I had to her was the fact my BP hasn't eaten in 3 months now. And this most likely caused by the fact I just moved to a new house. His temps and humidity were going wacky but it's much better now but he still doesn't eat.
She told me if he doesnt eat within a month, she would like me to by a little mouse and bring him in so she can show me how to force feed him. I told him he probably isn't eating because he is so stressed as it is from the move but she is insisting that I stress him more and bring him over for a force feed.
I think she is wrong, what do you think.... I think I should just wait longer and keep trying like I am right now... when he is hungry he will eat!

Another thing she told me is to turn my automatic mister off... If I do this, my humidity will drop to Zero within hours. Yes it's that dry. But when I have it on it goes off every hour and that brings the humidity up to 45-50%.
Her argument was that BP's are from Africa and do not require a lot of moisture. They come from a climat that doesn't offer a constant humidity level.

I disagree and I still have my mister on! If I turn it off I could have bad sheds and even more problems!?!?!?!?

[frankykeno]

Personally I'd think about that fact that ball pythons are not lions. They are not lazing about out on the open savannah dealing with wide temperature swings on a daily basis. From what I understand they spend the greatest amount of their time in termite mound tunnels and in rat burrows. Here's just a small amount of information I've found online about that living in one of those environments...

Termite nests are large mud structures that average three metres in height, and extend down into the ground. They are remarkable for the way they maintain stable internal temperature and humidity despite variations in the environment that surrounds them.

Evidence suggests that the temperature inside termite nests rarely varies by more than a few degrees, though outside temperatures can range from below freezing at night to 40 degrees Celsius during the day.

Researchers believe the structure of fine tunnels and ducts inside the mound play an important role in regulating temperature, as well as moisture levels and the replenishment of oxygen.

It seems that different parts of a mound's structure control different aspects of the nest environment. Moisture, for instance, appears to be regulated both in the mound's underground 'cellar' and possibly through evaporation from the top of the mound.
Link for the above...

http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm...656&language=1

[littleindiangirl]

If she's not an exotics vet, then don't rely on her to give you accurate information regarding your snakes.

[JenH]

Wrong on the humidity. They don't live in the desert - they live in forests with high heat and humidity. They also live in burrows and termite mounds that are more humid than the ambient air.

I keep mine between 50-60% and up it to 70%+ when they go opaque. But since my house doesn't go below 40% (humidifer) a little misting is all mine need.

I did bring in some new snakes a week ago and a few had stuck shed and eye caps. After a week of misting (once or twice a day), most of the stuck shed and eye caps are gone.

[Jonny2184]

Yeah I figured she was completly wrong about the humidity part!

If you ask anyone in my city for a good herp vet they always say Dr. Alexander. She has had corn snakes before, I know that for a fact but when it comes to anything different like pythons and boas she seems completly lost most of the time.

And then she gets mad when people take the information they get off the internet and use it. She hates when people do that, but I've been pretty lucky to find you guys on this site! Nothing wrong with your information!

Ah well, I need to move to a bigger city that has a "real" herp vet I think! Thanks for your input and info!

[frankykeno]

I would say that anything you read online you should verify through independent sources, that's just good common sense. I think a vet much like a family doctor should respect their client enough to support them self-educating to some degree. A smart patient/client willing to go out and learn and wishing to discuss this with their vet or doctor shouldn't be something that is "hated".

[Montessa Python]

I am not sure if you have tried this or not.. BUT you could put a piece of cardboard OR plastic on half the top of your enclosure, I am not sure if you use a tank or tub...
IF you use a tank with a screen mesh top, you can cover half (not one with or near a light...)
You can get some reptile moss and put it in a simple plastic dish, and moisten it very well. Try putting it on the hot side, and you may have to refresh the water daily..
But see if that bumps up your humidity level..
Just a thought..
Carol

[NightLad]

And then she gets mad when people take the information they get off the internet and use it. She hates when people do that, but I've been pretty lucky to find you guys on this site! Nothing wrong with your information!

Wow, power issues much?

My people-doctors are engaged when I am able to bring up points of fact I research online prior to a visit, both to better understand the situation and to ask more informed questions. I've never had a doctor shrug off internet-based information, let alone act upset. It is important for a patient to be informed... why should it be less so for a responsible pet owner?

Does she want to imagine herself as some type of pet guru with exclusive knowledge on every species that crosses her path, and how dare some layman try to grasp her awesome reigns of power? Sheesh!

I've just never heard of a doctor being upset with somebody for seeking education about a medical issue before.

Now, if she happens to see a lot of pets mistreated based on bad information their owners get online, I can better understand where she is coming from. However, clearly that is not the case with you, and clearly she has already demonstrated that she is not all-knowing about every species of pet in the world. Low humidity aggravates RI. If you had followed her advice...

The fact that she believes otherwise gives me serious pause for concern.

Information on the internet is free (for the most part) and should be treated like any other free product; test it out carefully before relying on it! IE: verify it with respectable sources.

[slartibartfast]

I would just like to point out that at vet hospitals, we also get the wacko clients who read really stupid things on the internet and believe them....They treat their dog's ears with bizarre and toxic chemicals, apply caustic pastes to rashes, and use dangerous "herbal"* products while dismissing everything we do as "commercial"
medicine.

I'm not saying that you are one of those, but personally I cringe when I hear a client say "I read on the internet that....". I usually nod politely and ask for the URL so I can double-check it for myself. There is some crazy stuff out there...and a lot of websites that say "Oh, don't waste money at the vet when you can just buy this flower extract and it'll cure everything".

*I don't have a problem with herbal stuff that has been tested, or is at least harmless. Unfortunately, there are some very strong chemicals and extracts available to people with poor judgement ("Some is good, more must be better!").

[Bruce Whitehead]

I think finding a good vet is so tricky.

My last foray into that terrain involved me listening to the vet's advice, even though it was counter to what I had learned online. Not over a weekend but over the last 18 months.

I was receptive that maybe I didn't know everything, perhaps I had been doing it wrong, etc. etc. etc.

But after round two of antibiotics without a culture, even though I was insisting on one, I had to make the decision that I wasn't comfortable going back and to find another vet.

Even though, as the OP stated, this vet was highly recommended.

Does sound your Dr. needs to perhaps respect that you may know a thing about your animal and how it responds to stress, etc., and then make an attempt to temper that with information specific to the species.

But eh, we see the same practice in the treatment of humans, so to see it with the treatment of snakes does not surprise me.

Bruce