Force Feeding my Ball Python?

My bp has not eaten in a few months. I brought him to the vet and she said he has septicemia and i should force feed him if he wont take it.

He refused it multiple times today so i attempted assisted feeding. He will not go after it so i opened his mouth and put the mouse in it but he wont swallow it. I am afraid he is going to suffocate so i do not want to push it down his throat.

Anyone have any other ideas? i don't have a blender and i need to feed him tonight so i cant wait for a pinkie pump. Please help!

Hi,

Did the vet give you any medication and say why he thought it has septacaemia?

What kind of tests did he do?

Because, if he has it is is really quite serious and any vet capable of finding his ass with his hands in his back pockets would probably not advocate a really stressfull procedure for you to carry out at home when they could have simply tube fed him. :weirdface

Which vet was it?


dr del

Well first of all he is not eating, he has red spots on his skin and it ulcers which made his scales rip open. I am giving him amikacin(how ever you spell it) injections every three days and soaking him every day.

In addition to what Derek eloquently said :rofl: a little details on your animals would really help guiding you.

How old is your BP?
How big is it?
How big is your enclosure?
Are you hides tight?
What are your temps? What is your humidity? How do you measure them (What device do you use, digital or analog?)
How often do you handle your BP?
What are you feeding and how often have you been offering food?

The more details the better.

Now was the diagnostic made before the animal stopped eating or did you go to the vet because the animal did not eat and the Vet diagnosed him based on what you told him?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lindsss

Well first of all he is not eating, he has red spots on his skin and it ulcers which made his scales rip open. I am giving him amikacin(how ever you spell it) injections every three days and soaking him every day.

---

Based on that alone I am not surprised that he is not eating, stress from injections and soakings are not helping. (Still want to hear on your husbandry)

he stopped eating before i took him to the vet. and i took him because i noticed the red spots on him

he is three years old and i have had him for about that length of time, he is probably a foot and a half long, the humidity is 65% and the heat is around 85. I just started injections and soaking today but i attempted feeding before these so he would be less stressed and more likly to eat

and honestly i just need help force feeding. i am doing what my vet told me to so i am just asking for help on that, not what you think is wrong with him. I understand that this is a very serious thing and the injections and soakings are stressful. Like i said before i tried feeding before i did all that and i am strictly just looking for help or a different way to feed and following the directions my vet gave me

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lindsss

he stopped eating before i took him to the vet. and i took him because i noticed the red spots on him

he is three years old and i have had him for about that length of time, he is probably a foot and a half long, the humidity is 65% and the heat is around 85. I just started injections and soaking today but i attempted feeding before these so he would be less stressed and more likly to eat

---

3 years old can go off feed for MONTHS, assuming he has a good body weight (you did not answer that) he will be fine, sexually mature individuals tend to that.

Now heat is around 85 what is it EXACTLY? (Around can mean anything) What is it on the cool side, on the warm side, where do you take your reading? What type of thermother do you use? (answering my other questions would help too (all of them ;))

You do not assist or force feed an animal unless his health is in jeopardy and he has lost a tremendous amount of weight.

Right now you need to concentrate on the scale rot, by treating the animal and by addressing your husbandry.

As for feeding if YOUR husbandry is optimal and once treatment is over your BP will resume feeding.

Now if his health his at stake than your VET should be able to assist feed your BP however I seriously doubt it is a necessary action.

He is extremely thin and dehydrate(that is why i need to soak him)
Obviously 85 degrees and i dont know what kind of thermometer one i got from the pet store for reptiles
and yeah his health is in jeopardy that is why my vet told me to feed and the reason she is not helping me force feed is because she is only a relief vet( i am a tech and where i work the doctor does not see reptiles) so she is only there like once every few months and i did not bring mice to work for her to show me. no other vets around me see snakes so i have no one to help me.

So like i have said before i just need help feeding not your opinion on whats going on with him

Hi,

Have you got any pics showing the affected area?

And a weight is probably easier to judge from but is he really only a foot and a half at three years? What was he eating before he stopped?


dr del