Getting concerned...Any advice would be great

Ihave a young male normal BP that hasnt fed since the third week of November of 2010,I didnt get to concerned for the first 4 to 6 weeks because these snakes are notorious picky eaters,and we were going into winter.Around XMas time i noticed that he was spending alot of time with his head and neck up and angled.after reading so many posts on this website.I remembered that this may be a sign of an RI.sure enough brought him to the Snake Vet..Yes we are lucky to have a herp specialist in the area.My suspicions of the RI were confirmed,the doc assist fed him a tube of chicken baby food.a shot of Vit B and put him on ANTI BIOS for a month,One injection every other day.After the month was up he was showing some improvement but still no feeding.and behavior though less frequent continued.So back to the Vet.RI was still present so back on a different AB. FYI..All temp ranges and humidity are spot on and vet recomended.Here is his vitals. he was 525 grams on 11-17-10 at his last feeding.As of today he is an even 400 grams.The math is concerning to me,so now my dilema.every visit runs me a $100 plus and im not rich.should i be thinking of assist/force feeding myself or refrain a bit longer to see what happens..sorry so long .but he is very important to me and and looking fo help and or advice.....Thanks all:confused:

Okay iv'e done some assist feeding i would not recommend force feeding while he has an RI, only because i'm sure he is under enough stress from the RI, and stuff.

The only thing about assist feeding is that iv'e had snakes that would just never eat the rat that i assist fed it.
No matter how many times i would try to assist feed it, it wouldn't take the rat at all.

But theres no harm in trying.
Just make sure you wait 5-7 days after each attempt, because a un-succesful assist feed is really stressful to the snake.

Goodluck,
Mike H.

Few quick thoughts/questions:

How long have you had the snake before 11-17-10?

How do you know all your temps are spot on (how are they being measured)?

What was he eating and what are you currently trying to feed him (smaller now is probably better)?

Did the vet do a culture to see which antibiotics will work or is he just trying out different antibiotics in hopes one will work?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boanerges

Few quick thoughts/questions:

How long have you had the snake before 11-17-10?

How do you know all your temps are spot on (how are they being measured)?

What was he eating and what are you currently trying to feed him (smaller now is probably better)?

Did the vet do a culture to see which antibiotics will work or is he just trying out different antibiotics in hopes one will work?

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Good afternoon and thank you for responding.I purchased him late April 2010.He was and is in a 20 gal long tank.Hides at both ends,His water dish is changed every other day and does not recieve direct light.I use Aspen for substrate,Temps are measured by opp end placement of thermostats mounted inside tank in back 3 to 4 inches above substrate layer.there is a sperate humidity gauge set up between thermometers at same level .Temps range from 90 to 92 warm side to 80 to 82 cool side ,although it can drop to under 80 on the cool end at night when night lamp is on.Up until November he was feeding weekly on 1 to 2 average mice.FT was original food item from purchase till mid july when he wanted nothing to do with them then switched to live which he eagerly took up till his last feed in nov 10.When his RI diagnosed the doc prescribed the AB most used for this ailment,The second was a more aggresive acting AB.and different dosing instructions,also it was kept frozen inbetween doses.He isnt exhibiting any more symptoms of the RI ,but his appetite is nonexistant. still...I was told that if this continued that a culture or biopsy would be needed,but that aso is an expensive procedure.he knows i am not made of money and is only trying to helpI have attempted to feed him smaller prey both ft and live,still nothing.....hope this info helped ....Dave

Put your probes directly on the glass. Hot glue them their if you wish. Balls are belly heaters. Ie their belly isn't 4 inches above the sub. It may be too hot for him so he may be stressed beacaue of that which lowers the immune system, combine that with a self winter cooling this could have caused the Ri. But we will never really know. I suggest that you fix the probes, and make sure your temps are right on.

You mention a humidity gauge, but what is the humidity? He needs to be over 50%, and you might want to push over 60% while he has the RI. Aspen bedding doesn't hold moisture very well without molding, so you might want to change to cypress mulch (permanently), as well as adding some moistened sphagnum moss while he is sick.

I definitely wouldn't force feed him with the RI (imagine shoving something that size down your throat when you already can't breathe, ouch!). Did the vet culture to find out what AB would work best, or just pick "the usual"? Would your vet prescribe you additional antibiotics, without another visit? Is there someone you can take him to for a second opinion? I am still learning when it comes to BPs, but generally a sick animal after two months of antibiotics sounds like there is more wrong than just the infection.

At this point, force feeding would probably make the situation worse. It would be adding stress to an already stressful situation, with the RI.

Keep the humidity up!!! Too-dry conditions can cause RIs just as easily as too-wet conditions. Switch out the aspen for paper towels or newspaper so that you can more easily regulate humidity. Shoot for 60 or 70%; the substrate should never be wet, but it is important that your snake's lung does not dry out. Rinse and refill his water dish daily.

Beyond that, the best advice I can give you is to hang in there and don't lose hope. It sounds like he is not in good shape, but six months without food is not going to kill him. Ball pythons are resilient little guys. Bring your concerns to your vet, keep up treatment, and this mess will resolve with time!

Baytril works wonders. Make sure everything is right and don't worry, think positive. Your ball python after treatment and after being cured doesn't mean he will eat right away. Balls are great because they come around to and show u hey, I'm still doing BP things. Balls only eat once a month in the wild that's twelve feedings in one year. It's great that you care and are concerned just don't over stress yourself man.

Round dials to read temperatures?
Below 80's ambient temps with low humidity is a recipe for RI did anything get fixed to get the temps up to where they should be so the snake doesn't get another RI?

How exactly is this tank heated and are the only temperature readings being done by those stick on dials?

:DI am happy to report that my boy finally began to feed again last week,We ended up having a culture taken and sent out for analysis which came back negative for various ailments and the RI was also gone.The very next evening i observed a familiar behavior in his tank.He was cruising his tank flicking his tongue at warp speed,so i said lets see what happens,Dropped a mouse in.he made his way slowley towards the mouse coiled in strike position, got close,mouse moved.Bamm.He took it...talk about relief..since then has taken 2 more meals and has now gone into shed,to say these last several months were nerve racking would be an understatement.Thanks to everyone that took the time to give me the time to offer advice and encouragement,it helped me get through this difficult time.learning so much from all of you......Dave:D