emaciated rescue

If he was willing and able to take a pinky, there is not reason to force feed him dog food, or to feed him only part of a pinky. Give him 4 days, feed another pinky, wait for more days, another pinky. Once he puts on a little weight, you can switch him to rat pinks/fuzzies and continue to work up from there. Honestly, I probably wouldn't even take him to the vet yet due to the extra stress so soon after eating. My guess is that this guy has never eaten, period, which is why he is so emaciated after seemingly so short of a time. You have to be patient and not rush into feeding too often just because you want him to eat.

Why a pinky head? With his weight and length, why can't he take a full rat pinky?

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Alright, a couple things that might help... A pedialyte bath is done with 50/50 mix of unflavored pedialyte and warm water. You want to put just enough in a rubbermaid container/sink so that the snake is in the solution but not going to drown as he sounds pretty weak. Because of that, I would keep a constant eye on him while doing this and let him soak for 20-30 minutes.
For feeding, Annarose is right by saying not to feed everyday. I would look at small meals every 3-4 days but as weak as you're describing him, I would not be force feeding. Honestly, I would be tube feeding this snake because it ends up being less stressful and you can get more nourishment than a pinky head in them. Your vet should be able to show you and if not, I'll get some pics of how to do this. The mixture that I've used is ferret food, water (pedialyte works too), and probiotics added right before feeding just to make sure everything is there. You blend the ferret food with the water until it makes a medium weight gruel. It should be as smooth as possible. Right before feeding, I'll open a capsule of probiotics (bought at any pharmacy) and mix it in. They will help if the natural flora has been diminished and won't hurt if not. For corns, I fed the equivalent of a small pinky. For a snake this size, I'd go with 10% by weight because the stomach isn't used to food. As he gains some energy, you can switch back to offering normal food. It will help get him back on his feet with less stress than force feeding. Once the tube is in, they don't even seem to notice anymore.

about feeding, i wouldnt feed more often than every 5 days, or if he is so small, maybe 4 days.

and then, try to increase food size as soon as possible, by either trying to notch up the food size 1 step, or by feeding / assist feeding a pinkie, followed by a second 10 minutes later and maybe even a third 10 minutes later. 55 grams is really small, for now, if he ate a 4 grams pinkie, maybe try 8-10 grams next. meaning two of these small pinkies or a fuzzy mouse.

just 5-day shedule and do what works to bump up food quantity, since he has already eaten for you this is what you should try first. a goal would be to get him to 100 grams, with 12-15 grams of food every 5 days. (hopper mouse / small mouse). if he makes it that far, he should get better.

(sometimes a bit of vitamin supplements for reptiles added into the food also helps; if done correctly why not, but then im not sure how necessary it is).

good luck!


EDIT: i agree, force feeding or pinkie heads is not a good idea. Im talking assist feeding, if that fails, i agree tube is the next option. assist feeding is to just put the food item halfway into the mouth, head first, not deep, so that the snake can freely decide to drop it or swallow it. and dont do it often. and tube feeding, i mean, you still need to put the tube in the mouth....

I'm not sure if it would be considered assist feeding, a friend put a small pinky in his mouth and by stroking the throat the mouse slipped down about half his body without resistance, it was just before his stomach that any muscle was felt. What I was told that was if he wasn't used to eating, a few small portions would be less taxing on his system. I asked about the Hill's food for reference, not as a planned meal, just wondering how/ when it's used.

As I said before, I want to help the little guy, and am looking for help. If I could find a qualified rescue/ rehabber locally to either help me or take him on, that would be great. He was looking pretty rough when I left for work today, not even able to lift his head. Striking or taking even a f/t mouse would be impossible.

I've added pics of him when I picked him up Saturday, it's not pretty.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K...o/DSCF0068.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...o/DSCF0067.JPG

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gS...7/DSCF0066.JPG

Third picture is from a diferent moment than the first two, right? Looks almost dead in the first two pics.
Keeping him hydrated is a must. And personally I would give him a rat pup every two or four days. He needs food now and pinkys are almost all water.
Good luck!

Oh what a tiny guy...

Pups are going to be much too huge! If he's 55 grams, that's 1/2-1/3 his body weight! Stick with pinks. That first picture is horrifying. I really hope he pulls through but there comes a point when you wonder if it's just not worth putting them through the stress...

Mminx,

I just recently took in a rescue that looked just like yours. She ate the first day we brought her home but crashed just a couple of days later and we couldn't save her. I would suggest forgoing the rats/mice, etc, and possibly go for tube feeding some kind of gruel type food. I think if I had done that with mine, she would still be here, but trying to digest a full rat pup was too much work for her worn out little body. He needs liquids STAT and some chicken baby food mixed with plain pedialyte/water (keep it warmish) and some probiotics would probably be the best thing for him. It's easy to digest and practically all liquid which is what he needs most. Handling should also be kept to a minimum. If I learned anything with my little rescue it was that she needed the time to rest, hydrate and recover from the stress of a move/feeding. I was constantly checking on her and as much as I hate to admit it, it probably hastened her passing.

I truly hope yours makes it. I'll keep you in my thoughts and will keep checking for updates. Remember, liquid liquid liquid and rest. It's going to take a lot of patience to get yours through. Good luck!!

He's gone. I wish I been able to get him out of there sooner. This morning he hadn't the strength to lift his head, I got home from work and he had passed.

Thanks for the thoughts and support. And a tip of my hat to those who rescue and risk the heartache to help the ones who need it.