I need your advice!

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Originally Posted by Phluffy

how much does it cost, on average? It would be helpful to know how in debt I'll be at the end of it! :)

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I personally have to pay around $45.00 for an evaluation, and then the cost of treatment and/or medications. It will really depend on how much your vet charges for the check-up, and then depending on what they find, what kind of treatment your snake needs.

Here are two links to help you find a vet who is qualified to treat herps:



http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist

(I see Rapture already posted one of those...but never hurts to see it again! :P )

I could use your advice too. I was given a snake by a friend of just dumped it off at my house. I think I am going to keep it and want to know more, since this seems to be the place to go for info.
Any help would be grrrrreat.
Don't have a camera so I will describe the snake. It looks like one the snakes you posted pictures of, the ball python, except it is more yellow with white. It is easy to handle and kind of skinny.
Thank You

get a pic if you can and welcome to the sight this is a great place for info.

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Originally Posted by NinaNineTails

I could use your advice too. I was given a snake by a friend of just dumped it off at my house. I think I am going to keep it and want to know more, since this seems to be the place to go for info.
Any help would be grrrrreat.
Don't have a camera so I will describe the snake. It looks like one the snakes you posted pictures of, the ball python, except it is more yellow with white. It is easy to handle and kind of skinny.
Thank You

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We'll need a more thorough description or a picture to be able to tell you what kind of snake you have. And your questions will get much better attention if you start your own thread. ;)

Try this: Look through the Internet until you find a picture that looks just like your snake...then start a new thread in the "General Herp" forum and post a link to it. In particular, look for "ball python" and "albino burmese python" as the two most likely species for what your friend dropped off.

I think I've had the cage too cold. I've been struggling with the heat since I moved him into a bigger tank. He was in a 20 gal tank and the person who sold him to me told me that he'd be too cramped in it, but some care sheets say that he'd have been just fine there.. I probably should have looked into it, but more room sounded like it would make him happy.
Thanks to JLC and Rapture for the links! I did find one, 300 miles away. I really don't know when I can make a trip like that. Will there be any follow up visits if it is RI? I feel awful that I let him get sick.. Till I get him to a vet, should I hold off on handling him more than absolutely necessary? Also.. is there anyway I can keep him from getting worse till I can get him proper care?

To prevent things getting worse: Get your temps and humidity up.

About the vet: Try calling every vet in your phone book. One may be able to refer you to another. Make sure you ask them specifically whether they *specialize* in reptiles. A vet who works primarily with mammals could actually make matters worse.

Call other snake owners in your area. Call the pet stores (but take anything they say with a grain of salt).

Also try calling the vet that you found 300 miles away. She/he may know of someone closer to refer you to. Most vets won't mind offering referrals, since most vets care more about the animals than about a few extra dollars.

As for cost, again, you'll just have to ask. It varies wildly. Vets in our area start at around $65 for the visit--but then, Charlotte tends to have high-end prices in the professional services industries, so your area may be considerably cheaper. If you're very concerned about price, ask the vet whether you can order any prescriptions online or through other sources to save some money. Of course, make sure you are able to get your prescriptions relatively quickly.

Good luck. I wish your snake the best. :)

Heather

Excellent suggestions Heather! I would definitely see if you can find a vet a bit closer but if all else fails and your snake needs vet care, you're going to have to bite the bullet and drive. Unfortunately it's a part of deciding to have a snake that most people skip over...finding out beforehand if you can get vet care in your area for your new pet. Hopefully you will find a vet a bit closer. I'd start with the phone book and call every vet listed for advice/referral. I know when we were getting into snakes I phoned our regular vet clinic (our dog/cat one) first to ask about whether any vets locally saw snakes. I was extremely pleased to find out they'd recently hired a vet that had done an internship at a major zoo and was quite experienced with snakes and other exotics. We adored Dr. Pam! Sometimes a clinic doesn't advertise they do exotics but may well have a vet on staff that is experienced in that field.