Strange behaviour while soaking

So before she was eating and just not growing, that sounds like internal parasites right? In neither picture does she look like she's thin enough that I would warrant even assist feeding. She does look a little dehydrated in the second picture though so maybe that's why your vet started the soaking regimen.

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The mat temp is at 90F (I dropped it down from 93F), her humidity is 76%, ambient was 73F but rose to 75F when I closed the A/C vents in the office. The air was hitting the tubs head on. I hadn't noticed this before. Her tub is underneath the male's so it was more sheltered from the air. His humidity is only at 43%. I also raised the house A/C from 74 to 75. Not much but I will check again in an hour and see if it needs to go up further. With the vents shut, that room will get warm quickly. It's small, and far from the A/C.

She was out of her hide when I checked. The lights had been off. When I checked again, she was moving around the tub.

They have been completely separated since the 25th. The fact that she is out and about is good. Hopefully that means she feels more comfortable in there.

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Out and about is not good. Hiding is good. I would stop soaking her, and just let her settle down after all the stress she has been through. Leave her be, with her temps and humidity right, appropriate hides, then maybe after a few days of peace and quiet try feeding her something live and small. See what she does. I think she has spent her life way to stressed out and just needs to feel comfortable. And soaking before a shed robs essential oils needed for a shed.

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Out and about is not good. Hiding is good.

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See? My gutt = wrong.


But still my "gutt" tells me leaving her alone is the right thing to do. I'm not going to disturb her at all for a week then I'll offer her a small hopper next Saturday and see what happens.

Here's a pic of my cable maintenance nightmare of a setup. I doubt they care about cable maintenance tho.

http://img.tapatalk.com/6344b473-e3d5-f4c0.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/6344b473-e3e9-6d89.jpg

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How is the exploration? is it frantic or calm with lost of tongue flicks? Often very stressed snakes will sit and not move at all. and moderately stressed snakes will roam but frantic fast jerky movements. Lazy curiosity is good and a great sign. A snake that always hides is not healthy either. As with most things a balance.

I see no problem with an oil mite treatment it is old school but it does not stress the immune system and cannot harm the snake. To me it sounds like your vet is treading lightly. Treating the enclosure and snake is very logical rather than using toxins that have serious side issues in humans (like P-A-M).

Is the feeding being held down? Is it a powder (critical care -carnivore) that is being used? This also is new ideas it is way easier to digest simple protein and additives than whole prey. Assuming that the balance of stress is managed it seems to be a good solution. Whole prey might bring on a regourge. The baby food for carnivores is easy to digest and gets lots of extra hydration in. It packs a hell of a punch. We have been using it will all sorts of rescues. Tubing a snake should not be done at home getting it wrong is very bad... That is a job for someone qualified.

You really NEED to get the ambient temps up they should be 80 ideally. 73 is very low, low enough to cause a regourge. Core temp is very important and simply warming the belly is not enough is cases of low air temps to raise the core temp. (big lung...) severe hypothermia in humans is treated by warming the blood. Not just the skin.

You poor darling. You've been through the wringer haven't you ?

Ok, take a deep breath with me. Now, let's think this through. First of all we know that housing them together is a bad thing. So now they are separated and that is good.

Now, she has been eating but not growing. Some of that could be stress related, but I don't think all of it.

Ok so the vet is trying, but to be honest I think he's doing as much harm as good. The soaking is the LAST thing she needs right before a shed. It will wreck her shed and stress her out majorly, as you have found. I don't think you should continue the soaks.

The tube feeding cuts both ways. If she is as bad as the vet says, she does need help. However, that is stressful and traumatizing to her, and simply perpetuates the cycle. I suggest a compromise. The vet recommended the tube feeding about once a week, correct ? So I would give her as close to perfect an environment as you can, leave her alone to rest and relax, then offer her a very small prey item such as a fuzzy mouse or hopper. Offer her the prey, and leave her alone for a little while to eat it. If she does, great. If not, then go ahead and let the vet tube feed her again. Wait another week and try feeding her again. If you get her to feed successfully, wait a week and offer again. if she can keep down two meals spaced 7 days apart, then I'd keep her prey small, but offer maybe every 5 days.

She is weak and stressed out and unhappy, the best you can do for her is give her an ideal environment and let her rest for a while. Make sure she's warm enough, give her quiet and dark and see how she does.

I wish you all the best.

Gale

Closing the vents in the office worked like magic, the ambient temps in the tubs are 82F. the humidity is 76% in her tub, 72% in his.

Her wandering last night was ver calm. When I looked the first time, she was just hanging halfway out her hide just chilling out. No tongue flicking. When I look in on them the second time, she was beside her hide (see pic above) and just laying flat against the bottom. Again, not tongue flicking. This morning she is back all the way into her hide with just the tip of her tail hanging out. The male has not made an appearance, but I know he is a lot more healthy than her. I will be trying to feed him an adult mouse today while I leave her alone.

Question about feeding if you don't mind....
I have always taken them out of their enclosures to feed them in a plastic tub on the floor. They had always eaten this way without much fuss. As soon as he swallows his prey and it goes all the way down into his stomach, I pick him up and put him back into his enclosure. I then don't touch them for 2 days after that.

Should I continue to feed him this way ? I keep reading here and there that feeding out side of the enclosure is not good. Why is it not good? Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Manasha-Bogo

I keep reading here and there that feeding out side of the enclosure is not good. Why is it not good? Thanks!

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I think the main reason for not feeding in a differant tub is because the snake will associate that tub with feeding. This means after they ate and you reach in to pick it up your hand can also likely be though of as food. ;) That and feeding is stress along with handling right after feeding which would be more likely to cause a regurge. I could be wrong but that's what I gather from other posts I have read.