I took Bella to the vet.....

After nearly 7 months of not eating - I took her to a reputable Reptile Vet in Toledo Ohio.

The vet said she looked really healthy but was concerned with the amount of time that has passed since she last ate.

I had no record of her pooping since her last meal back in Dec. '09 so he did an enema to ensure she was not constipated - nothing came out though.

He gave her a shot of B12, and also put her on an injection of Fortaz every 3 days (not completely sure why) I think it was a preventative antibiotic just in case something was brewing.

They also fed her with a tube to get some nutrients in her.

So, in the end I didn't leave there with a reason for her not eating. I felt sooo bad putting her thru all that but I didn't know what else to do - she was soooo good thru it all.

She is home resting now. I was told to wait 10 days and then try to feed her a rat to see if she would start eating.

Can anyone tell me if what I have written about her visit sounds like the vet was on the right track.

Thanks everyone.

Well it sounds like due to nothing coming out with the enima...they were unable to do a proper fecal and thus check for parasite overload.

Have you tried switching back to mice...live...asfs...etc.? I am sure you have...just wanted to put that out there.

Hi Bpelizabeth, You are correct - we had hoped to get some poop to check it out but were unsuccessful.

I have tried f/t mice, f/t rats, live rat but am just now getting ready to offer her a f/t ASF - is that what you would reccommend.

Thanks

I think everything they did was probably not needed. 7 months is not all that long to be off food.

How old is the snake? CB or import? Cage temps? What are you feeding her?

If it were me, I would throw a live gerbil in with her. They are rarely turned down. An african soft fur may work as well, but nothing works better than a gerbil in my experience. She is probably going to need live to knock her out of the fast. Usually once they take one meal you can go back to rats and they will get back to eating regularly. Good luck.

pfan151 - I kinda wondered that myself and probably just wasted alot of money but I was worried and wanted reassurance that she was okay.

She is 3 years old - and this is the first fast that has lasted this long. Her temps are 91 hot side - 81 cool side with 55/60% humidty. She is housed in an RBI Plastics cage with two identical hides - heated with an RHP controlled by a helix.

I am going to try an ASF at her next feeding - I pray that will work.

Sounds like everything is spot on.

I've read that Ball pythons can refuse food for no appearant reason, they just do it no matter how accurate everything is.

It is soooo frustrating to sit by and watch them miss their feedings. I just didn't know what else to do.

I just hope that the vet visit didn't hurt her in any way.

I'm with pfan here, sounds like a lot of unnecessary treatment on the part of the vet. 7 months is not that long to fast, especially during this time of the year. Based on your description of the vets diagnosis, I'm not sure I see any reason to be giving that snake Fortaz. Sounds like they are either just trying to get as much money as possible or the less innocent explanation being they just didn't know and were taking a shot in the dark.

Tube feeding? I would have opted against it. You're trying to get this snake to eat. It didn't sound like it was in dire circumstance, this in my opinion is probably counter productive to your cause. Tube feeding is very stressful and I doubt it would entice your snake to eat in another 10 days. I'll be more than happy to be wrong though.

Glad you went the extra mile and took your snake to the vet, always good to err on the side of caution, it just sounds like maybe the vet was a little gung-ho in the course of treatment. Hope everything works out well for your BP though, which I'm sure it will. In the end, that is all that really matters.

I have read that some antibiotics have a secondary effect of getting snakes back on feeding. I'm not sure about Fortaz though. I hope it works! :)

Geez guys, I am really hesitant to go thru with the Fortaz injections - if they are not necessary I don't want to give them - I really need some help here.

I spent $200 bucks on this vet visit and feel like I got no where. And to think that I may have even done more damage to my snake - I really feel awful now.

He did suggest I bring her back for more tube feeding but I had already decided I wasn't going to do that.

I guess the main thing I need to know at this point is - should I give her these injections every "3" days??? Someone knowledgeable, please advise.

Giving the injections is up to you. I would not do it but I a not a vet so I can't give you advice on that. IMO, taking a snake, or any herp to the vet is a waste of time and money unless you know there is something wrong with them. The only time I take a snake to the vet is when I know I need a med. Usually I am pretty much the one that says what they need and I am just using the vet to get the drugs. The main problem is that the vast majority of so called herp vets have no idea what they are talking about. There are some good ones out there, but they are definitely the exception.

$200 is a little ridiculous in my opinion for what they did as well.

You wanted to know if she is healty, and now you REALLY know she is healthy. Why do you want to keep going?

She will eat when she is ready, If you dont give her some space, you are gonna keep on stressing her out.

I spoke with the breeder and have decided to not give her the injections and just let it ride out.

I will give her up to 10 days to regroup and offer her an ASF to see what happens then.

I agree it was a rediculous amount to pay but I didn't want to question the "professionals" opinion - I sure didn't have the answers so I hoped he would.

Injections are not needed at all if theres no infections or sickness.

I would of thought the vet would of given you some Flagyl for the purpose of appetite enhancer it does with balls. Flagyl never hurts when given proper dosage and sometimes increases feeding responces

I mentioned the flagyl to the vet because I have heard that mentioned here on the forum but he didn't seem to think that was a solution.

I don't know, I think I learned a good lesson on what to let a vet do - I should have stepped in and stopped him from doing all this stuff to my snake - I just thought he would know better than me.

He is supposed to be very knowledgeable since he once head up the Reptile Division of a major zoo.

Go figure.

Yeah if anything I would give the snake flagyl injections to stimulate appetite.

If you can get a hold of a live ASF I would give that a try. I wouldn't try a gerbil, they are expensive and sometimes hard to find. And if your snake imprints on them you are stuck feeding them. If anything, a ball python will choose an ASF over a gerbil since ASFs are their natural food source and gerbils are not.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Yeah if anything I would give the snake flagyl injections to stimulate appetite.

If you can get a hold of a live ASF I would give that a try. I wouldn't try a gerbil, they are expensive and sometimes hard to find. And if your snake imprints on them you are stuck feeding them. If anything, a ball python will choose an ASF over a gerbil since ASFs are their natural food source and gerbils are not.

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Just so ya know Flagyl is done orally not injections.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Just so ya know Flagyl is done orally not injections.

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dur brain fart.

1. Personally I feel that the fortaz was/is probably not nessicary, however you should always finish out the injections once started. If for anyreason something is brewing and you do not finish out the course of anitbiotics you can help to develop resistant strains of bacteria. Fortaz is pretty safe so I would not worry about it hurting your snake.

2. Tube feeding in my experience is not as stressful as even assist feeding if done properly. I actually prefer to tube feed than force feed. The tube is a small diameter and fexible it will not hurt your snake. In the case of your animal tube feeding may jump start her metabolism and she may get hungry. Every snake I have tube fed has turn around and began eating on their own.

3. The only other thing I would have done or asked about was adding flagyl to the food mixture and possibly fenbendazole. If she was mine I would continue the injections and offer an irresistable live asf or gerbil in 10 days or so.

I think you should of been weighting the snake and if the snake was losing too much weight then a trip to the vet is the correct thing to do. but if the snake was decent size and wasn't losing weight, I think you panic and put your snake thru a stressful day at the vets. and if she was getting ready to go back on feed again. It might be longer now with the added stress. I had a snake that I had to give injections to, every time I came into my snake room that snake knew that shot was coming and went into a ball. she didn't do this before getting the shots and now many months later doesn't ball up when I enter the room. talk about stress, she didn't eat for a couple more months after the shots.

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Originally Posted by don15681

I think you should of been weighting the snake and if the snake was losing too much weight then a trip to the vet is the correct thing to do. but if the snake was decent size and wasn't losing weight, I think you panic and put your snake thru a stressful day at the vets. and if she was getting ready to go back on feed again. It might be longer now with the added stress. I had a snake that I had to give injections to, every time I came into my snake room that snake knew that shot was coming and went into a ball. she didn't do this before getting the shots and now many months later doesn't ball up when I enter the room. talk about stress, she didn't eat for a couple more months after the shots.

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Ball pythons fast. Boas fast. Colubrids fast. In the case of balls, they can fast for a long, long time without any detrimental effects.

Unless the animal is showing signs of sickness, losing inordinate amounts of weight, etc, a trip to the vet to get a load of shot in the dark treatments will do nothing but stress the animal out even more.

..........and recommending a dose of metro/flagyl to stimulate appetite? Yeah, I know of several people who are proponents of this but have you considered that animals fast for a reason? These reasons can be as complex as environmental/security factors or as basic as the fact that most balls in captivity are eating way more than their counterparts in the wild.

Before going out and buying some flagyl ask yourself this? Are you artificially stimulating this snakes appetite because the snake needs to eat or because it will make you feel better if it's feeding again?

Why muck with her anymore? Make sure all of your husbandry parameters are correct, monitor his weight, add some crumpled up newspaper to her enclosure and let him de-stress from the vet visit. In a couple of weeks try feeding her again. In the meantime, just leave the animal alone.

hey sorry to here she noy eating but are you sure it a she i know some males refuse to eat during the breeding season. i know most of my snakes did not at from january till the last 2 weeks and i only breed 3 females but i know most stopped eating during this time..(prolly could of bred most the females i got )

Thanks everyone - all your advise has been appreciated.

Do any of you know the purpose of a B12 shot?? Just curious.

I just find the whole situation soooo aggravating - if you cant trust doctors/vets to give you good guidance - what does that leave those of us that don't know all about possible health issues.

I come to this forum for guidance all the time but even with that - people always say you can't trust everything you read online.

I just feel really confused on what is the right course of action. All I can do is take everyones advice into account and go with my gut instinct.

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Originally Posted by L.West

Thanks everyone - all your advise has been appreciated.

Do any of you know the purpose of a B12 shot?? Just curious.

I just find the whole situation soooo aggravating - if you cant trust doctors/vets to give you good guidance - what does that leave those of us that don't know all about possible health issues.

I come to this forum for guidance all the time but even with that - people always say you can't trust everything you read online.

I just feel really confused on what is the right course of action. All I can do is take everyones advice into account and go with my gut instinct.

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I have a female that routinely only eats 3-5 months out of the year.

You need to go to an experienced specalist, or, what i do if im having a problem that can't be addressed is get advice from someone with experience. Sure, it does not come from a vet but as we've seen (and as far as I'm convinced) sometimes the person with the experience is more versed than the person with a fancy degree.

Once i get the info from the experienced person, i will THEN take it with me to the vet. If the vet is not giving me good advice or a course of action i get another vet. (like the vets that try to tell me that bps can be sexed just by looking at them, etc).

The purpose of the B-12 shot:

There's a common myth that getting a B-12 shot will stimulate the appetite. It has not been shown to do so in any clinical trials, but the myth persists.

Most vets feel it is better to do something than to do nothing. This is not always true, but it is how they feel.

A B-12 shot won't do any harm, and might be helpful if the snake has a B-12 deficiency for some reason.

The vet that I took her to has 25 years experience with reptile veterinary care and was the herp vet for a city zoo - I really thought I could go to him and trust his advise but after reading all these posts - I just don't know.

I have to say that this has been the worst $200 bucks I ever spent - I really went to the vet for piece of mind - well that didn't happen - I'm more confused now.

I keep teetering onthe fence as to whether or not to give her the shots or not - I have to make a final decision and go with it - she is due tomorrow for another shot - I really need to figure out how to go.

I have gotten such mixed responses from everyone - but from what I can tell the majority of you guys on this forum is to not give her the shots.

I called the vet today to discuss my concerns and as expected his actions were defended.

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Originally Posted by L.West

The vet that I took her to has 25 years experience with reptile veterinary care and was the herp vet for a city zoo - I really thought I could go to him and trust his advise but after reading all these posts - I just don't know.

I have to say that this has been the worst $200 bucks I ever spent - I really went to the vet for piece of mind - well that didn't happen - I'm more confused now.

I keep teetering onthe fence as to whether or not to give her the shots or not - I have to make a final decision and go with it - she is due tomorrow for another shot - I really need to figure out how to go.

I have gotten such mixed responses from everyone - but from what I can tell the majority of you guys on this forum is to not give her the shots.

I called the vet today to discuss my concerns and as expected his actions were defended.

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25 years experience is pretty good, but the problem with a lot of vets is that they have experience with "reptiles" and not specific species. So addressing species-specific problems becomes another problem in itself.

Bps go off feed seasonally, but other species like beardies and corn snakes do not so when a vet sees that, they treat the problem like they would in any other species when it IS ACTUALLY a problem for those other species.

Im absolutely not saying this is whats going on, but it has been my experience.

Well, since I am running out of time before her next shot is due - I guess I will go with the majority rule here and not administer any more shots - she only got one from the doctor - he gave me like 10 shots to go home with - seemed extensive.

Her next meal will be an ASF - if she wont eat at that point I will hand her off to my breeder who offered to take her in and get her eating for me.

Thanks again for all the opinions and advice.

Poor dear, you came here for reassurance and instead ended up with even more confusion.

Ok, let me start by saying, this is YOUR snake, YOUR baby, and if you were worried enough to feel a vet visit was in order, then it was, period! It doesn't matter in the slightest what he or she or they or I would have done, this is you and your snake. So yes, if you thought a trip to the vet was needed, it was.

Second, hearing and reading about how ball pythons always fast does not make it any easier when your baby is the one not eating, believe me, I know! No matter how many times you tell yourself it's normal, you still fret like a new parent every time they miss a feeding, or at least I do. The only advise I can offer you is this: It's a lot harder on us that it is on them.

Third, regardless if the antibiotics the vet gave you were needed, I'd finish the course anyway. Antibiotics are pretty safe to give, so you won't harm your snake by giving them, and who knows, it may just help. Like someone else said, better that than to end up with a resistant bug from NOT finishing them.

Fourth, good vets are hard to come by, whether for snakes, birds, what have you. And fancy degrees and titles have little to do with actual knowledge I'm sorry to say. I once had "Missouri's leading avian vet" strangle my pet bird to death. So there you are. I have found the best way to locate a good vet, is to ask fellow owners of animals I have who they use and why.

Lastly, know that your baby will eat in time. But in HER time, not yours. Keep trying once a week or every ten days. Vary what you offer. Go smaller, that sometimes works. If she used to eat rats, try a mouse. Go live if she eats F/T, or vice versa. Try a different color, that sometimes works. Try feeding at a different time of day. If she eats in her enclosure, try a feeding box, or leave her in her enclosure if you usually move her. Be patient, be persistent, and eventually she'll eat. Just keep telling yourself, "It's not the end of the world, it's not the end of the world. She's not going to starve, I know she won't, PLEASE EAT SOMETHING! It's not the end of the world......"

Gale

Thank you to Angllady2 - you obviously know exactly what I am going thru and picked up on how stressed I have been with all of this.

My only concern with giving her the shots is: will she become aggressive because she does not like to get the shots or is she not capable of such a thought process.

She has always been my most docile snake - my favorite snake and I don't want to ruin her personality.

Your thoughts on this??

im not posting to get under anyones skin or upset any one, but why do you put more faith in random people on the net who may or may not know what the hell theyre talking about than you do in a veterinary doctor who spent 4 years in medical school? if the doctor said its necessary......its necessary. im just amazed at some of the folks saying that the doctor visit was unnecessary.

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

im not posting to get under anyones skin or upset any one, but why do you put more faith in random people on the net who may or may not know what the hell theyre talking about than you do in a veterinary doctor who spent 4 years in medical school? if the doctor said its necessary......its necessary. im just amazed at some of the folks saying that the doctor visit was unnecessary.

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Go figure, was waiting for a doctor advocate to pop in. Not every vet is knowledgeable with reptiles. Theres more bad than good who are more willing ot make a quick buck rather run tests to find the problem.


And yes the Shots for Fortaz is completely unnecessary. The B-12 shot does no harm what so ever and flagyl wont harm snake either.

Before you come criticizing some very reputable people think twice before posting.

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

im not posting to get under anyones skin or upset any one, but why do you put more faith in random people on the net who may or may not know what the hell theyre talking about than you do in a veterinary doctor who spent 4 years in medical school? if the doctor said its necessary......its necessary. im just amazed at some of the folks saying that the doctor visit was unnecessary.

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There are quite a few cases of knowledgeable vets when it comes to reptiles. There aren't even that many that will see reptiles and only a handful of those actually know what they are talking about.

A few months ago there was actually a person on this site who took their snake to the vet to remove some eye caps and the vet caused the snake to go blind.

Now who do you trust?

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

There are quite a few cases of knowledgeable vets when it comes to reptiles. There aren't even that many that will see reptiles and only a handful of those actually know what they are talking about.

A few months ago there was actually a person on this site who took their snake to the vet to remove some eye caps and the vet caused the snake to go blind.

Now who do you trust?

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ah i remember that. sad :(

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Go figure, was waiting for a doctor advocate to pop in. Not every vet is knowledgeable with reptiles. Theres more bad than good who are more willing ot make a quick buck rather run tests to find the problem.


And yes the Shots for Fortaz is completely unnecessary. The B-12 shot does no harm what so ever and flagyl wont harm snake either.

Before you come criticizing some very reputable people think twice before posting.

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sounds like something a know it all would say. it also sounds like you live in a world where post count gives you more credibility than a degree in veterinary medicine. think twice before posting? give me a break.

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

sounds like something a know it all would say. it also sounds like you live in a world where post count gives you more credibility than a degree in veterinary medicine. think twice before posting? give me a break.

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yes you guessed it, Now go crawl back in your hole and stop trolling threads causing problems

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

yes you guessed it, Now go crawl back in your hole and stop trolling threads causing problems

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hey now...He is asking reasonable questions.

Hi,

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

sounds like something a know it all would say. it also sounds like you live in a world where post count gives you more credibility than a degree in veterinary medicine. think twice before posting? give me a break.

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That's a little unfair. :colbert:

We have seen many cases where the vets did not actually have all that much experience with exotics or that species in particular.

Vets recieve a very limited amount of training on exotics during their basic training and therefore it falls to them to do more training or research on their own after qualifying.

As a consequence there are some truly amazing vets out there who have a passion and deep understanding of the subjects but a vast majority more who really do not know enough to be treating some problems.

Given that it makes sense to try and work out which kind of vet you are taking your animals to before you have a serious problem - and if your vet is recommending a course of treatment that is, at best, unhelpful and, at worst, downright dangerous, do not follow their advice and instead try and find a vet with a better understanding of the subject.

Bear in mind a doctor only has to learn one species - vets cannot learn all of them so either tend to remain general or specialise. Either by sticking with the normal pet species, domestic farm animals, horses etc or by picking something a little less common and putting in the work.


dr del

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

sounds like something a know it all would say. it also sounds like you live in a world where post count gives you more credibility than a degree in veterinary medicine. think twice before posting? give me a break.

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The difference between reptile medicine and say, mammal medicine (cats and dogs and horses and such) is that there is actually money spent on researching diseases and developing new techniques to treat this or that in a lot of mammals. I have a sick cat right now who has gone to 2 vets because i didn't like the first or how he treated my fragile kitty. The second vet has 30 years experience working with cats and dogs and cares deeply and is knowledgeable about my animal and is working hard with me to figure out what is wrong with him.

With mammals, going to the vet first and asking questions later is standard practice. Because reptiles aren't as common as a pet, vets don't know a whole lot about them. Thats not to say their degrees are worthless (absolutely not) but book learning and hands on learning are NOT the same thing. Most vets spend a few weeks learning about "basic reptile ailments" and then move onto the next thing. They don't spend time learning about different species and their specific issues.

Anyone who has worked with ball pythons, even for just a few years, knows they go off feed and sometimes for weeks, months or even years. It is how they are. Sometimes there can be an underlying cause but you'll see secondary issues start approaching (weight loss, lethargy, symptoms related to mouth or belly rot, respiratory infection, etc). and then someone will go to a vet to seek diagnostic aid and advice.

For me, I'm lucky to have a vet within a drivable distance (few hours) that if i have a sick animal i can go there, not everyone is that fortunate. Small town vets often know little to nothing about treating reptiles. It isn't a far stretch to go to someone with the knowledge and experience that may have faced a similar problem for help.

I mean, take a look at this thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...=grace+surgery This is an example where vets weren't a whole lot of help, a lot of people would have euthanized that animal rather than try to help it. Should everyone do that? No, for the average novice keeper, a vet is the first place they go, we're just saying that the vets don't always have the answers.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

hey now...He is asking reasonable questions.

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thank you. im not here to cause problems at all. i asked a VERY valid question and you took extreme offense and atacked me, twice now. if the dr she took her pet to has 25 years experience in treating reptiles them i imagine she got the most educated opinion possible. but there are people who like to pretend theyre smarter or more educated than a doctor and thats hardly the truth.

I completely understand what you are going through hon. Try to relax a little, deep breath!

From my experience with administering shots to dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and even a fish, most animals are like us, the shot is annoying for a moment or two, then you forget all about it and look for more trouble to get into.

Chances are, she'll be annoyed at you for a minute or two, but she'll forget soon enough. My advice here is, pick a specific time to give the shots, and stick to that time. When you need to give her her shot, get everything ready, then sit down and take a few deep breaths. This will be a LOT harder on you than it is on her. Once you have yourself calmed, gently pick her up. Get her settled comfortably, then calmly give her the shot. Be as quick and sure of yourself as you can. Once it is over, cuddle her up if she'll tolerate it for a minute or two, then instead of putting her back into her enclosure, let her have a little free roam time.

Most snakes enjoy roaming time so much, she'll forget all about the shot. Allow her 8-10 minutes of roaming time, then put her away. This will also make you feel less like you are "training" her to avoid handling. The big thing is to be calm about it, if you're all nervous and uptight, she will be too.

Gale

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Originally Posted by L.West

Thank you to Angllady2 - you obviously know exactly what I am going thru and picked up on how stressed I have been with all of this.

My only concern with giving her the shots is: will she become aggressive because she does not like to get the shots or is she not capable of such a thought process.

She has always been my most docile snake - my favorite snake and I don't want to ruin her personality.

Your thoughts on this??

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

And if your snake imprints on them you are stuck feeding them. If anything, a ball python will choose an ASF over a gerbil since ASFs are their natural food source and gerbils are not.

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No, most balls will take a gerbil over an ASF. I breed both for feeders and the gerbils are definitely preferred over the ASF's.

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

thank you. im not here to cause problems at all. i asked a VERY valid question and you took extreme offense and atacked me, twice now. if the dr she took her pet to has 25 years experience in treating reptiles them i imagine she got the most educated opinion possible. but there are people who like to pretend theyre smarter or more educated than a doctor and thats hardly the truth.

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A vet has a piece of paper saying they can treat animals. Most do great jobs with dogs and cats. Very few ever take the time to learn much of anything about reptiles because frankly, there is not enough money in it. Unless you are lucky and find one of the few that are actually into reptiles there opinion is often not just wrong, but dangerous for the animal. Everything that was done to this snake was not needed. The vet says the snake is healthy, but then goes on to medicate it and give it an enema? I'll take the word of an experienced breeder over the opinion of about 99% of vets. Who do you think spends more time learning about and caring for ball pythons? A breeder or a vet?

To everyone that joined in on this discussion - I appreciate everyone giving their opinions and ideas.

I just wanted to do what was best for "Bella". I have until tonight to decide whether to follow the dr's orders or go with what I have been told on this site.

Worst case scenario, I give her the injections and hope for the best. I have been told that the injections wont harm her but if I start them - I need to finish the whole prescription.

I already informed the vet that I did not intend to proceed with additional tube feedings.

I haven't bothered Bella since Monday after her vet visit - I intend to get her out tonight just to check on her - she has been in her hides all along and I have noticed she is still thermoregulating - I see that as a good sign.

Again, Thanks for all the help.

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Originally Posted by L.West

I haven't bothered Bella since Monday after her vet visit - I intend to get her out tonight just to check on her - she has been in her hides all along and I have noticed she is still thermoregulating - I see that as a good sign.

Again, Thanks for all the help.

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I wouldn't mess with her. Just leave her be until your next feeding attempt.

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Originally Posted by guntersxr

thank you. im not here to cause problems at all. i asked a VERY valid question and you took extreme offense and atacked me, twice now. if the dr she took her pet to has 25 years experience in treating reptiles them i imagine she got the most educated opinion possible. but there are people who like to pretend theyre smarter or more educated than a doctor and thats hardly the truth.

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I think another point to consider is that he may have 25 years experience but that could be treating maybe a few herps a month. Out of those few maybe 1 snake. My point is that they are spending very little time with ball pythons in many (not all) cases. A breeder sees ball pythons every day and is able to notice trends in feeding, behavior, weight, etc. A vet once prescribed cherry flavored oral baytril for one of my balls. Needlessto say i didn work well. I went online and after much research obtained injectable baytril and a dosing table and took care of it myself. I have never had a problem since, and haven't been to a vet either. I'm not saying vets arent knowledgeable but some are more than others. I respect the ones that wont see reptiles because they are being honest about their lack of knowledge in the area. The ones that are too proud to admit it are the ones that worry me

I did some more research online into the drug Fortaz in use with reptiles and found out there could be some side effects - I'm not willing to risk her health for a "maybe". I will throw out the injections when I get home and leave her alone.

I have always relied on the breeder that I got her from for advise - he has been very helpful. His advise to me was to not do any further injections.

I will take a poop sample in to be checked as soon as I can get one from her - at least that would help rule out any parasites.

I just hope in the end - I am making the right decision for my baby.

did a little reasearch, and it looks like Fortaz is basically an anti-bacterial injection, used to "treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria" (as found at http://www.rxlist.com/fortaz-drug.htm). as far as I could tell, it's used when there's not time to send out a lot of tests and get the results as a preventative medicine. you can go to the site mentioned above for a lot more information on the drug (though it's not exclusivly for reptiles) if you have dbouts, but i'd say if you have the money to go ahead with the injections just in case...

hope that helps and good luck!

I can't say or sure what you should do since I haven't seen the snake but I will say that unless you notice weight loss or some other symptom then you shouldn't be too concerned. I have 3 females that went off feed in Oct and they all just started back up in the last 2 weeks. Yes I did cool them, but they still stop feeding sometimes even if they aren't cooled. I didn't cool my younger balls and some still went off food for the winter anyway. I hope you get her feeding again soon!

BTW, have you tried feeding live? I know you mentioned trying a variety of f/t but trying live can really make a difference. :)

I already paid for the injections on Monday while I was at the vet.

Its really a matter of who can you trust to guide you in the right direction - this has been very upsetting to not be able to make up my mind and go with it.

Everytime I think I've made up my mind - someone else comes up with a valid point.

I guess it really boils down to who I put my trust in and stick to it.