Are they really this resilient?

My snake was dead. Like, dead-dead. Floppy, kind of cold, no reaction to touch. This went on for about 15 minutes; I tried to prepare myself for the loss of my best friend. But I decided to try two more things (and please don't get mad at me again; I was desperate) figured I had little to lose. I gently breathed into his mouth while massaging his body (ugh this sounds like a romance novel) and he started to twitch and tense up a bit from his limp condition. Started to sort of moved his head. Then I carefully used a blow dryer on low heat all over his body. He eventually started to move a bit and his body began constricting my hand again while flicking his tongue, so I put him in his enclosure. However, from the beginning of this debacle he has "seizures" if he's touched from the middle. Hard to explain but his whole body twists and flops. He's now climbing his tank wall which he never does; he almost always is in a hide.

Two issues: his respiratory infection mayve didn't clear up and I took my (old) vet's advice and put a few drops of tea tree oil in his humidity spray bottle to "naturally disinfect. Eye roll. He's going to the herp vet emergency room in an hour.

But im serious when I say he was LITERALLY DEAD AND I WAS WONDERING WHERE TO BURY HIM BEFORE HE ROSE LIKE JESUS. Is this why they live so long? So they can outlive you and eventually control our galaxy?

You really need to get that snake to a vet. And possibly move it to a separate enclosure that's really clean, or really clean its enclosure and bring it down to a bare bones setup (hides, water, substrate).

You got its lungs working again, and kept it alive. You don't want anything else damaging its lungs or immune system right now.

Death is not always easy to determine! However I'm still very impressed that you got him going again. Hopefully he makes it to a vet. Good luck!

Am speechless

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That's awesome that he still at least has a chance. I'm curious what the herp vet would diagnose.. Good luck!!

These guys have really slow metabolism and can survive with much lower oxygen levels then mammals.

That's why they are capable of being shipped in deli cups. That's why they can stay under water for long periods. That's why it is not recommended to euthanized with C02.

My bet is your snake is in severe respiratory distress as evidenced by the post you made last night about the heavy breathing. Listlessness happens when RIs get dire. If there was still tea tree oil residue in the tank that could have been really bad. I use tea tree oil for various things with my other pets and tea tree oil toxicity can be devestating. Severe symptoms include, feebleness, paralysis, decreased consciousness, coma, tremors, seizures, and death.

I would insist that the vet take a blood sample. I'm not sure how tea tree oil would metabolite in a snake but I'm mammals it will elevate liver enzymes. Might be a good place to start to figure out if it is a case of poisoning. I would also insist on a culture if it is an RI to pinpoint the exact organism causing it so you can do a specific antibiotic instead of full spectrum (which tend to be weaker)

If the little guy makes it there may need to be a drastic change in your husbandry and handling practices.

But yeah. They can be pretty resilient. I worked in the exotics department of a big box pet store and have seen a few zombie / jesus snakes.

Ugh. Sorry about the typos in the above.

Tea tree oil should never ever be used around reptiles nor should most essentual oils... Period.. None. Stop using advice from and old vet, that is an old vet for a reason. Take some time and read up the effect of things like tea tree oil and other essentual oils around reptiles.. And then read some more. Get that snake to a vet immediately, clean is environment properly..and quit w the oils!!! You are likely poisoning your snake w it.

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I took him to the vet. He's okay now.

I seem to have that effect on people.

What did the vet give him/do for him? I'm not sure a snake can go from "dead" to "fine" in one day :confuzd:.

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Originally Posted by m1lkhoney

I took him to the vet. He's okay now.

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What was the diagnosis?

I too am curious about what the vet said!

Try not to be too sensitive about people's replies here M1lkhoney. It's a community of snake lovers and no one wants to see your little guy in trouble.

From what you described earlier "He's okay now" does not make any sense. So what happened?

What did the vet say m1lkhoney? What was the issue?
What effect on people?

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So......What did the vet say???

I smell something fishy...

M1lkhoney, what did your vet say? After all this w your post, it would be nice to hear what the vet said...

Hate to say it... But def smelling fishy around here.. Trolls have a fishy smell.

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What? No, I'm not a troll. I'm sorry for the late response; I've been busy and didn't read this thread yet. What seems fishy? The vet said his upper respiratory infection isn't completely gone, likely due to last time getting oral instead of injectable baytril. The doctor wants to try a week of this method and see if symptoms improve at all.

As as for the seizure like behavior, he had stopped exhibiting the behavior by the time I got to the vet. I should have taken video but at the time that was the last thing on my mind. It has not happened since. I am taking him back to the vet in a week; so far he seems fine except for an occasional click when he breathes.

I have been on this forum for months, my post history and avatar show pictures of my snake, all of my questions have been honest... I'm really not sure what's fishy here aside from being busy for one day.

antibiotics and his other appointment next week because I lost CareCredit and my budget just didn't include such an energency.

Yes, I realize I should have considered that before getting him; it's just this and next month that are very tight and the balance is due by the third and I lost one of my jobs and now this is turning into an essay.

I tried to make the post kind of lighthearted because I'd just had a monumental scare and if I wrote about it seriously I would probably cry. I don't even know why I shared this in the first place.

Signed, Apparently A Troll

That's a diagnosis! Glad to hear he's doing okay and on antibiotics.

We were thinking fishy, only because there is no way for a snake to be nearly dead/ill to the point of seeming lifeless, and then to "okay" within the same day. Seeing a vet doesn't cure on the spot, but it brings a diagnosis on what the issue was with the animal and a process over time of what you have to do to cure it. So hope that makes sense. Your posts just now explained all we wanted to know!

Gotcha. Glad I could clarify. :)

I will share - twice I have had ATBs appear to be dead and I was able to 'bring them back'. Snakes can be very resilient.

It was the early 2000s, I had moved to Vegas. Having all sorts of humidity problems. This particular ATB was in a screen top tank. I totally missed multiple times that her water had gone empty. This was 100% my fault. I came in and she was in her empty water bowl, upside down. I pulled her out and she was non-responsive, not breathing and appeared to be getting stiff. I knew she was dead. It was my first ATB and I was very distraught. I was getting ready to put her in a ziplock for disposal but just couldn't give up on her. I got a tub of warm water and submerged her, then started trying to straighten her out and massaging her. She very slowly appeared to come back to life in my hands. I could not believe it, she was alive.

Second time was last year. I was feeding some boas and happened to glance behind me. After thinking about it, I can see what happened, amazon was in her (semi heavy rock) hide. They always come out to see what's going on when I am in there. She must have gone up into the branches and anchored her tail on the opening of the hide and lifted it. Then coming down and around back to the front, put her head under where the hide was lifted and let her tail go to hang onto the branch. What I saw when I glanced behind me was my amazon twisted up with her head and 1/2" of neck caught under the hide, her neck and head was swollen as the hide had cut off all air. I freaked and yelled for the b/f, grabbed her out of there and was holding her as she was completely nonresponsive and upside down. I cupped her head in my hand and started blowing trying to give my snake CPR. I had the bf get a tub of warm shallow water (since this worked with the other one) and once I had breathed for her for a bit and the swelling was down, I put her in the water and started making her body swim in hopes it would get her going. Also took a bit but she finally had a really long slow tongue flick and 'came back to life'. It took a while for her to regain muscle control, at first it was just the head and neck, then eventually it moved down her body and she was able to move again. She had seizures the next day. I worried there would be brain damage from the lack of oxygen (shaking or loss of motor control). She is fine now. I have also removed all heavy hides from my ATB cages.

Very scary and I thank my lucky stars I caught them both in the nick of time. If I had been 10-20-30 min later on either one, I expect they would be dead. I still get shaken up thinking back on it.

I wonder if the tea oil caused the seizure in your BP? I hope he continues to improve and good luck with him!

Wow, that's quite a story! I'm very glad your snakes are okay. Seeing them lifeless is so scary and it's nice to know I'm not the only one who's been reduced to trying CPR...

I am almost sure it was the tea tree oil. I actually got kind of mad at it and shoved it in the back of the medicine cabinet.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

That's a diagnosis! Glad to hear he's doing okay and on antibiotics.

We were thinking fishy, only because there is no way for a snake to be nearly dead/ill to the point of seeming lifeless, and then to "okay" within the same day. Seeing a vet doesn't cure on the spot, but it brings a diagnosis on what the issue was with the animal and a process over time of what you have to do to cure it. So hope that makes sense. Your posts just now explained all we wanted to know!

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Yes, this. Couldnt say it better.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by m1lkhoney

I am almost sure it was the tea tree oil. I actually got kind of mad at it and shoved it in the back of the medicine cabinet.

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Please, whatever you do..do not ever use tea tree oil or any other kind of oil including essentual oils and scented oils you warm in burners near or in same environment as a reptile... Not ever. They are poisonous most of the time to reptiles.

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