help on ball python... possibly near death

my baby ball python is not well... it hasn't eaten since i gotten it and that worries me... they pet owner i got it from said that it should be fed hydrolife cause he was dehydrated and that would help him... but since that he has been star gazing and his neck has just been falling completely over upsidedown... i don't know what to do... he doesn't seem to be breathing either so as i write this i think he is dying... i dunno... this is my second snake that has died on me and i don't know what i am doing wrong!!! please anyone help

Take it to the vet ASAP!This could be IBD,a disease that can be transmitted from boa to python,do you own any boas?

i had a rtb in this same tank before but i cleaned the tank we think that one before died cause of mites... but we are not sure... i cleaned the tank and everything that was in it... so thats possible but not likely...

Where did you get the BP from?

its a place called animal kingdom...in chicago we have been buying from there awhile... not snakes... but turtles fish and others....

Can you take it to the vet tomorrow morning?

Oh no...i have seen bps in pet stores here with IBD. Wasnt a pretty sight. If its IBD, i sure hope you dont have any other snakes near that python. Its highly contagious and a vet trip is essential.

i really don't think it will make it through the night

How long has it been stargazing,falling over,etc?

maybe a week.... but it just started getting really bad like 2 days ago

I guess all we can do is pray that your ball is going to get better,has it ever been to the vet for a checkup?

i've only had it for a little over a month

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Originally Posted by elmo

maybe a week.... but it just started getting really bad like 2 days ago

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Let me get this straight ...

1. You've had a visibly sick animal in your care for almost a week.

2. You were concerned enough to take the time to at some point ask the place where you purchased the animal for help ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elmo

they pet owner i got it from said that it should be fed hydrolife cause he was dehydrated and that would help him

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3. And in all this time (I guessing at least 5-7 days) you haven't taken the animal to a vet.

Now you're on an internet forum in the middle of the night looking for what exactly? Someone that can diagnose your animal through the miracle of modern computing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elmo

this is my second snake that has died on me and i don't know what i am doing wrong!!!

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From what I can see ... everything.

I'm glad I saw this post while I was in a resonably good mood. :D

-adam

If you had a boa in the tank before you got the BP, it's possible that whatever killed the boa has now killed your python. IBD can stick around for six months or longer, just waiting for other snakes... even if you have cleaned everything. And it can take months to show up in a snake, because every snake is different... I read a story about a snake that lasted quite awhile with IBD, fighting it. But it eventually got her, too.

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

I read a story about a snake that lasted quite awhile with IBD, fighting it. But it eventually got her, too.

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Sad story indeed. No creature should ever go through that.

IBD....AIDS for snakes :(

If you want to keep a snake properly, maybe you should have asked questions when this behavior started...not as the snake was dying. Also, what were the tempertures in the enclosure? Excessive temperatures can cause symptoms similar to that you described also. Make sure your husbandry is 100% correct before you buy a snake.

Why have you delayed for so long in taking your snake to the vet? I have a lot of animals - 7 snakes, 11 cats and a dog. At the first sign of a problem I take them to the vet. Reasons being:


1. It stops an illness/injury getting worse.

2. It stops the animal suffering.

3. If the illness is terminal, the animal can be humanely put to sleep.

4. It costs a lot less in the long run.

Not to do any of the above is either pure selfishness or crass stupidity. When we take on any animal, bear in mind that there WILL at some point in that animal's life be vet bills and that's something all pet owners should be aware of BEFORE they take on an animal, regardless of what species it is.

I'm not financially well off myself, but I would go without rather than see my beloved pets suffer.

I feel so sorry for your poor, poor snake:(

Well said all! There's no reason to hesitate to even phone a vet. I know our vet clinic offers a program for lower income pet owners so that no pet has to go untreated. I don't care if I'm dead broke if one of my animals is in need of the vet, I'd clean cages for a month of Sundays if that's what it took to pay off my vet bill.

Please educate yourself properly before you take on another snake or other pet. It's not fair to the animals to die needlessly.


~~Jo~~

I'm speechless. Kashmire "just" had a regurg and he was at the vet within 2 days, his fecal was checked the day after the regurg and he was in the vet the day after that getting treated for internal parasites.


I would have been at the emergency clinic the moment he showed any of the symptoms yours has been showing the MOMENT he displayed them (after Adam got a frantic phone call of course! LOL)

If you're not willing to take your pet to the vet, don't get another pet. Period.