Giving cod liver oil tablets to my retic?

Hi all,

What are the benefits of putting a couple cod liver oil tablets inside F/T prey for my retic every feed?

Fed every week, about 4 1/2 5ft long roughly a year old

Thanks

But why?

Never heard of anyone doing this. I'm not sure what would be the "benifit" of it.... I would honestly stay away from this. Snakes in the wild don't get cod liver oil tablets....

Why???

I’ve heard people claim that’s what makes the snake iridescent. I had the misfortune of hearing people claim that’s what makes them so shiny. Lmao

https://i.imgflip.com/1ymffw.jpg

Apparently to strengthen skin?

Pitt or Sauzo will be chiming in shortly I would presum, but I've kept larger constrictors for a while and I've never heard of this.

It seems like a complete myth to me, with the only information I'm finding is that cod liver oil is sometimes used as a laxative in snakes.......I would not want a Retic with a laxative in it's system.

Sounds like something I would avoid.

I have never heard of this before and do not see any reason for it and we have never given any of the retic collection any supplements of any kind. Full whole prey items are all they need. The majority of our retics have a rabbit diet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KevinK

Pitt or Sauzo will be chiming in shortly I would presum, but I've kept larger constrictors for a while and I've never heard of this.

It seems like a complete myth to me, with the only information I'm finding is that cod liver oil is sometimes used as a laxative in snakes.......I would not want a Retic with a laxative in it's system.

Sounds like something I would avoid.

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Retic with laxative = full cage cleaning every hour of the day lol! They're bad enough about making a mess as it is


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That's what I was thinking!

....I don't know if I would even bother to put substrate down in that scenario.

I've never heard of giving them cod liver oil. If it does act as a laxative since i dont even take the stuff myself, that combined with a retic would be a catastrophe waiting to happen. My retic already poops and pisses all over, i dont need to add fuel to that fire lol.

And the iridescence from a snake is achieved by giving it the right conditions and being healthy. The only time i would give them some form of laxative is if they were plugged up but with proper hydration and husbandry, you shouldnt need to give your snake any supplements. I do give my beardie calcium and multivitamin dusted on her bugs usually twice a week but thats different as tortoises and lizards do kind of need that stuff a long with UVB.

+1 On never hearing about giving a snake cod liver oil. One big caution flag for me would be the chance of Vitamin A toxicity/over dose to your snake.

Hey that gives me an idea, how about putting coffee beans in the rodent before you give it to the snake. You can fish them out of the poo and sell them for big bucks HA!!

I couldn't find much online so I thought I would ask you guys. Thanks all

Whole prey is the main thing that retics or any snake would really need. Especially those that are well started. Hatchlings may benefit from supplements multivitamin and minerals on occaision but that is usually colubrid hatchlings and not pythons. Cod liver oil is high in vitamin A and only a percentage (RDA) is actually utilized the excess is broken down in the liver and excreted. Mineral oil is the product occaisionally used as a laxative.

I've supplemented following the tip below, though with a different brand of tablets. Never had a retic, but I've used it on Burmese pythons. Didn't seem to hurt, but did it help??? Don't know for sure. But in one fatal case, it might have helped if I'd used it. As far as I could tell, this stuff did not act as a laxative.

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Tips

To improve the condition of captive snakes try using Solovite vitamin-mineral tablets. Sluggish appetites have been improved with routine use of this supplement.

Dosage: Not to be used in animals of two (2) lbs. or less.

1 tablet / 40 pounds once every two (2) weeks.

For animals of lesser or greater weight, regulate the time rather than the dosage.

ex. A 10 pound snake would get one (1) tablet every eight weeks.

This product is available at health food stores or from Solgar Co., Inc., Lynbrook, N.Y. 11563.

- Natl. Assoc. for Sound Wildlife Progs. Newsl. 1(2): 7. (Oct-Nov 1977)