Rescue snake not eating, overreacting momma?

Back in February, I took on a rescue snake with severe burn wounds. It looks like the snake got a really good hold on a heating element inside a cage. The burn was on the belly with 50% of the belly affected and the skin sloughing was down to the muscle underneath. This extended from midbelly to the very tip of the tail.
I'm happy to say that the wounds have healed amazingly well! The snake, tentatively named Zuko, still has a very visible 'limp'. The belly scales on the burned area don't exist anymore. The skin just puckered and scarred over the area while it healed so it's a scarred line and then the sidescales. I was very excited to see the snake finally exploring outside of it's hide for the first time ever in mid April.

Zuko has done so well! I don't know an exact age, but I'm assuming a little over a year. There was a bit of weight on Zuko so I wasn't worried about feeding for a long while. I've had a 6 month hunger strike on my oldest snake, so I know how this goes. I would offer food each week switching between live and fresh kill offers, but there was never interest. A young baby pastel was always happy to have an extra course in her meal. Late April- May however, Zuko did start dropping body mass. It's not to the point where the spine is entirely palpable, but I worry.

Zuko is still a bit shy about the very last 1/5th of the belly/tail area. Because of the open wound and now because of the scarring, I have only been offering smaller prey. I was worried about the stretching of the belly with the open wound if the snake did eat, now I don't know if the scarring would affect how well the snake can eat. If it were an uninjured snake I would be offering large rat pups, but I've been trying hoppers and small adult mice instead.

There's interest in the food and sometimes a couple strikes, but I think once the snake strikes it looses confidence because that's usually where it also looses balance from the scar affecting mobility. Sometimes on a strike it'll kinda flop sideways. I've left the smaller size fresh kill prey in the habitat with Zuko overnight and one time tried a live rat pinky. Another time tried braining. No luck. Just ignores it.
I've done 3 assist feedings in may at week intervals with the smaller prey items hoping to jump start the feeding instinct more. After the first assist, the interest in food did go up. More tongue flicking and posturing, but still not grabbing the meal.

My only real concern is the body mass. I know assist feeding one of these smaller prey items isn't going to help in the long run. Should I just wait it out a bit longer and see? Or should I risk offering a larger prey since the smaller items may just not be what Zuko instinctively wants and I'm just babying the snake because of the scarring?

Thanks ahead of time for any advice guys!

How sad for what this snake has gone thru, and how wonderful that you've been trying to help her. Without seeing her, I agree with you that I'd
probably worry some about the healed area...maybe underlying muscle damage, nerve damage or still some pain?

That's a good sign that the little bit of food you got into her seemed to perk up her appetite. I'm not a fan of "assist" feeding, I prefer* (& have lots of
practice with) tube-feeding a liquid meal (Gerbers chicken baby food, thinned with a little water, reptile vitamins etc added as needed), but either way,
it's much like human hospital patients who get nutrition by way of an I.V.-which of course isn't an option for our snakes. *Done correctly, it's gentler.
When a snake or human or other animal fasts for too long, they get so they don't feel well enough to eat, & if they still don't eat, then they go into a
downward spiral & cannot recover. Her body needs food to repair the damage she suffered. I hope she's ok internally. Did she see a vet? What did
you use on the burned area?

I'd be inclined to keep offering small rodents, 'live' if you must, but only rats or mice with eyes closed so they won't bite. (eyes open, they do bite)
(Well honestly, I'd be tube-feeding her but so many are afraid to try that???) Good luck & do keep us posted. I've worked with rescues but never any
with bad burns like this. Poor snake...:tears:

What does your vet say about prey size and the scarring?

I wonder if Repti links be an option? They come in so many sizes and different prey items, sorry I can not be more assistance to you, what a wonderful deed you saved this sweet noodles life, wishing the best for you and your new pal Zuko.

Zuko did see a vet. The vet was the reptile specialist in the area that all other vets in the area refer to.
Treatment was:
clean paper bedding
daily soaks and a light scrub of the area to get the necrotizing skin off
very light application of silver sulfadiazine cream
Vet said:
'It will take a very long time to heal with some scarring' at the original visit
'Should do alright, just wait and see' is where we are now

I switched the snake back to coconut fiber bedding two weeks ago as the wounds are all closed and there are no scabs left. Zuko seems much more relaxed and is able to maneuver a bit better on this bedding than on the paper towels. I was hoping maybe that would further jumpstart instincts. But just seeing the snake moving about makes me happy.
The first assist feeding had a bit of fighting, but the other two were a bit easier. I don't press the feeder too far, just enough for the teeth to hook and for instinct to kick in.

I don't know the internal extent of the injuries, but urates were still passed regularly and 3 very small fecals as well. 1 not long after I got the snake in my care and the other 2 after the 2nd and 3rd assist. I take this as at leas a good sign things still work down there.

I'm glad that you've been using "Silvadene" cream (silver sulfadiazine), that's good stuff & what I would expect from the vet (which I'm glad she saw).

Also a good sign that urates & even small amounts of fecal materials are being passed. I think you're doing as well by Zuko as anyone could, but do
get more food into her one way or another. "TLC" can go a long way, I really hope she'll just take food for you but ??? Do keep us posted. :gj:

And by the way, my familiarity with Silvadene cream (Rx) is from taking in a chronically starved Argentine boa. Turns out that when a snake is
chronically starved this way, their skin tears easily, like tissue paper or Kleenex, even after they are fed routinely & regain weight. :( Fortunately
I had no trouble feeding her F/T, but dealing with her torn skin all over her body was a nightmare.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'm glad that you've been using "Silvadene" cream (silver sulfadiazine)...
Turns out that when a snake is chronically starved this way, their skin tears easily, like tissue paper or Kleenex, even after they are fed routinely & regain weight.

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I've seen this happen before! It's terrible.
Was a hatchling ball python that just refused to take any food. We were tube feeding the little one, but when it had the next shed, the skin was just so delicate. Like you said, tissue paper. Because of the quality of life, we had the vet euthanized it.
It was impossible to hold the baby for feedings without doing more damage.

Also....

Here's a few progress images of Zuko I've taken over the months. I didn't want to just post the images here because the first one especially is tough on some people to see.
https://imgur.com/a/yGR69ib

The bath photo was taken a little over a week ago, so you can see how lanky Zuko has gotten.
I'm still not super concerned.... but I don't want to keep brushing the weight loss off until it is critical.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Armiyana

I've seen this happen before! It's terrible.
Was a hatchling ball python that just refused to take any food. We were tube feeding the little one, but when it had the next shed, the skin was just so delicate. Like you said, tissue paper. Because of the quality of life, we had the vet euthanized it.
It was impossible to hold the baby for feedings without doing more damage.

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Terrible is an understatement. The Argie was an adult, about 6-7' long. Healing was slow (she had tears all over her body that I medicated) & her skin would
never be normal...I had her for quite a while, but then turned her over to another experienced keeper in the herp society. I'm sorry you had to see this too. :tears:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Armiyana

Also....

Here's a few progress images of Zuko I've taken over the months. I didn't want to just post the images here because the first one especially is tough on some people to see.
https://imgur.com/a/yGR69ib

The bath photo was taken a little over a week ago, so you can see how lanky Zuko has gotten.
I'm still not super concerned.... but I don't want to keep brushing the weight loss off until it is critical.

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"Noodle soup"!? :rofl: Poor little Zuko...horrible burn! I agree, you can't ignore her weight loss...she needs food to heal her body. Good luck! :gj:

You have done a fantastic job healing her that’s for sure , that really was a bad burn


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WOW!! I literally gasped aloud when I saw that. You are doing some incredible work and I am shocked at how well that is healing! Best of luck with her recovery; you are a literal angel.

You guys are too kind! Thank you. I've been really trying to get this little one as close to 'normal' as I can.

So.... Zuko shed last night. Yay! No stuck skin. I'm so proud ♥
https://imgur.com/FoASCMs
You can almost make out how the last bit of the tail was deformed from the burn. The very tip had gone necrotic and the underside is just a thick scar. There's just kinda a pucker and not a smooth vent.... but again, I've seen some small stool passed and urates so that is a good sign still. Just still VERY fussy about that last 4 inches being handled. Will actually curl up with the tail til around the base of the head for coddling.

Still not wanting anything to do with food today. It's been 2 weeks since the last assist feed. Didn't even want to strike today, but still had interest. Rapid tongue flickers and keeping an eye on it.
Consensus was that food is needed. So did another assist feeding, an adult mouse.
Took advantage of the swallow reflex to chain a second adult mouse with as little extra stress as possible. That way it's a bit closer to the rat pup size Zuko should be eating by now.
https://imgur.com/dCqqU9z

We now have a bit of a bulge where the meal is resting. But now Zuko is wheezing. :stupidme:
I'm gonna monitor for any vomit or distress overnight. I feel like maybe it's because I gave him a larger meal this time? Zuko has always been very vocal, a big hisser. So hopefully it's just some anger/stress at being assist fed.

Yes deffo needs some food , but you really have made a massive difference to that snakes life that’s for sure, I can’t believe the recovery she has made from that horrific burn. Congratulations can’t wait to hear thats she’s eating properly soon too


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Hindsight being 20:20, chaining a second mouse is probably the cause of his wheezing...sure hope he doesn't regurge. He needs food but patience too.

Yeah. I think so too, may have needed a breather after a 'big' meal.
I was hoping it would be less stress to do it that way than to try the second by assist feeding immediately. My thinking is 1 almost mealsize in mice one a week would be less stressful and hopefully encourage Zuko to eat as opposed to multiple small assists over the week.

Also hoping it's not the scarring working like a corset and putting pressure on his lung while having a 'normal' size meal =_=;;
But Zuko is resting comfortably at the moment. Curled up under the hide as is usual. Normal breathing, no regurge. No wheeze from what I can hear, but I want to avoid handling til tomorrow to get as much digested and as little risk of regurge as possible

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Armiyana

Yeah. I think so too, may have needed a breather after a 'big' meal.
I was hoping it would be less stress to do it that way than to try the second by assist feeding immediately. My thinking is 1 almost mealsize in mice one a week would be less stressful and hopefully encourage Zuko to eat as opposed to multiple small assists over the week.

Also hoping it's not the scarring working like a corset and putting pressure on his lung while having a 'normal' size meal =_=;;
But Zuko is resting comfortably at the moment. Curled up under the hide as is usual. Normal breathing, no regurge. No wheeze from what I can hear, but I want to avoid handling til tomorrow to get as much digested and as little risk of regurge as possible

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If you must "assist feed", I would do one "almost meal-size" mouse per week. When I tube-feed, it's usually meant to stimulate the appetite, or keep a snake going
that's too weak to eat but like you said, I'd be afraid that Zuko's scarring might be a bit of an internal corset, not an area you want to add stress. I'm keeping my
fingers crossed that with rest he'll digest alright...but I wouldn't handle him tomorrow either. (why would you want to?) Personally I'd give him a few days...
the last thing you want to risk is a regurge att.

Okay can I just say the fact that you named him Zuko is genius??? The fire nation prince is in good hands with you! Good job nursing him back to health and hopes he eats well for you soon!

Alright. It's been a bit and I have been lurking and posting on the forums here. Everyone here is so great and helpful. Seriously. Much love to you all~

Zuko update!
I was still doing a couple more weeks of assist feeding to get a little weight back on Zuko and to make sure that the gut was moving And in order.

We had a scary first urate pass that was bright orange and had me panicked for a couple days worrying about his kidneys but thankfully, it returned to normal with the next bowel movements.

After that we waited it out and had one fluke of a week where he pounced on a fresh kill mouse. I got too excited too soon I guess. But he ate! It was excited. And then that was that...

But now, he has officially eaten on his own for two weeks in a row! I have finally gotten the right size down and he is wanting to eat live at the moment. He's wary of my hands after all the fussing and dealing over the months, but he's managed to eat a small mouse, a rat fuzzy and a rat hopper.

I am super excited. I'm hoping that over time he'll start building up more confidence to try bigger prey and hopefully f/t soon, but I will take any kind of self feeding for now. ♡

The troublesome part is that even though the wounds have healed over great, the scarring is still a heavy concern. He's had a 2nd great shed with me with only a little bit still stuck over the scarred bits. Zuko is still super sensitive about anything touching near the tail as that was where the worst of it was. And we still get a little nervous and nippy about being handled when it comes to belly checks.
Over time I don't know how much the skin may loosen and allow him to eat better... But right now I think he wants the small meals because of how the size fits in the tight sensation from the belly scars.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Armiyana

...Zuko update! I was still doing a couple more weeks of assist feeding to get a little weight back on Zuko and to make sure that the gut was moving And in order.

We had a scary first urate pass that was bright orange and had me panicked for a couple days worrying about his kidneys but thankfully, it returned to normal with the next bowel movements.

After that we waited it out and had one fluke of a week where he pounced on a fresh kill mouse. I got too excited too soon I guess. But he ate! It was excited. And then that was that...

But now, he has officially eaten on his own for two weeks in a row! I have finally gotten the right size down and he is wanting to eat live at the moment. He's wary of my hands after all the fussing and dealing over the months, but he's managed to eat a small mouse, a rat fuzzy and a rat hopper.

I am super excited. I'm hoping that over time he'll start building up more confidence to try bigger prey and hopefully f/t soon, but I will take any kind of self feeding for now. ♡

The troublesome part is that even though the wounds have healed over great, the scarring is still a heavy concern. He's had a 2nd great shed with me with only a little bit still stuck over the scarred bits. Zuko is still super sensitive about anything touching near the tail as that was where the worst of it was. And we still get a little nervous and nippy about being handled when it comes to belly checks.
Over time I don't know how much the skin may loosen and allow him to eat better... But right now I think he wants the small meals because of how the size fits in the tight sensation from the belly scars.

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I think you're doing an awesome job with this poor guy. Very slow going- he is SO lucky to have you on his side! :sweeet:

Such huge improvement, with many great milestone to cherish thank you so much for sharing this incredible story of an unbreakable bp with his angel by his side.:gj: