External parasites??? Also one thats not eating

Hi i have had mighty for quite some time now and he eats every 5 days usually weaned mice or 2 small adults. He hasnt been getting any bigger but poop urinates and sheds fine. I was wondering what could cause him not to get bigger? do you think he has internal parasites? He pooped this morning and i put his poop in a ziploc bag so i can take it to the vet so it can get checked for internal parasites.
Also I have a snake hat just loves live rats. He wont eat for me any more and i have tried mice and rats. He hasnt ate for 2 weeks and looks like he is alot thinner. What do you recommend to get him eating again? Also i dont think it is because of the winter because hes only 450+ grams well since he lost wait probably 400+- . I am getting really concerned about him. Thank you all and happy holidays!!!!!!!!!

Bump sorry not to ruch ne one but i have to no if i should get a fecal done or not.

get fecals on both just to be sure.


vaughn

Do you think 16 dollars is a good price for one fecal? I dont no why I would have to get a fecal on the one thats not eating? could u please explain why? also The one thats not eating is going to get a free vet checkup cuz i have a cupoun BUT it doesnt include the fecal . . .

$16 sounds ok, try to get a second one done for free or half price also. why not get the fecal on the 2nd one? just for piece of mind and to rule out parasites in your collection.


vaughn

How or why should i try to get the second one done for free or half price

Well Andre you say you have one not growing and one not eating and losing weight so I assume Vaughn is telling you that since you are taking in a fecal on one snake and it's a very reasonable charge at $16.00 that you might want to consider getting both of them done. Heck get all three done at that price, that's much less than some folks pay for fecals. You have to expect these sort of vet costs for any pet especially exotics that often don't show signs of illness as easily picked up as in say a dog or cat.

Vaughn's advice was bang on and comes from experience....personally I'd listen to it.


~~Jo~~

Thank you so much Jo. You always give very good advice. The thing is is that the ones that not eating probably wont poop be cause he pooped A LOT right after he shed and he hasnt ate since. Also the other one i will have to wait and hope i atch it before it dries out. The other one is in the refridgerator. Do you think that if there is parasites that they will stay alive?

Thanks Andre but in fact Vaughn gave you the proper advice and deserves thanks for it. I only reiterated what he said. Hopefully Becky will respond as she's much better qualified to discuss fecal samples than I would ever dream to be.


~~Jo~~

Okay then the thanks go out to Vaughn. Thanx for all the info I am glad that you responded as soon as you did . . . I thought no one was going to respond for like a day or two. Thanx again

Yes, Andre, get a fecal on both as they live in the same house, and you never know how parasites can be spread. It's just better to be safe than sorry.

As for the fecal, if it is dried out, it doesn't matter. I have done fecals on mouse feces that was about a week old and STILL foundd parasite eggs. The parasites being alive have nothing to do with being able to do a proper fecal and finding ova. The majority of ova aren't "alive" anyway, unless it is morphing into a larva. Keeping the feces in the fridge will put the ova in suspended animation and won't mess up the eggs(burst them or otherwise make them indistinguishable).

Take both fecal samples to the vet, labeled in separate baggies, and see if you can get a discount on the second fecal. More than likely you won't be able to and will just have to pay full price. No biggie as $16 is a fairly good deal. I prefer free myself, but that's just me :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Keeping the feces in the fridge will put the ova in suspended animation and won't mess up the eggs(burst them or otherwise make them indistinguishable).

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What do you mean burst them or otherwise make them indistinguishable? so do you think i should take it out of the refridge or what?

Andre I hope I'm not out of line to say this but first off, it is an incredibly busy time of year and no one can expect an immediate response any time of the year but especially not now. Not only do we most of us have the holiday season just around the corner but the breeders are at one of their busiest times of the year right now so I understand. As well, anytime you have a concern about the health of your collection in the end it's up to you and your vet to make the final determination for a course of treatment. Nothing anyone says online can or should ever change that. If you need advice that's one thing...but if you need to know if this or that treatment is the correct decision only your vet can in the final say advise you fully. All anyone here can do as far as I'm concerned is help you understand a course of treatment or suggest a vet visit or whatever. Like Becky explaining fecals and so forth but in the end it's your vet's job to diagnose, treat and be your best line of defense and partner in keeping your snakes thriving.

I hope you take this in the light I mean it....not as a critism but just my own thoughts.


~~Jo~~

I took that light and I do know what you mean 100%. Happy Holidays

Eggs are eggs, regardless of species. If squished too hard, they burst. Same as if you froze the feces instead of refrigerated it, or if you put feces on a slide and pressed the coverslip down too hard, it would make the eggs burst, and you wouldn't be able to tell they were eggs anymore.

Just put the fecal samples in separate plastic ziploc baggies, label them with the date and the name of the snake, and place them in the fridge. They will not dry out and you will get a good reading from the samples.

Okay i put it in the refridge after i got it out i just have to go back and mark the date and the name of snake Thanx for all the help

Also for the one thats not eating changed to a smaller hide as the one before was to big and i put alot of crumpled up newspaper down. When he eats again i will gradually take the balls out and not all at once so it doesnt stress him out again and cause him to go off feed. Am i going to do things right?

Sounds like a good plan Andre. Just remember even when we do changes for the good of the snake it still can stress the snake out a bit as it adjusts to new things in it's "home". Usually when I change anything major in their enclosure, I try to leave the snake be for awhile just so it can check out the new stuff and get used to it without me trying to handle it or feed it right away. The newspaper trick is a really good one!


~~Jo~~

I am going to try to feed him in 5 days wich is when all of my snakes eat. every 5 days. Do you think he could have fasted because he had to large prey items? Here is a list of food he had since I obtained him

11-14-05/ 1 Live small mouse
11-14-05/ 1 Live small rat
11-19-05/ 1 Live medium rat
11-25-05/ 1 Live small rat

Also the reason why he had a mous and a rat on the 14th is because i had to let him eat a mouse before he ate the rat or he wouldnt eat the rat unless he was in feeding mode

Well I'm no expert but even my biggest female ball who just hit 2,000 grams, is 49 inches long and as big around as a coke can at her biggest girth, never takes more than a medium rat and usually it's smalls for her. Depends on what you class as a medium but that can be a pretty substantial sized rat. Brannagh usually takes a couple of good sized smalls as I tend to go with smaller prey sizes due to feeding live.

How big is this snake that is taking the medium rats as far as weight, length and girth? How big are these medium rats? Also wondering why if you are feeding these bigger sized rats you are feeding on a 5 day schedule rather than a 7 day one?


~~Jo~~

Well I bought the rat as a medium but it is the size of a small and the one thats not eating is between 400-500 grams. I dont know the length and girth.

And he was just about to swich to a 7 day schedule but he never ate.