My Ball Python first visit to the veterinary!!!

'Hey guys...I took my Ball Python to her first check up. All went perfect until they told me she got worms (don't remember the name). The vet told me that she gets this type of parasite from eating mice from the pet store that have the parasite in them. The vet recommended to feed her frozen mice from this website "www.miceonice.com". Should I try feeding her frozen mice? She got some medication for the parasite and in a week a need to take her again for some more medication. The vet said that feeding life mice is to dangerous for a snake and can cause serious injury's. I have read tons of information since i got my snake and most people agree that life is safe if you are responsible with the snake when feeding. I'm going to try the frozen mice but I will miss feeding her life mice. The only good thing was that the check up was free except for the medication against the parasite.

hmmm... i thought any parasites mice carry are not harmful to snakes. hopefully becky and others will chime in on this.

as for feeding live being unsafe... i completely disagree with that and if you do a search on this forum, you'll find many threads discussing the pros and cons and the best way to feed live, f/t and p/k

;)

My vet told me that while sometimes parasites from mice etc will show up in the form of eggs in your snakes fecal sample that they in no way affect your snake. They are simply "passing thru"

As for feeding live, it is fine to do as long as you never leave the rodent in the snakes cage unsupervised or over night. If your snake has not hit it within about 10-15 mins then it is more than likely not hungry/ interested that day and should be removed from the cage.

ErGordo,


Was your vet a vet who sees a lot of reptiles in her practice, or one that primarily sees dogs and cats but will also see reptiles?

Do you know what medication she has your snake on for its parasites?

Parasites are pretty species specific, and the cold blooded environment isn't the same environment as that of a warm blooded mammal for species transfer of parasites.

I feed live, have never fed f/t or pre-killed, been doing so for almost 2 years, and none of mine have ever contracted internal parasites from live feeders.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jotay

As for feeding live, it is fine to do as long as you never leave the rodent in the snakes cage unsupervised or over night. If your snake has not hit it within about 10-15 mins then it is more than likely not hungry/ interested that day and should be removed from the cage.

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well said! I have a redtail, corns and bp's and I ALWAYS feed mine live. Not to say that it is better than pk or f/t...it's just what i prefer. and I have never had any problems. :)

Not much to add to the excellent posts already made....BUT...if you do decide to go with f/t rodents...there's LOTS of places to order them online. Some better than others. I've not heard of "miceonice" so I can't say anything about them. Just do some checking around first, before you order.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=31956

"Just wait until you get your first vet bill from feeding live rodents to your snake or lizard."


First sentence on the FAQ page of miceonice.

Now for the DFQ... Dumb... :cens0r: Question

When you thaw them out, then do they come alive? No... sleeping beauties. You've been watching too many cartoons. I am always amazed when I'm asked this question, mostly by intelligent, college educated people.


Not too thrilled about that line either^^. Seems a bit childish and lacks any professional manner at all.



I will stick with rodentpro, they are cheaper too

HAHAHA...do they come alive when you thaw them!!!
I mean, I know there are no stupid questions, but seriously...come on!

The vet looked very professional and it was mostly reptiles in the waiting room. I don't remember the name of the parasite or the medicine. The vet gave the medicine to her with a syringe with no needle by the mouth it was white. I have an appointment next week for a 2nd dose of the medicine, I will ask the vet more about the parasite. I have never had any problem with my snake eating live mice but i will try frozen the problem is that I don't want to buy 100 mice.

Petsmart carries ArticMice frozen now. You can buy just a few but.. it's expensive.
To get a good price, you have to buy a lot of frozen mice. But, they keep really well in your freezer, no trips out to get more every week.
Feeding frozen/thawed or live is a personal choice. Some people are rabidly against feeding live. I feed live to mine, because I breed my own rats. Just easier for me. Until I have an overabundance of rats, I plan on just feeding live myself. Never ever leave a live mouse or rat in the pen with your snake for very long unsupervised.
My Hepburn was treated for parasites, but the vets never said that she got them from the mice/rats.
Wolfy

Ask many questions about the medication to make sure its a snake-approved drug. Many veterinary use meds "off-label" which means they are using them differently then the original drug label states. This isn't usually bad, but many times veterinarian don't tell you that they are using a drug 'off-label' when they should. It takes about 8+ years and many millions of dollars to get a drug approved and on the market for ONE species of animal. For example, a vet may use a drug only approved in dogs in an 'off-label' way by using with with a cat or rabbit.

Ask if the meds he is giving you for the parasites is originally made and/or approved for snakes. If not, ask what the original meds were approved for and if he/she has used them in a snake often before and what were the results. Ask about the risks or if there are any studies on using this drug on other species.

Also....its true some parasites are host-specific or require an intermediate host to complete their life cycles. (ex, tapeworms need fleas to complete their life cycles. If 1 dog is brought into a kennel w/ tapeworm, and the kennel is a clean enviroment with no fleas, the other dogs aren't at risk for getting tapeworm. or Cats can't catch whipworms, only dogs can.) Ask the vet what parasite exactly is in your snake. Then google it to see if its really can be passed from rodent to snake.