Help! Ball Python is sick!

Hello all, this is my first post and unfortunately it's a crummy one.

My fiancee and I have a ball python that we got from a local pet store about 2 months ago. The story we were given was that some girls had brought the snake in because they didnt want it any more. He seemed to be in relatively good health when we got him, and is one of the most social snakes I've ever seen.

3 days ago our power was shut off because our roommates didn't pay the bill. Salazar (our snakey) got very cold before we were able to make arrangements to get him in a warm place again, but he seemed to be ok once he warmed back up.

Yesterday he was listless but seemed to be ok for the most part. Then today around 5pm, he regurgitated a bunch of clear, mucusy liquid. Probably about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup worth. Since then he has regurgitated several more times, although nowhere near as much, generally only a teaspoon or two each time. Each time he cramps/contorts for a minute or two before he does it.

We tried soaking him in about 90 degree water for a little bit, and this seemed to help, as he was much more like his normal self. Shortly afterwards he peed/pooped a large amount of liquidy mucusy fluid very similar to what he had regurgitated earlier.

At this point I would appreciate any help/suggestions that you could give. I know that the best think would be to take him to the Vet, but we are unfortunately completely broke until monday. I am mostly looking for suggestions to keep him as safe and comfortable as I can until I can get him in to see the Vet.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, we love our Salazar and it kills us to see him like this.

If there's any way at all that you can get him into a vet before Monday, please do so. He does not have the ability to cough like we do to clear his lungs, and if he's expelling as much as you say - he's having a tough time breathing.


In the meantime - keep him warm - keep the temps in the low 90's, and increase the humidity to about 70%. The humidity will help to loosen the mucus. Just to be clear, if his symptoms seem to improve, do not assume that it's going away - a RI can only be treated with antibiotics, and preferably injectible ones.

Also, check these links to make sure that the vet that you take him to specializes in exotics, and isn't a vet that normally primarily sees dogs and cats and an occassional reptile.

http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist


Good luck, and let us know how he does!

Grrrrr have to spread more love around before I can give some to you my friend. Excellent post Robin!

Thanks for the info. That's pretty much what we have been doing (Keeping his temp up) and he seems much better today. He will, of course, still be going to the vet ASAP, but for now he seems to be maintaining pretty well. He doesn't seem to have a whole lot of energy, but he isn't contracting anymore, and he isn't holding his head up with his mouth open either. We will continue to monitor him and keep him warm until we can get him into the vet.

And just so you know, normally we would take him to the vet immediately, but we really don't have the money at the moment. Our landlord decided he wanted his daughter to live in this house so we were given an eviction notice. Every penny we could scrape went into the deposits for the new place (plus some pennies from selling off my PS3 and computer), and we're completely tapped until monday.....

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Grrrrr have to spread more love around before I can give some to you my friend.

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What's that supposed to mean?

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Originally Posted by RockStarZeus

What's that supposed to mean?

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She liked my initial post to you, and was going to give me postive reputation points for it. If you notice under each person's name in a thread is a scale icon - click on that and you can leave a "I agree" comment or "I disagree" comment and add to that person's reputation.

You have to give reputation to a given number of people before you can give again to the same person.

I would honestly take him to the vet anyway, money or no money. Most vets bill for their services, so if you put down at least a partial payment of the cost, I don't think you'll get turned away...

This infection can ONLY be cleared with antibiotics or it is going to keep coming back.

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Originally Posted by RockStarZeus

And just so you know, normally we would take him to the vet immediately, but we really don't have the money at the moment. Our landlord decided he wanted his daughter to live in this house so we were given an eviction notice. Every penny we could scrape went into the deposits for the new place (plus some pennies from selling off my PS3 and computer), and we're completely tapped until monday.....

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I'm so sorry you're going through that - please keep us updated with his progress!

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

I would honestly take him to the vet anyway, money or no money. Most vets bill for their services, so if you put down at least a partial payment of the cost, I don't think you'll get turned away...

This infection can ONLY be cleared with antibiotics or it is going to keep coming back.

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Around here, they're a bunch of heartless *&$@#*). My dog bruno broke his leg 2 months ago, and we called every vet in 2 counties. NONE of them would take even a partial payment, let alone bill later. I had to return my 360 to Wal-Mart to get the money, as I was in a similar situation money-wise at the time. The only thing the vets around here care about is cash....

Well that is very unfortunate...where are you located? Maybe someone on here lives near you and could offer assistance...

One thing I did have a question about though....We've been trying to keep him warm but he keeps moving to the cooler side of his cage...Should we just let him go where he's comfortable or try to keep him in the warmer area??

I'd bump the temps on both sides up till you get him to a vet.

Do you have a hide box on either side of the cage? They'll choose security over warmth...so make sure both sides of the cage are equal in that respect.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Well that is very unfortunate...where are you located? Maybe someone on here lives near you and could offer assistance...

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We live in Grants Pass, OR.

As far as the hidey box... it's a large one positioned in the middle, so he can hide but still move to either side of the box to regulate temp...but he's not in his box...

We've got blankets draped over the tank to help hold in the warmth and humidity, so both sides are pretty close to the same temp at this point...

Anyone in Oregon?

I would place identical hides at the end of each side of the cage. This gives him a chance to feel secure while being either warm or cool. A hide in the middle really doesn't give him the option.

You said both sides are the same temp...what are your temperatures? What kind of thermometer are you using to measure the temps?

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Originally Posted by RockStarZeus

Around here, they're a bunch of heartless *&$@#*). My dog bruno broke his leg 2 months ago, and we called every vet in 2 counties. NONE of them would take even a partial payment, let alone bill later. I had to return my 360 to Wal-Mart to get the money, as I was in a similar situation money-wise at the time. The only thing the vets around here care about is cash....

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Don't blame the vets, blame all the previous people they loaned money to who ripped them off. The vets I work for would like to help out but simply cannot keep going into debt for people who will not repay us. When people walk out on a thousand dollar bill and give you fake information, it makes it pretty damn hard to continue to extend that courtesy to future clients. If you have an established relationship with a vet, they are much more likely to try to work with you. But go into a stranger's place and say "Lend me 1k, and I'll pay yah back just as soon as I can, honest!"...well, that just doesn't work. 50% of the estimated charges to be paid up front is standard procedure, especially for new clients. We even started doing it for boarders a few years ago, since some people brought in a Great Dane, a Weim, and 12 (twelve!) puppies to board and never came back for them, and all of their contact information was fake.
You wanna be angry, go right ahead. But don't blame the vets...they get burned way more than you might imagine
/end soapbox

And I sincerely hope your snake gets better. It's never easy watching a loved one suffer and not being able to help.

*Update*

A friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while popped in today and is lending me the money to take Salazar to the vet. YAY! :carrot:

Thanks again to rabernet for the Herp vet links, was able to find one about 30 miles from where I live. The address was wrong but some googling and researching led me to the right contact info.

As far as my disdain for vets.....I understand the reasoning on a logical level...but I know I couldn't turn away a dog with a broken leg screaming in pain...Would I lose money? More than likely. Would I feel like throwing myself from a building if I turned away an animal in extreme pain? Probably. But, since they're the ones with the knowledge, I don't really have any choice in the matter.....

I will post again when I have more info on his status.

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Originally Posted by RockStarZeus

*Update*

A friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while popped in today and is lending me the money to take Salazar to the vet. YAY! :carrot:

Thanks again to rabernet for the Herp vet links, was able to find one about 30 miles from where I live. The address was wrong but some googling and researching led me to the right contact info.

As far as my disdain for vets.....I understand the reasoning on a logical level...but I know I couldn't turn away a dog with a broken leg screaming in pain...Would I lose money? More than likely. Would I feel like throwing myself from a building if I turned away an animal in extreme pain? Probably. But, since they're the ones with the knowledge, I don't really have any choice in the matter.....

I will post again when I have more info on his status.

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You're very welcome - I hope that all goes well for Salazar! :)

i just posted a thread a day ago regarding my sick cinnamon he is haveing similar symtomes but not throwing up stuff, i think it sounds like a RI, im in a similar situation money wise but i found a great vet in denver who truly cares about animals and is going to take him in for a exam tomorrow for very cheap. it took a while to find a good vet but keep looking it will happen and good luck

Well, it's not a respiratory infection. Apparently he has an overall infection which is pretty advanced. Suprisingly (according to the vet) his lungs seem fine. The straining and cramping is apparently from the pain of the infection, and the vomiting is from stomach contractions. Unfortunately, his odds aren't very good because the infection is so advanced/widespread. The vet said it was most likely due to the bites all along his body from the pet store feeding him live food and not keeping an eye on him. She put him on a broad spectrum antibiotic which we have to inject him with once a day. We also have to keep his temps up and soak him in 80 degree water twice a day. I'll keep you guys posted on his progress and hopefully he'll pull through.

*fingers crossed*

An overall infection? Did the vet do a culture to see what kind of bacteria is at play here? Can you be any more specific?

Salazar passed away tonight at about 9:45pm. I guess he was just too far gone. We're gonna miss him. :(

Thanks for all the help though you guys...

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

An overall infection? Did the vet do a culture to see what kind of bacteria is at play here? Can you be any more specific?

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Unfortunately we didn't have the money to pay for the cultures, so the vet put him on a broad spectrum antibiotic...

I'm so sorry!!! I know it's hard when you did what you could and it still didn't work out. At least he isn't in pain. =/

:hug: I'm soooooooooo sorry to read about Salazar's passing. You did the best you could. I'm VERY surprised (and disappointed) that the pet store didn't do more to make sure he was healthy. If there were that many bites and injuries that he was infected, it should have been noticeable to the clerk/salesman/owner.



Keep the faith, and maybe when things get a little better settle for you and your fiancee, you'll be able to get another one who is healthier.

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Originally Posted by sweety314

:hug: I'm soooooooooo sorry to read about Salazar's passing. You did the best you could. I'm VERY surprised (and disappointed) that the pet store didn't do more to make sure he was healthy. If there were that many bites and injuries that he was infected, it should have been noticeable to the clerk/salesman/owner.

Keep the faith, and maybe when things get a little better settle for you and your fiancee, you'll be able to get another one who is healthier.

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Yeah, the pet store we got him from is pretty crummy. That's the main reason we got him even though we weren't really properly prepared. He was obviously not doing well and we couldn't stand to leave him in there.

I'm sure we'll get another one eventually, but it won't be for a while.