Has anyone ever heard of BPs being "allergic" to anything??

Well, BPs or any other snakes for that matter....a BP that perhaps couldn't use newspaper because he gets some wierd "reaction" to it, or a snake that you had to buy some special bedding, tub, etc,. from the ordinary because of whatever reasons. Just wondered if such a thing was possible, and if anyone could share their experinces/knowledge that would be terrific.

one of my snakes is allergic to peanut butter lol sorry I had to..

the only things that come to mind is pine & cedar bedding, especially cedar. but I think that's a given for all animals housed right in it.

Avoid strong ammonia based products for cleaning, they can cause problems, also if you are using bleach to clean, make sure you thoroughly wash the container out before setting the snake up in it again.

Pretty much avoid strong chemicals because they could cause irritation or respiratory ailments.

i have not heard of allergies in animals other than humans.

This is primarily because it's not researched, or for that matter much cared about among those with the capabilities to research it.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

i have not heard of allergies in animals other than humans.

This is primarily because it's not researched, or for that matter much cared about among those with the capabilities to research it.

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Actually, I'm pretty sure it HAS been researched, and pretty commonly accepted that animals can have allergic reactions. Dogs and rats are the main ones off the top of my head, but if you google it I'm sure you could find plenty of information.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

i have not heard of allergies in animals other than humans.

This is primarily because it's not researched, or for that matter much cared about among those with the capabilities to research it.

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Then I think someone forgot to tell my dog Apollo that lol poor boy is allergy ridden!!!

I'm pretty sure he is asking more if there are things that are poisonous to them.

I don't know if allergies in snakes have been researched, but I became curious after I bought a calico male a couple of years ago. Every time I fed him his face would swell up the next day and stay swollen for 2 or 3 days. He didn't seem stressed or uncomfortable, just obviously swollen.

So, similar to the way vets ID allergies in dogs and cats, I started to change bedding/substrate, cleaning methods/agents, and food. After all my tests, I found that if I fed him mice he didn't swell but when I fed him rats he did. No difference with any other factor.

As he was growing I would periodically try a rat and he continued to swell after eating the rat until he was older (about 14 months or so). I've had this discussion with several breeders and a few have had a snake do exactly the same thing.

Now, could something else have been a factor? Possibly, but I don't think so.

Maybe it was from the bedding used for the rats, or something similar. But that's pretty crazy.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

i have not heard of allergies in animals other than humans.

This is primarily because it's not researched, or for that matter much cared about among those with the capabilities to research it.

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This is not true. There are dogs, and cats, that are allergic to certain foods and medicines just the same as humans.

I have two dogs that are allergic to two different things. Soy, and Wheat.

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

Actually, I'm pretty sure it HAS been researched, and pretty commonly accepted that animals can have allergic reactions. Dogs and rats are the main ones off the top of my head, but if you google it I'm sure you could find plenty of information.

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My cairn terrier has allergies.

The reason I was asking, is because I used to keep one of my snakes on desert snow, or carefresh ultra for the first five years of his life. In the past year, He has been kept on newspaper, and keeps having some kinda eye issue going on. He has been looked at, and this thing has apparently happened more than once in the past year. I only this past week switched him back to the white bedding, and I think I will discontinue using newspaper for him. I know cleansers are harmful and pine and cedar is toxic. But I'm talking about something you would normally use for a snake, that he might not be able to use because of some "allergy" or hyper sensitivity. I just had a theory though. Is it possible he's allergic to the newspaper??????

Quote:

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

Actually, I'm pretty sure it HAS been researched, and pretty commonly accepted that animals can have allergic reactions. Dogs and rats are the main ones off the top of my head, but if you google it I'm sure you could find plenty of information.

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More mainstream animals will have more known. There will be more money for research. I have never seen a report on snake allergies. Even IBD a subject of concern amongst herp vets gets little funding. Some of the researchers on this topic mention lack of funding as an obstacle. Professors get funding from large corporation. These corporations fund studies, usually with the hope of making money. If more people get into herps and poper veterinarian care, the chance of more studies will increase.