I just knew it...

[jotay]

That my baby must have worms and the vet said they where ring worm eggs in his stool but could have come from the mice he eats but still we are gonna treat him. Hopefully I can put the meds in his mouse when feeding cuz I hate to have to force the mouth and give especially since I just got him use to me and handling

This kinda confirms the fact to me that my baby must have been a WC baby
I was wondering why he wasnt getting thick like the pics I see of all the other bp's on here but he sure is getting long.
Has anyone else treated for ring worms???

[Smulkin]

THey can catch them from feeders as well - more ammo for the f/t argument. Couple of ours had them - the medicine was a liguid and we were given a syringe (no needle) to administer it orally. Was quite a feat getting their mouths open and getting it down - you don't need to use much force but you do need to get something like a playing card into the front middle of their mouths to get them to open up. Obviously they are not too cooperative with the whole operation but it didn't seem to traumatize ours and they are much healthier (and growing better) because of it. But that is the point at which we decided they would not be eating live or f/k any more. THe pet store we suspected as being the source of this is not the most hygenic of places - in fact Smynx's brother and his girlfriend got a chuhuahua there that died of Parvo within a week. So it does not necessarily mean you have a WC - i did not mean to rant hehe.

[jotay]

I feed f/t. The vet said they were pin worms not ring worms like the tech told me.
Yes I have to take him back tomorrow and get his meds and let them show me how it's done. The vet said I could bring back for the treatments and they would give it but I think it's something I may as well tackle now and get under my belt especially if I intend to expand my collection
Wish me luck!
It will traumatize me may more than Ozzy I am sure
Thanks Smulkin your post eased my mind quite a bit.
Now maybe my little guy will put some meat on those long bones of his.

[Smulkin]

Dunno how I made that assumption after rereading you post, sorry.

Also it spossible to find worm evidence in the stool that was from the mouses system and not idicative of the snake (the mouse had parasites and THAT is what showed in the stool) - which was probably exactly what you were saying in the first place hehe - been a looooong week.

You're likely right on the traumatize angle lol - I felt worse in the process of administering the meds than the snakes likely did, and certainly the benefits outweigh anything else. I had never had to immobilize any of our snakes and hold them at the back of the head before that (not counting field herp experiences). Actually wound up being a two-person process as 'Suki didn't want to sit still for it.

I can offer this advice though - when giving the meds do not be shy about getting the syringe down into his throat too deep - just picture the physiology involved when they gulp down prey - you're not in danger of choking him with it (hehe your avatar is a perfect illustration!). And push the plunger on the syringe rather than both push it with your thumb AND pull back with your fingers (not as easy as it sounds unless you are versed in syringes). If you don't get it in deep enough when you pump in the meds it can leave an excess in their mouths which they won't autonomically swallow and they can wind up pushing it out through their nostrils - which cant be fun.

He'll be just fine - especially now that you know whats up and taking steps - there are plenty of more horrid medical or health situations you could be confronting. Kudos for getting him to the vet!


(EDIT: If the vet shows you an alternate way of getting their mouths open to administer please share!)

[jotay]

Thanks so much !
I'll let you know how it goes next Saturday when we all meet up at the show.
Yes his Vet said it was not a big deal just need to treat and he should be fine.

[SatanicIntention]

LoL, I'm sorry, but I found that funny that a tech said that. I'm a Vet Tech in training, and still know the difference between pinworms and ringworm. One's a worm, one's a nasty-will-not-go-away fungus. Yeah, treating pinworms is pretty straight forward. The vet will probably give you Strongid or Ivomec. We have a few rodents up at school that have pinworms. I also have a pair of gerbils I'm breeding (quite proliferative little guys). I know, I got off subject I hope all of the medicating goes well, but hopefully those eggs were just remnants what he ate. We actually asked that question to my teacher, who is a great vet, and he said that snakes can't get pinworms from their food, also said they the worms are host-specific, meaning they can't be transferred to the snake. I hope everything goes well though. Good Luck!

[jotay]

Thanks, and the Vet ( D. Stahl ) seems to think they were from the mouse but wants to med to be sure since I don't know if my bp was CB or WC ( purchased at Petco) but I would rather be safe than sorry .