Need help with a rescue pueblan please.

[Sunnieskys]

Took a pueblan today from my buy nothing group since she ended her her relationship and moving out.

Anyway...brought him home he weighs 78g, eating fuzzies once a week, and born 2009-10. He looks skinny but not emaciated.

Any tips you can give me would be great!

I changed out the Uv for a red bulb and changed the water dish too. Everything else is as it was so he can settle in before I clean or do anything. He is also on the living room for quarantine. Odyn is in my son's room and boople is in my room.

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[Bogertophis]

He does look skinny, or dehydrated-? I wonder if he was without water for a while? Hopefully no mites or internal parasites, I'd have the stool checked soon
if he doesn't plump out with regular nutrition & water. Pueblans are so pretty....squirrelly, but pretty! I'm glad he's in good hands (yours!) now.

[Sunnieskys]

She fed him yesterday. So I think I will feed him again wed and give him 2 of the fuzzies then the last on Friday sat, then I will move him to hoppers to get him really going. When she said 2010 I was like oh boy, and fuzzies. I smiled and said help me open my car door (with snakey in my arms)lol. After a few hoppers I'll move him up again. Shouldn't he be on adult mice already?

he did have plenty of water but in a mug. I'm like, nope.

[Bogertophis]

Some snakes can be pretty clueless about drinking from tall water "bowls"...maybe that's part of the problem. Most milk snakes aren't big enough to eat adult
mice...now I'm not there seeing him in person, so I could be wrong, but they have a small mouth. I can't remember ever feeding mine adult mice...just hoppers.
But what I do with specific snakes that have a narrow gape and a long body (ie. plenty of space lengthwise to fill) is give several small mice of appropriate size
as one meal. No kidding, I have a 32" Texas longnose snake (tri-color, very pretty like a milk snake) and his mouth is so narrow, the most he can manage are
fuzzies or small hoppers. I just fed him today, he had 2 pinks & 3 fuzzies. Now he's happy...and btw, he's over 16 years old. They normally eat lizards in the
wild, & I've had w/c rescues in the past, but he's c/b and I've had him since the pet store he was in (as a yearling) couldn't get him to eat & couldn't sell him.

[Sunnieskys]

Should I feed him all three fuzzies on Wednesday then?

[Charis]

Congrats on the new addition! Glad he now has a caring home!

On malnourished rescues, while it is overwhelmingly tempting to want to feed them a lot, you should actually go slow in bumping up the size or frequency of feeding. Their systems have gotten used to subsisting on less food than needed, being hit with way more food than they are used to processing all at once can overwhelm their systems and can cause regurges or other issues.

[Sunnieskys]

Ok so how do I go slow? One fuzzy every three days? He gets one a week on sat from what she said.

[Charis]

Probably to start with, I'd do one fuzzy every 5 days for 4-5 feedings, make sure that's staying down with no problems and then go to 2 fuzzies every 5 days for 5-6 feedings and then more to 1 hopper if the snake seems otherwise big enough to handle hoppers.

[Sunnieskys]

Awesome! I will definitely follow this. Thank you so much.

Should his housing change? Besides a full on clean after he is settled. I will get his uth and jumpstart asap.

[Bogertophis]

Probably to start with, I'd do one fuzzy every 5 days for 4-5 feedings, make sure that's staying down with no problems and then go to 2 fuzzies every 5 days for 5-6 feedings and then more to 1 hopper if the snake seems otherwise big enough to handle hoppers.

That sounds right to me too, I agree you shouldn't rush the food...and you might also wait to feed him until he defecates also, if you want to be really sure
he's ready for more. But fuzzies are very digestible, usually 5 days is good, & they'll help him put some weight on. (hoppers are bigger but less digestible,
with more hair...)

No rush to do this now, but when you get a chance, let us know how long he is? (the better to estimate what he can & should eat)