Back on feeding...

[lillyorchid]

If you have had a BP go off feeding because of the winter... when did he/she pick back upon feeding again? What month?


My snake gang is fine except for Sebastian who just won't eat (big surprise) and has only eaten 9 times since I got him this time last year. I was told not to worry because some males go off eating during winter season. He went off eating last August. I got him to eat a African soft furred rat on 1-21-07. On 1-23-07 he puked it up. Has yet to eat again. Wants nothing to do with rats, mice, gerbils, African spiny mice, African soft furred rats... live, prekilled, brained, f/t... nothing. I've tried it all! I feel like I'm just watching this poor snake slowly starve to death. I hate to say it, but I'm just waiting for the day to wake up and see that he has died.

Everyone just keeps telling me to wait, that he will resume eating again when it gets warmer out. I highly doubt he will. Only one person has told me that I should force feed him and well... eh I'm not sure if I should do that or just wait. I just don't want to wait and have it turn out to be to late. I just witnessed this same thing first hand and it really tore me up and the snake wasn't even mine.

[Freakie_frog]

Have you gotten him check for internal parasites???

[lillyorchid]

Yes. He hasn't pooped since last summer but this past fall my vet went a head and wormed him just in case. We were both in hopes that he'd pick back up eating normally. No luck. I brought it back to my vets attention when I had that RI out break this past December and was told to wait till spring and not to force feed him.

[Snakeman]

my BP went off feed during winter.he ate last month.i tried once or twice again,but didnt take it.i'll try feeding him again soon and see if he takes it.

[SatanicIntention]

I'd get a cloacal swab done just in case he has something like giardia/coccidia that wasn't present in the fecal sample from last year(the oocysts shed at different intervals, so they may not have shown themselves last time).

Also, I would get him in a 15qt tub with one hide, and a water bowl(how I have my extremely shy girl set up and she's eating every week), and leave him completely alone for a week and a half to two weeks. Maybe even put him in a dark closet. Just change the waterbowl every so often. Keep heat high, 95/85(all of mine are kept this way 24/7 except for the breeders). NO handling until he eats a few consecutive times.

See what the fecal test shows, and if it doesn't show anything, preventatively treat him with some Albon(sulfadimethoxine-treats coccidia) and some metronidazole(Flagyl-treats giardia) and see how he does. The Flagyl is a good appetite stimulate. After a week or two, try to feed him a small, live mouse. Then leave him completely alone for another week.

Hope this helps and I hope you can get his problems resolved.

[lillyorchid]

Awesome, thanks Becky!
I'll set him up like you have said and I'll make a appointment for him on Monday.

[hoo-t]

Allison -
How big is he???

In addition to what Becky said, you may want to give him some Bene-Bac for Birds and Reptiles after the flagyl and before the mouse. This will boost the beneficial bacteria in his digestive tract, which is most likely very low after regurge and not eating for a long time. Oh, if you don't find Bene-bac in the reptile section, check the bird section. I have gotten it from Petco in the past. It comes on a little hang card with 3 little tubes on the card. The Flagyl and the Bene-bac could possibly boost his appetite to get him going. If not, you may want to assist feed SMALLER than appropriate sized mouse until he does get going. Offer it to him live first, and if he doesn't take it, kill it and assist feed. You'll want to get him putting on some weight, so feed every 3 or 4 days until he picks up on his own. Once he puts on some weight, and gets a little stronger, he will most likely become more confident and surprise you by eating on his own.

I've had very good luck doing this with several problem feeders, two of which I'm sure would not have survived otherwise.

Good luck!
Steve

[lillyorchid]

Thanks for the info & tips Steve! I'll give that a try also. He's got a vet appointment tomorrow. After that he's getting stuck in a 15qt tub and getting put in my closet with is dark with the heat on 95.

Becky...think I should leave him like that for a week and try or give him two weeks to just chill then give feeding him a ago?

[SatanicIntention]

I'd give him 2 weeks, just to be on the safe side. It won't hurt him to go one more week if he's gone this long without eating.

I have a little 450-500g 2005 female I got from Cue last year. She wouldn't eat well at his house and where he lived, mice weren't readily available(all she eats is mice.. when she wants to). So, she came here, and after 3 weeks alone in a 15qt tub with high heat, she ate 2 mice, I think it was? The week after, the didn't eat, but the following week, she took one mouse. She now takes one mouse every week without fail and is still in that same 15qt tub. She's packing on the grams slowly but surely and is looking good. She's a picky little snit, but I love her

Hopefully his appetite will kick in and he'll be on a nice steady feeding schedule. Make sure that cool side stays up to, mine stay 85 year round in the juvie rack. They like it toasty it seems

[lillyorchid]

Well it's now been two weeks since I took Sebastian to the vet. He checked out with nothing wrong, no parasites or anything. The vet did give him a dosage of flagyl since I asked him to since it's a stimulant. Brought him home put him in his 15qt tub with just his one hide and water bowl and hooked him up with some heat. Stuck him in my closet and left him alone.

I put a mouse in there since I knew he was awake. At first he didn't seem interested in it, then he stuck his head out of his hide. Mouse went by, nothing just flicked his tongue a few times. Mouse went by again, nothing... but he followed it out and just followed it around and kept putting his head on it. It would freak out and scare him so he'd just ball up.


So yeah... still have a snake who just doesn't want to eat at all. He looks bad. His back bone is really sticking out and his tummy is getting that sucked in curve to it. Also he's getting that "female BP who just laid eggs look" with his body.

I guess I'm just going to have to force feed him. I don't want to but then again I don't want to see him starve to death either. So frustrating!