New Baby BP- My first- digestion question!

[srhcrawford]

I just got my first BP three days ago. She is five weeks old. I got her from a pet shop (bad idea). She ate a pinkie the day before I took her home (I know she should be eating something bigger). I'm very concerned because the pinkie is still palpable in the GI tract. I work at a vet clinic and the exotic vet took radiographs two days ago to make sure it was the mouse and not a foreign body or mass- it is just the pinkie. The vet was concerned because it should have been more dissolved by that point in the GI tract. I have been watching it and it hasn't moved any further along the bowel. I've been keeping her warm- basking is 90-95 with a 10-15 degree gradient across the tank. She seems active and has excreted urates. Could she be impacted? I should be feeding her again today or tomorrow- should I wait to see if the other food item is digested first?

P.S.- two of her belly scales in the area are partly frayed- they look like a bit of the shinier whiter surface has been worn or removed. Should this be a cause for concern?

[dr del]

Hi,

Just a few questions that might help get a better idea of whats happening when the clever people turn up.

Is there any swelling or puffyness in her body? Are the "frayed" scales discoloured or otherwise unusual?

Is it possible to get some pictures of her and a closeup of the damages scales?

Has she been checked for parasites at the vets? Was she captive farmed or bred in captivity?

Was it a pinky rat or a pinky mouse?

The answers should rule some things out or suggest areas to look into.


dr del

[srhcrawford]

The scales that are partially frayed look a little yellow. The part of her body that still has the mouse was a little pink for a day or so but now looks ok.

I don't have a picture of her- the ones I took with my cell phone camera are blurry and utterly worthless.

She hasn't had a fecal float for endoparasites, there were no ectoparasites found during the exam. She is captive bred.

I'm not sure whether it was a mouse or rat.

[srhcrawford]

I think the scale problem is some kind of older injury sustained before I got the pet. Does anybody have any experience with a partially digested pinky being in the small intestine rather than being fully dissolved in the stomach? I'm really worried that there is something serious going on with the snake.

[dr del]

Hi,

Just to double check, how are you measuring your temperatures and are the readings you gave the temps inside her hides?

What makes you feel the lump you can feel is definately the pinky and not, say faeces or urates?

What is her behaviour in regards to hides and thermoregulation?


dr del

[srhcrawford]

I have a digital thermometer from fluker's that I use daily to check her hides/ambient temperature. Her warm hide is around 90-95 (one end is cooler than the other) and her cool hide is 80-85 (one end of the hide is cooler than the other). Ambient temp at the substrate level is about 85 in the middle, getting cooler and warmer towards both ends. She also has a good size tub for bathing that stays cool and I have been having her soak in warm water (about 90-95 degrees) for 15 minutes twice daily (to aid digestion).

The exotic specialist that took radiographs of the area said it was a pinky. She was concerned because it should have dissolved before it reached that part of the GI tract. She told me to just wait and see if it passes. I'm just super concerned about it and can't stop worrying.

She's been spending a lot of time in the warmer hide but she does come out and likes to hang around the side of her soaking tub with a bit of her hanging in the water. She's excreted urates that are normal looking, no feces as of yet. I've seen her drink some water a few times- I've heard that bps don't drink alot so that may be cause for concern.

[dr del]

Hi,

I see my Bp's drink fairly often so I wouldn't be too worried about that.

It does sound like the vets advice is the best idea really.

Your temps certainly seem to be fine so no obvious problems there.

I'm not sure I would be soaking her in 90-95F water though as those temperatures are already available in her environment and it's possible the stress could negate any positive effects - that said if the vet recomended it then by all means carry on.

The problem with these things is always the lack of actual hands on examination of the animal so it's always best to bow to the wisdom of the trained specialist who has actually seen the snake.

I know it is a nerve wracking thing to just wait and hope so you have my sympathy on that but it is probably the best idea to keep handling/ interaction to the mimimum and see how she does.


dr del

[srhcrawford]

Thanks for your advice. I know it's pretty neurotic of me to keep asking questions even though my girl has seen two exotic vets in the first four days of being at her new home (one of the perks of working in the veterinary field). It's my first snake (I've had turtles, lizards, amphibians, etc) so I've got the "new mom" complex of freaking out every time she yawns or goes to the cooler side of the cage (is she too hot? too cold?)

One of the biggest problems is that I'm in the process of packing for a move so I'm home all day with her in her cage- I can't do anything but think about what may be wrong!

I worked really hard to get the tank temperatures to an ideal level. It took me hours of choosing the right heating fixtures, making trips back and forth from petsmart (they were laughing at me all day). Finally I settled on a UTH and very weak basking light and rearranged the hides and water lounge just right so everything was perfect. After rechecking all the temps I had a glorious feeling of "I'm the most amazing snake keeper alive!!!" Lots of work but totally worth it for my baby.

[littleindiangirl]

Give her a week or two to settle in and go from there.

[kc261]

If you've seen this pinkie on radiographs, you should know exactly how big it is, and so you should know if it was a mouse or a rat. There is a pretty big size difference between a pinkie mouse and a pinkie rat.

Maybe, if it is a pinkie mouse, the reason it was able to get into the intestine without being digested is just because that is a tiny meal for a BP? I'm really just guessing. As Dr. Del has said, the vets that have seen her in person can offer you much better advice than we can offer over the internet.