Hi everyone! Bear with me on this one... It is a mess.
I have some background in wildlife rehab, but I do not know near as much about snakes as I would like to. I absolutely love them though! I volunteer at two nature centers, and one of them is inundated with ball pythons that people drop off and basically say if the nature center doesn't take them they will release them outside... Puts the nature center in a sticky situation. They take as many as they can, but they really don't have the resources for them. One of the ladies had four of them in a forty gallon tank. Due to stress, one of them completely quit eating. Also, she has a house full of reptiles so she was not able to give them a heat source... This is where I come in.
I was given an eastern kingsnake with high levels of salmonella first and I have had him a few months. I gave him antibiotics and started to feed him regularly and he is doing great! However, about two weeks ago I was given the ball python that won't eat. I will admit that I do not know much about them. I have been reading like crazy though. He is now in a 40-gallon terrarium with a hot side of 90 degrees, and a cool side of 80 degrees. He has a cool hide and a warm hide with some branches to climb about on and aspen bedding. I was told that he was in fine health...
He did not seem "right" to me though. He seemed very dull in color and his eyes weren't bright. He is missing a spur (which isn't really a big deal I guess), but his vent was crusty and just plain nasty. He still hadn't eaten after having about a week to settle in, and he had not defecated. He started sticking his neck out and gaping so I thought he might have a respiratory infection. So I took him to the vet...
The vet told me he was underweight. I don't know how old he is exactly, but he is a full-grown adult. He weighed 2 pounds at the vet and he is about 3.5-4ft long. She took an x-ray and drew blood to look for blockages, respiratory issues, anemia, and blood parasites. The results came back that he had pneumonia with severely diseased lungs, he was slightly anemic, and severely dehydrated. She said when she went to take blood she could hardly get a drop out of him. So I of course feel awful because I was told he was fine and believed it!
The vet told me to tube feed him every six hours with water (15 cc) to rehydrate him and then twice a day give him oxbow carnivore care (about a tablespoon) She also suggested I soak him every 8 hours and twice a day put him in the bathroom with the shower running so he could benefit from the steam. She gave him an antibiotic, but my mother put his sheet away and I don't remember the name. It is a three day antibiotic though and she asked me to come back Monday. She is a reptile/exotic vet and was recommended by my cat and dog vet. She told me that it was good that he didn't eat because he was so dehydrated that it would've become stuck and impossible to digest.
He was great with his first three tube feedings, and soaking him in warm water resulted in him defecating for the first time though there was blood because his stool was so hard. He also shed. He has been going through so much! However, I told the people at the nature center and they said it was ridiculous to tube feed a snake more than once a week, and their vet agreed. They said I would be better soaking him or giving him subcutaneous fluids.
So I don't even know at this point... I just want HIM to feel better. He deserves it after being abandoned and sick. He honestly already seems more active and he looks better. So what do all of you think? Should I continue with the regular tube feedings? Will it hurt him? Does anyone else have any similar experience and/or advice?
Sorry for all that...