I just got back from taking my rescued ball python to the vet. He's been eating a rat pup every Sunday for two months now and has yet to poop. He had a bulge by his tail last night so I soaked him. This morning the bulge was gone and he'd left some urates in his tub, but no poop. I told him that was the last straw, and we were going to the vet.



This vet is not the best. I go to her for my rabbit, but I've been learning more and more how inept she is when it comes to other animals. I started trying to explain the background on the snake - how he was mistreated, underfed, no humidity, etc. and she ignored what I was telling her and started asking about my husbandry. "Ok," I thought, "legitimate questions, albeit rude..." So I explained that he is housed in a 32q tub with belly heat. Temps range from 92 on the hot side to 80 on the cool side. She stopped me there and said that she couldn't understand how I could have such a range of temperatures if he was in such a small enclosure. After a minute of discussion, I continued by saying that the humidity is usually right around 60% and that he's been eating regularly. She then interrupts me again to ask if I keep a UV light on him. "No," I say, "I've read that they don't need them."

"Well ... to be perfectly honest with you," the vet begins, "the enclosure that you have him in his far too small. I would recommend something a little larger."

"Ok ... what would you recommend?"

"Well, something about the size of this table." (exam table is 4 feet long by two feet wide)

"Everything that I've read says to keep them in smaller enclosures. The rack system is how most breeders raise their sna-"

"Yes, but raising them for breeding is something else entirely. Moving on..."

She then gives the snake an examination, pushes and probes him until he finally DOES poop, and then explains that it looks to her like the only reason he hasn't pooped is because his body has been using all of the nutrients - there's nothing left to expel. She tells me he's a very small snake, and a little too thin; that he's underweight.

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

After waiting for at least 45 minutes without anyone letting me know what was going on (and this entire time I've wrapped myself around his box to try to keep him warm in the 70 degree office), his fecal float came back showing pinworm eggs and another batch of eggs from a different parasite. She explained that pinworms aren't usually an issue, but because he seems to be having problems, she'd go ahead and treat them anyway. She yanks him out of his box, flips him over and shoves a syringe down his throat without explaining what she's doing. She then asks if I think I can handle the remaining doses.

In short, I was charged an arm and a leg to be treated rudely, and left waiting for an unreasonable amount of time - considering there were only two patients there, myself included. I had my husbandry criticized and degraded, and my snake is being treated for something that "may or may not be a problem". The vet didn't seem at all interested in what I had to say, even when I was trying to explain patient history that was completely relevant to the situation.

I really can't even describe how angry I was.

And just to clarify, here is the current set-up (note the "DRASTIC" temperature gradient, which "shouldn't even be possible in such a small set-up" )



(The accurite reads 95, but it's more like 90-92.)

And here is what the vet recommends for him. You can see him moving in the tub to the right. The red outline is the enclosure size that she believes is appropriate for him.



You tell me how that makes any sort of sense.

Needless to say, after he finishes his treatment, he will not be going back there. I just needed to rant. Sorry for the novel, guys.

So as not to leave on a sour note, here's a nice picture of the snake.