ball python acting stange

[csu87]

ive had my ball python for about 3 years now. just recently he has stopped eating. he will kill the mice i give him but then leave them dead in his cage. this has been going on for about 3 months now and in that time he has maybe eaten only 3 mice. he used to eat 3-4 a week.

he also makes these really wierd noises on a regular basis. his whole body tenses up and looks like hes having a seizure and makes a noise that sounds like hes dieing.

there arent any good reptile doctors around where i live and want to know if anyone knows whats going on

[piper]

ive had my ball python for about 3 years now. just recently he has stopped eating. he will kill the mice i give him but then leave them dead in his cage. this has been going on for about 3 months now and in that time he has maybe eaten only 3 mice. he used to eat 3-4 a week.

he also makes these really wierd noises on a regular basis. his whole body tenses up and looks like hes having a seizure and makes a noise that sounds like hes dieing.

there arent any good reptile doctors around where i live and want to know if anyone knows whats going on

I'm sure someone else will chime in here, but 3-4 mice a week? That's over doing it big time. You only need to feed a rodent the same width as the biggest part of your snake and only feed once a week. Right now I still have my pastel eating once every 5 days on rat pups.

How big are the mice you are feeding?

My female has just started eating again from the winter months but if you want to offer multiples you should do it on feeding night rather than different nights of the week(which I'm assuming because that would be a lot for a snake to do in one night).

The noises, I'll leave that to someone else because I'm nowhere near experienced with that.

Cheers,

Mike

[dr del]

Hi,

Where about are you located? - maybe there is somewhere close.

It might be possible for a non-herp vet to do a phone consultation with a good herp vet even. I'd ask at any exotic pet stores and zoo's to find out who they use.

Is he making pops, clicks, whistles or wheezes when he is breathing?

Does he ever expel mucus during those seizures or do you find any in the waterbowl or smeared on cage furniture?

Have you introduced any new animals into your collection or changed any husbandry?

Did his temps in the tank get too low at any point?

To be honest I think he needs to see a vet - but we might be able to help you find one.


dr del

[CTReptileRescue]

Hi,

Where about are you located? - maybe there is somewhere close.

It might be possible for a non-herp vet to do a phone consultation with a good herp vet even. I'd ask at any exotic pet stores and zoo's to find out who they use.

Is he making pops, clicks, whistles or wheezes when he is breathing?

Does he ever expel mucus during those seizures or do you find any in the waterbowl or smeared on cage furniture?

Have you introduced any new animals into your collection or changed any husbandry?

Did his temps in the tank get too low at any point?

To be honest I think he needs to see a vet - but we might be able to help you find one.


dr del

I completely agree w/ the above statement. Even if there are no herp vets in your area, consults are common and easy to come by. Please let us know the answer to the above questions (IE: pops, clicks, whistles or wheezes) We can in the least find someone to help you in your area.
Thanks
Rusty

[csu87]

Hi,

Where about are you located? - maybe there is somewhere close.

It might be possible for a non-herp vet to do a phone consultation with a good herp vet even. I'd ask at any exotic pet stores and zoo's to find out who they use.

Is he making pops, clicks, whistles or wheezes when he is breathing?

Does he ever expel mucus during those seizures or do you find any in the waterbowl or smeared on cage furniture?

Have you introduced any new animals into your collection or changed any husbandry?

Did his temps in the tank get too low at any point?

To be honest I think he needs to see a vet - but we might be able to help you find one.


dr del

i found a place that i can take him tomorrow. he makes a wheezing noise every now and then.

I'm sure someone else will chime in here, but 3-4 mice a week? That's over doing it big time. You only need to feed a rodent the same width as the biggest part of your snake and only feed once a week. Right now I still have my pastel eating once every 5 days on rat pups.

How big are the mice you are feeding?

My female has just started eating again from the winter months but if you want to offer multiples you should do it on feeding night rather than different nights of the week(which I'm assuming because that would be a lot for a snake to do in one night).

The noises, I'll leave that to someone else because I'm nowhere near experienced with that.

Cheers,

Mike

they arent big mice. they are really small. he would eat them as soon as i put them in the cage. it would take about 2 hours total for me to feed him. and he is pretty big. about 4 ft long and 4-5 inches around the biggest part of his belly