Time to go to the herp vet???

[teebyrd393]

I have a feb 08 male BP. He has been fasting since Nov 14 09 ( first live asf refusal ). Husbandry is consistant as usual. He has gone from 832g to 713. he's lost about 15% body weight. He still has urine and urate and has had a successful shed in Feb. I have been offering live asf weekly. 2 weeks ago he struck and killed it, but didn't eat, just laid on it all night :-)
Is is time for a trip to the vet? No signs of RI, mouth rot, star gazing, injury etc. Thanks, Taylor

[Danounet]

My oldest BP, a male didn't eat since Nov also, He just started feeding 2 weeks ago. He has fed last 2 Saturdays, but I'm still not completely sure if he is back on feed. I would say wait a little more.

I dont really think there is much a vet can do to get your BP back to eating.

I was informed by members of this forum to try to get a vet or a breeder with knowledge to get an injection of Flagyl for him. But as soon as I started making plans for it, he started eating again. Maybe he knew what was coming... lol.

[bads15]

how are you offering him his food?
do you feed him in his bin?
do you transfer him to another bin for feeding?
do you feed at night?
is there any form of distraction in the room when you feed him?
was he a strong feeder to begin with before he went off food?
what are your temps/humidity?
how quickly did he drop his weight or has that been gradual?
can you show a pic of his set up?
has he been out hunting for food?
oh and what size prey are you offering?
sorry to bombard you with so many questions but these are all things that are relevant when it comes to a snake getting stressed on feeding day?
john

[seeya205]

If he is housed near a female, her scent may make him go off feed! Also feed in the dark and leave him alone for a half hour! Don't keep peaking in on him! I wouldn't worry too much for a least another month then you may need to assist feed!

[teebyrd393]

how are you offering him his food? Once weekly now
do you feed him in his bin? yes, always have
do you transfer him to another bin for feeding? no
do you feed at night? yes between 11pm and 12 am
is there any form of distraction in the room when you feed him? no, I make sure it's quiet and darkened. I do supervise, but I do not hover over his enclosure
was he a strong feeder to begin with before he went off food? yes to an extent. he always refused when close to or in blue
what are your temps/humidity? low side 82, high 91 humidity at 55
how quickly did he drop his weight or has that been gradual? gradual it's been since November
can you show a pic of his set up?no pic, but I'm confident in it. 2 plastic tight hides, water dish, newspaper substrate, nothing has changed for him in his set up
has he been out hunting for food?
oh and what size prey are you offering?
sorry to bombard you with so many questions but these are all things that are relevant when it comes to a snake getting stressed on feeding day?
john

[teebyrd393]

John, sorry I ran out of space.
he has not been out hunting at night, I just get a couple head peeks.

and

he has always been fed live asf appropriately sized to his diameter.
No stress in his life, he has it good so to speak.
He like staying in his hide, unexposed to feed, and then normally strike out as the rat goes by his entry.

Hope that's enough info :-)
thanks,
Taylor

[loonunit]

You can try bumping his temps a degree or two and getting him a little more indirect light, so he knows it's spring. And move him away from any females: if he can smell them, he might keep on fasting. Hope springs eternal and all that.

If you do take him to the vet, you might ask about a vitamin B shot to stimulate appetite--that's what my herp vet gave my '08 piebald when she stopped eating after being treated for flagellates. It's low-key, non-invasive, and it worked with the pied.

But really, this is still pretty normal. My 2008 het pied male stopped eating Nov 22, 2009. Last week he finally ate a teensy tiny live hopper mouse, just shy of the 5 month mark. In October he weighed 880 grams; today he weighs 600. But his muscle tone is still good, and he's at least tracking the f/t mice when I show them to him, instead of hiding his head.

(I recommend the live hopper mice, by the way. It might not work if your snake has been living on a strict ASF diet? But the constant hopping around is apparently hard to resist, and you can leave them alone for half an hour without any real danger to the snake.)

Anyway, if none of that works, and if he comes back with a clean bill of health from the vet, I think you'd be best off switching to an every-other-week feeding schedule for this snake. Just to preserve your own sanity, right? If his muscle tone is still good, then he's still healthy. He'll eat when he's good and ready, not before, and he'll make you crazy if you let him.

[Kaorte]

You could try a car ride... I have no idea why but some people have said that this works for some mysterious reason. Don't ask me to explain why, I have no idea!

[Lolo76]

You could try a car ride... I have no idea why but some people have said that this works for some mysterious reason. Don't ask me to explain why, I have no idea!

Really? I might have to try that, LOL. I have a large female who hasn't eaten since October (possibly even before that), and has gone from about 1900g to 1750g... I've been told by folks here & by her breeder not to worry, unless she starts looking triangular. She does look pretty skinny to me, but her weight shows it's nothing serious yet. Not sure what else to tell you, except that it's not unusual for a ball!

[j_h_smith]

I don't see how the stress of a car ride will help them to start eating. You may want to try dipping the rodent in chicken broth. Have you reduced the size of the rodent? This sometimes will work.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith