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  1. #13
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    Re: Vitamin C deficiency in malnourished snakes - case study and progression with pic

    I don't like regular herp vitamins for rodent eating snakes. Because most of those vitamins have some sort of calcium compound added, which is unnecessary for rodent eaters. They get plenty of calcium in the bones. Bones have a good calcium to phosphorus ratio, which is thrown off if only calcium is added. Excess calcium is either eliminated in the feces (best case) or deposited in the snake's soft tissues (bad for the snake).

    Seems to me that elimination of vitamin C would be slower in snakes than in mammals. Snakes are very good at conserving water, too, which would minimize loss with the feces and urates.

    For what it's worth, I have supplemented various snakes' diets with a liquid multiple vitamin for cage birds. Mine was Avitron, made by Lambert-Kaye, one drop inside the belly of a dead rodent once or twice a month. I never saw any harm to the snakes. Any liquid multiple vitamin for adding to cage bird water should do the trick, though. This sort of vitamin should satisfy your vet's suggestion of a generalized vitamin deficiency (which I am inclined to agree with, sight unseen).

    I should also mention that years ago I was loaned an adult, wild-caught boa constrictor that had a spontaneous rupture of the skin when unpacked. He recovered over several months time with no vitamin supplements. Only good food and as little stress as I could give him.

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to paulh For This Useful Post:

    bcr229 (12-18-2018),Bogertophis (12-18-2018)

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