Forced feeding

[frankykeno]

Just to back up what Connie said, it's not easy to deal with these snakes. Both the WC females we have that we are rehabilitating were with various other people before us and ended up here because they simply would not eat. Mike and I are blessed or just plain lucky in that we seem to have a good routine down that has saved the two we've worked with. That is though a VERY small sample when you consider the number of WC's in collections right now. It could have gone the other way too and we may well have lost Saoirse and Danu eventually.

We were blessed with the support of this site and the direct help of Adam Wysocki who shared so much wisdom with us during the first months with Saoirse. Because of that help, Saoirse thrived and what we learned from her, we've applied to Danu, who is also doing very well now. Part of our decision though to take on these snakes with such special concerns was to know when we couldn't do enough, when our experience might not be enough and make the right decisions for each snake. These are hard calls to make but then nothing much is easy with these WC adults, at least not in my limited experience.

[rabernet]

Joanna, thank your for posting to this thread, I was hoping you'd see it and share what's been successful for you in re-habing these snakes!

[Kalitta]

Update on hadiya:

I have taken her out of the glass tank and put her in a tub. having a bit of trouble finding a hide big enough for her that isn't too tall for the tub but i'm going to home depot tomorrow as well so i can get some pot bottoms and see how that works. She is on paper towels because I ran out of newspaper and untill i'm 100% sure she is tick and bug free, i don't want to give them a place to hide. She will be going to the vet tomorrow. Again even if i don't NEED to see the vet, I would rather know 100% for sure. and since she isn't pooping, the faster way is for the vet to see her. The tub is being moved into my room, we have a large walk in closet that will allow me to set it in a dark/low light room that no one can get to but me. She has an UTH and i need to put the thermometor and humidty monitor in there so i know what they are at.

If all goes well at the vet tomorrow, and it's not going to cost me a fortune, i have no problem with time and effort. If money is the issue, i will have to make the decision on wether to keep her or not. i have some extra saved that i will spend on her but if it's more than that, i'll have to look for another route to getting her well. It sucks that this isn't going to be as easy as things were with bobo, but all i can say is that now i'm really learning some stuff i previously didn't know.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

You can get a small cat litter pan it will work just fine for a large female, it will be light and easy to clean too!

[frankykeno]

Joanna, thank your for posting to this thread, I was hoping you'd see it and share what's been successful for you in re-habing these snakes!

Np Robin, hopefully my babble is of some use LOL.

Well it sounds like you've got a good plan developing for Hadiya with reasonable expectations. The tub setup won't cost you too much and hopefully the vet can keep the fees reasonable (you can ask for an estimate of service if you're concerned about budgeting and who isn't these days).

When we took Saoirse in we had very little snake experience and nothing with WC adults. It was scary stuff but it was either us take her in or she was going into a freezer. Just take it slow, ask for lots of help and suggests, don't expect miracles overnight but if you work with her and it does work - I can tell you there is nothing I've felt better than seeing one of these snakes come back into their own. When Saoirse fed that first time, it took everything my husband and I had to creep out of our master bedroom so we could high five in the hallway LOL. When Danu did the same, it was just as absolutely thrilling.

It may be a tough road but please believe me it's a rewarding one. You will learn so much about how to manage a non-feeder, about stress and snakes, about your own dedication to these gorgeous creatures - all lessons that you can take forward with you to benefit the other snakes in your life.