Rescued BP. Emaciated!!

[Keitone]

So I rescued this BP that wasnt taken care of very well. Its 7 years old about 4 1/2'. The cage looked like it hadnt been cleaned in 6 months or more!!! Feces and shed skin everywhere. She had been feeding it 12 wild mice a month.... Its really thin for a BP. I have had him a week now and its eaten 2 small rats. I would really like to get him him up to a healthy weight, but I dont want to over feed him. Should I just keep feeding him small rats weekly? Are there any health concerns with a snake that has been improperly taken care of for so long?

[littleindiangirl]

You should find a qualified herp vet in your area and schedule an exam. Once the snake defecates, put that in a ziplock baggie into the fridge so they can do a fecal float for parasites. Most likely, if they were feeding it wild mice, the snake is going to be loaded.

Best thing you can do in the meantime is set up a nice sterilite tub for the snake.

I would feed him one appropriate sized rat weekly. Meaning, if he's feeding on live, he can probably take a weaned rat (around 60-80 grams).

There's no way to really say if this snake is underweight without pictures, but generally when a snake hasnt been fed large meals, you'll want to start smaller and work back up to a good feeding size. (Which in most cases is a weaned rat or a few mice.)

I would offer him rat pups to start and get his metabolism back up to speed, and every week offer something just a little bigger until your back to a weaned rat size.

[Keitone]

Ill try to get a pic up tonight with...with my phone... He is VERY hungry!!! He is taking small rats as soon as i put them in. When I take him out of his enclosure he is always looking for food every time I move it triggers his feeding instincts or what ever you want to call it. He makes me a little nervous. For his length he is about the same girth as a red tail boa would be (used to have one). After looking at pics on the net is when I reallized how under weight he is. He seems to have alot of skin showing between the scales, mabey this is normal idk, I dont know if eating mice would reduce the elasicity of his skin? I do have a vet to take him to so thats not a problem.

[Keitone]

Ok got some pics last night with my phone. She ate a small rat 2 days ago so she is a little fatter than when I got her.

[starmom]

You should find a qualified herp vet in your area and schedule an exam. Once the snake defecates, put that in a ziplock baggie into the fridge so they can do a fecal float for parasites. Most likely, if they were feeding it wild mice, the snake is going to be loaded.

Best thing you can do in the meantime is set up a nice sterilite tub for the snake.

I would feed him one appropriate sized rat weekly. Meaning, if he's feeding on live, he can probably take a weaned rat (around 60-80 grams).

There's no way to really say if this snake is underweight without pictures, but generally when a snake hasnt been fed large meals, you'll want to start smaller and work back up to a good feeding size. (Which in most cases is a weaned rat or a few mice.)

I would offer him rat pups to start and get his metabolism back up to speed, and every week offer something just a little bigger until your back to a weaned rat size.

Holy cow Connie!! What do you feed your rats?!?!?!
My smalls are 55g and large rats are about 80-90g!!!!!
To the OP: Listen to Connie and get the fecal float done

[littleindiangirl]

Holy cow Connie!! What do you feed your rats?!?!?!
My smalls are 55g and large rats are about 80-90g!!!!!
To the OP: Listen to Connie and get the fecal float done

Umm.. yup! I've even had a male rat, Just 4 weeks old weigh in at something like 116 grams! I know I know, crazy huh?

I do consistently get weaned rats from 60-80 grams. 80 isn't completely common, as they usually hang around in the 60's.

[littleindiangirl]

OP, he doesn't look emaciated from the last photo, but it is hard to tell. I would still schedule that appt as soon as possible to get rid of any parasites.

[starmom]

Umm.. yup! I've even had a male rat, Just 4 weeks old weigh in at something like 116 grams! I know I know, crazy huh?

I do consistently get weaned rats from 60-80 grams. 80 isn't completely common, as they usually hang around in the 60's.

[wolfy-hound]

In my opinion, that ball isn't very underweight. Certainly not emaciated.
A fecal float is always a good idea. Good luck with it!

[snakelady]

So I rescued this BP that wasnt taken care of very well. Its 7 years old about 4 1/2'. The cage looked like it hadnt been cleaned in 6 months or more!!! Feces and shed skin everywhere.

That cage condition sounds like a horror!