| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 26/06/2010 : 17:17:52
Heya, my 4 year old corn fasted 7 weeks ago for 3 months, she has eaten fine the past 7 weeks, but is losing weight at about 10 grams a week.. She got a mm long cut on one scale that became infected, but i've treated it, and it's cleared up, but the "scab" i guess will be there untill she next sheds.
I don't think the tiny cut would cause weight loss, especially when shes still eating.. could it be internal parasites?? She gets 2 adult mice a week, the past two weeks she has had an adult mouse and a similar sized rat to see if it made a difference, and the graphs i keep show that she only lost 9 grams this week.. shes gone from 700 grams down to 647, I'm beggining to think of a trip to the vets..
Her stools seem normal, shes eating normal, excercising normal, the small cut isn't infected, but it only happened last week, so it wouldnt explain the previous 6 weeks.. I ordered digital scales as soon as she went off feed, volcano eruption etc halted it's delivery and it only arrived at the end of her fasting, so i have no idea if she was losing weight during her fast, and if this is the continuation of that..
Any suggestions?
Also, for a 4 and a half foot corn, what would you feed per week / 10 days / 2 weeks?
Cheers,
Josh |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 04/07/2010 : 15:55:48
ok cool, well I shall wait till the hognose is a bit heavier anyways before taking the rest in for a stool check, they arent losing weight at all, infact, the hognose has put on a 6th of his body weight on in the past month! they grow really fast once they are off pinkies and onto something a bit more nutritious!
Been watching a couple of grass snakes that seem to have made there home in the rock wall that lines one edge of our pond, the pond is there for wildlife, rather then koi or goldfish, so it's good to see it's attracted some reptiles! it's pretty full to the brim with palmate newts.. I guess thats whats attracted them! Also found a slow worm in the compost heap yesterday too.. looking like a good summer for our native reptiles! It's really striking how similar garter snakes are to the grass snakes..
Anyways, thought that might be of interest! haha
Josh |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 03/07/2010 : 15:42:13
How do you de-worn a snake? I'm guessing not frontline or anything? Can you actually see any of the poos in poo normally? |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 03/07/2010 : 15:19:37
i wouldnt treat any of the other animals without seeing the vet first, its nt something that should be self medicated. |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 03/07/2010 : 10:32:03
Oh, and the stool sample test cost £15, He did his own tests, but said if he found anything suspicious that he couldn't do accurate tests for, he'd send the sample off for lab testing which he said may cost up to 30 pounds. He said that the only test he wasn't 100% in, was his test for cryptosporidium. He said that the staining technique that he can use is inferior to that of the labs tests, but that his method will give an indication.
He said it was unlikely about crypto as my snake shows no symptoms of it, but tested her for everything he knew of. He said if he found crypto, the snake definately had it he just couldnt distinguish if it would be serpentis or another form. he said if he couldnt find crypto, it didnt mean it definately wasnt present, but that if he did find it, it definately was there! however, he didnt find it, and said the faeces looked normal and that there was no evidence suggesting crypto..
Anyways, he said he was confident he had found everything there was to be found.. I think the only reason he did a crypto test was because i said i was worried about it.. hmmmmm, anyways! he said if she doesnt pick up weight again in a week or two, bring her back in, hel do a second stool sample for free just incase the wormer didnt get rid of the entire population. but again, he said its unlikely that it wont!
Josh |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 03/07/2010 : 03:25:34
So next time theres feces in the tank, check for adult worms? I've thrown the rodents already.. do you think it's worth giving the rest of my snakes a dose of wormer too?
Josh |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 02/07/2010 : 17:00:53
I am surprised the vet missed it on his slides tho, they are fairly obvious! Thing is, you don't need to be infested to suffer from them. Be aware though, when he has a dump, there maybe a couple of worms there too.
Also, wherever you got your food from, don't get it there again, any kind of worm like that comes from food. |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 02/07/2010 : 16:55:31
There are not many places that do reptile testing, I know kates lab don't do it, although she is going to learn! Idexx at wetherby do all off their stuff. I don't know how much it is tho. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 02/07/2010 : 16:43:20
LMAO never heard of that just it's fairly amusing... although I guess that way they can't eat around a tablet like a dog does if you put it in it's food XD
How much did it cost to get a stool sample and do you know where it got sent off to? |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 02/07/2010 : 16:29:04
So the tests found 2 eggs, both fairly large and from a round worm. the vet said it isnt a large infestation, but the animal producing the eggs may be fairly large. However, he gave me a mouse injected with the medicine to feed her, so that should all be sorted! Cheers for the advise everyone, I'm glad I did a stool sample!
Josh |
| Mouse |
Posted - 01/07/2010 : 08:52:20
Hope the test results came back ok. Hope your snake is ok. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 01/07/2010 : 03:53:52
Am really glad that you went ahead and got a stool sample examined Josh, I didnt really like the idea of you waiting in case there was an underlying issue....but it sounds as though there isnt which is great news  .
Lets just hope that you increasing the amount you feed her helps her to start putting on weight....just please keep us updated - we worry cos we care  .
xxx
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| mikerichards |
Posted - 30/06/2010 : 22:40:35
Thats cool then, if he does his own then its fine. I would guess then, try feeding him more! i spoke to Kate about it and the only other thing she suggested are blood parasites, but to be fair, its unlikely. I think keep a close eye on him, feed him more than hes usually on, and see how the weight goes. If weight carrys on going down, then some more in depth analysis is going to be needed. |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 30/06/2010 : 21:24:14
Stool sample started today, I couldn't stay for the whole thing, was gonna take 3 hours and I had work! but The microscope showed no eggs, larvae or body parts, or any evidence of internal parasites.. vets gonna phone me tomorro with the results of a floatation test, and staining for crypto.. but he said the stool was normal and that he doubted he would find anything! but, we shall see! thought id let you know, il keep you updated tomorro!
Josh |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 29/06/2010 : 01:41:10
yeah, he gasses them with CO2.. he has a collection of over 200 snakes and breeds his own rodents for his personal use, but he does a few people favours like sexing snakes etc or consultations for free, I guess it brings business in better! but there you go!, I guess it makes more sense to do the stool sample asap, ok, cheers guys, I'll keep you updated!
Josh |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 23:09:30
To be honest, get the sample done asap, that way, if its something that needs to be caught early, you have the best chance, if its nothing then you know its down to feeding, you can never be armed with enough information.
As for feeding, and getting the rats from the vets, its worth finding out how he kills the mice and rats, if he gasses with co2 then its not a problem, but any kind of chemical is a big no no. Even if he just hits it over the head is fine, but is he gasses with anything other than co2 they shouldnt used, and also, why they are being killed too, whether its because they are ill, or if he breeds them himself.
As for the royal, once you can get him eating rats, he will be a good one, you could always try heating the rat up in boiling water, not for too long because they have a bad habit of gutting themselves when constricted, its not nice i promise!
Perseverance is the key. |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 21:55:35
hmmmm, im thinking more and more that it may be me not feeding enough, she has been far more active past two months, and it's been really warm, it might be a combination of the two.. ok, well I'll get the vet to sort some rats for me too then, see how it goes! the vet said the same as you guys, but he also said it's worth testing different food types first, and if theres no improvement hel do a stool check for me. he saw her 3 weeks ago for a check up (I get them all done anually in terms of feeling for lumps and bumps etc, but I never got him to check her stools before..) so, I'll give it 2 weeks at the max, shes a good weight, not skinny at all.. I think Even if she stops losing weight these next two weeks il get a stool check.. I have 3 snakes that haven't had one done, all 3 came from a guy I know is very good and experienced, they never had a problem till now, where as the rest of my collection came from elsewhere and they all got completely checked before they arrived here and quarantined.. I should take all 3 in really.. hmmmm.. ok, thanks guys!
As to the scenting, how do you go about it? if I was to make a method up, i'd wash the rat off in water, get a dry defrosted mouse and rub them together a bit, then try it.. but is there a better way? I havn't brained one yet.. I did trick him into eating one this week, offered a mouse first, when he fixed his sights on it and moved towards it i switched it for a rat on a second pair of tongs and he took it before the tongs were in the tank! however, If i can get him to just take it instead of this method, that would be good! hes my only royal.. 2 yrs old, but didnt eat for 10 of those months! so hes underweight for his age, but hes being a bit of a pig now.. ha ha, bless..
Cheers,
Josh |
| hiper2009 |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 15:50:51
quote:
Originally posted by mikerichards
I feed my lot rats on a regular basis, and they do absolutely fine on them. I even feed my babies rat pups as soon as they are big enough.
I agree with you on this Mike , I fed my hatchling ratpups and he was fine now hes taking small mice, I also feed Romeo weaner rats every 3weeks if i have some left over.  |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 15:30:38
Royals are notoriously picky feeders, some dont ever go onto rats, but its worth keep trying.
As for the corn, its worth giving the vet a stool sample and getting it sent of to a vet lab, they can tell you if there is a problem within the snake, something like worms.
Food wise, if he/she is willing to take more, then give more, it maybe that the food you are giving just isnt enough to cover the energy being used.
The sample is the first step really, there is a lot of weight being lost, even 9g over a week is substantial for an animal that only weighs say 450g, thats a 2% weight loss a week, when eating normally, thats just not right.
For a 4.5 ft corn, usually a large/jumbo mouse ever 10 days or so. You can also try small rat weaners, mine take them no problems, and there is more goodness in those too, and more fat.
There is a lot of hype about feeding corns rats, most of it is unfounded, however, i feed my lot rats on a regular basis, and they do absolutely fine on them. I even feed my babies rat pups as soon as they are big enough. |
| hiper2009 |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 14:57:56
quote:
Originally posted by crazysnakeman
I have a royal that I can't get to take rats at all, anybody have any suggestions on moving a snake from mice to rats when they dont recognise rats as food?? feeding several mice instead of a larger rat can get expensive!
Cheers,
Josh
Hi Have you tried scenting your rat with the mouse or braining the rat? |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 14:01:05
Well, I just ordered some jumbo / XL mice from my vet, he said he'd have them euthanased on friday so that I can pick them up fresh. My corn loves them from him, they are just a bit more expensive! but, good quality food equals a good quality snake, so we shall see if they make a difference.. also, I have a royal that I can't get to take rats at all, anybody have any suggestions on moving a snake from mice to rats when they dont recognise rats as food?? feeding several mice instead of a larger rat can get expensive!
Cheers,
Josh |
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