Posted by:
toshamc
at Thu Aug 10 11:18:44 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by toshamc ]
I'm going to disagree with your vet to a point - sure it's likely that some animals are more prone to getting sick - but it has more to do with how they are kept, and their temperment than it does with their color. And if your snake had an RI and it was not taken care of properly it can lead to repeated bouts and permanent damage to the snake which will cause more illness. Make sure your vet is a reptile specialist that knows how to properly treat an RI in a snake.
I'm not sure how big your snake is or it's temperment - some snakes will do fine in a big enclosure some will stress - stress leads to weakened immune systems which can lead to health issues. Make sure you have a proper gradient maintained (It easy enough to do with a little tweaking) as well as pleny of comfort spots (hides and tight corners and someplace to stretch out without being too exposed). If you've got one of those snakes that is high strung - a small enclosure would be the best solution and for his recovery you might want to consider a tub anyway - and make sure you thouroghly disinfect the cage before moving him back in there. And if you have more than one snake in that big tank - seperate them - I don't know if you do but I thought I'd better throw that in - usually after I've given this speal - I get a reply "but the other snake in the tank is doing fine" LOL.
If she didn't do it while you were there have your vet check for parasites. Make sure that you are providing fresh water every day - balls won't normally drink stale water (go figure) and dehydration can lead to problems too.
Best of luck with him! ----- Tosha 
"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizards of unknown origin
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