Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello

I have a female, 400 gram pastel. She is relatively new, I've had her for about a month. She hasn't eaten yet. The seller told me that all of his snakes are fasting, and that there is nothing to worry about, but this snake is getting really skinny. Is this normal? All advice is appreciated.

thanks

Well...tell us about your husbandry, etc. How is the snake set up? I always purposefully "fast" all of my balls during the winter, but the juvies always start back as soon as food is offered. For me, only gravid snakes are still refusing food right now. I would look as husbandry issues very carefully in this case (including how it was set up before)...

I agree with the first reply, what is your set-up like? Also, what food item did you try and feed? I would go with a live mouse or small rat. I coax alot of the ones I have off fast by feeding live. I then switch to frozen-thawed, just because its cheaper. I would stick with live if I only had 1 or a couple snakes, or I felt like raising rats.

Like mentioned, check husbandry. Hot side, cool side, hides, etc. It just helps the rest of us to rule out basic errors like that.

How long had the seller been fasting their animals for?

If the fast was natural, the snake should not be losing any weight. I would schedule an appt with your vet to make sure that there are not any parasites or any other reasons for the snake to be losing weight. I had an adult male fast (his choice, not mine) for about 4 months without much, if any, weight loss.

Good luck!

~jenny
-----
"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

Thanks to all of you for responding to my son's question about our new f/pastel. He did not know what you meant by husbandry, but here goes -- temp, hides, humidity, substrate are all by the book. Poop sample came back negative for parasites last week. Throat swab is being analyzed for possible upper GI issues this week based on tiny bit of bubbling deep in her throat. Lung definitely sounds clear though. Half a left-eye retained lens cap may be bothering her some, but daily soaks won't dislodge it, and vet says let it ride til her next shed. She hasn't really lost as much weight as Nate suggested -- maybe down 10g from 558g when she arrived on 4/2. So we're not panicked yet. But she is the only one of our '06 brood who isn't taking anything of any size (with or without a pulse) which is puzzling. The f/mojave that arrived on the same date from the same breeder is an absolute witch but eats anything you put in front of her, including my hand. The f/pastel by comparison is as calm as could be, just not interested in eating at the moment. So we'll just keep scratching our heads til the throat culture comes back, and see where we go from there. But thanks very much for all the suggestions. We'll let you know when she kicks in....Dave

It sounds like you're on top of things, but if you share you're exact temps, etc., it might help. There are lots of "books" out there, and not all are acurate....

Sounds like you actually have an idea of what you're doing, so not too big a deal. Ten grams off of a 600 gram animal isn't that much, either. Just be patient, don't mess with her at ALL(wouldn't the bubbling signify an URI issue? what'd you mean by GI?), and offer food once a week until she eats. I'm a fan of waiting until there's been several regular feedings before I handle a new animal, but if you wait for her to eat twice in a row for you, that's usually enough.

And like JP said, not all books were created equal. I've seen books claim that ball pythons hibernate in winter, can't survive with temps lower than 95-85, and that they should only eat one mouse once a month.

Good luck!

~jenny
-----
"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

That said balls need a UV light, very high humidity and a sand substrate.

Or the one that mentioned that wildcaught adult balls should be offered lizards or lizard scented pinkies.

Yep...lots of misinformation on the internet, and even in print...

Sorry, about "the book" reference . The only thing I reach for anymore is the Kevin McCurley book. You are right about there being a lot of conflicting info available, but unless you grew up with this stuff, which I did not, you have to pick a resource and roll with it.

But on to specifics -- hot side temp is 92F, cold side is 80F, with 36" of gradient in between. Inverted clay pot dry hides on either side, plus a moss/sweat tupper on the hot side. All three are used by turn so I want to believe the temps are sound. Cage-wide humidity is harder to stabilize but 60% more or less most of the time. Went with shredded aspen after short try with shredded coconut husk which was too messy. Aspen is a bit dusty but not so much with periodic misting. Water bowl changed daily; substrate every thirty days. Twelve hour fluorescent light cycle with minimal indirect sunlight.

As far as handling goes, that has been hard to avoid with frequent visits to the vet and vet rx for daily soaking, but we will try to minimize going forward. And sorry about the typo -- I meant RI not GI. Culture results on that should be back by end of week. Thanks again to you all for all the feedback. It is much appreciated...Nate & Dave

Sounds good. As far as the vet Rx for daily soaking, I would not do that. What was the reason for this? I really can't think of any possible situation that would warrent a daily, or even weekly soak...

She thought it might help loosen the retained lens cap, but it didn't work so we stopped that last week.

Yeah, I've had a stuck eyecap or two before and just left 'em until the next shed. Just make sure you really get the humidity high the next time she goes.

I've got the Kevin McCurley book as well and it's awesome. Good resource

For future reference, a good 'rule of thumb' to go by when the snake stops eating - don't worry about it unless it's been over 6 months or the snake is losing a *significant* amount of weight. This goes for newly purchased snakes, too. Some settle in quickly and begin eating right away, some freak out and won't eat for months.

Best of luck!

~jenny
-----
"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!