Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I have to ask this. What are the main health concerns/husbandry issues with Bloods & Short-tails ?

Matthew
A bit slow here..

Ummmm... probably obesity/ constipation

... One I wasn't expecting. The baby won't eat. I tried a live mouse, left for a couple hours. Then I killed that. Tried it de-frosted this morning. No dice, though he did nuzzle & crawl & prod on it. Right now I have a small hopper/fuzzy in there. So far he has shown some curiosity but NO FEEDING RESPONSE.
Is this common? I never had this issue with P. regius I've kept. Babies that is, adults is another story! The shop told me he ate two days before I got him. He has been here for 8 days now. Should I just keep trying all the "Trade" tricks like brown bag the mouse & snake overnight, etc., etc.
Advice needed!

Matthew

Well first thing is wait a couple weeks to feed it . Then dont constantly introduce something if it refuses give it a few days at least to cool off. If they see food all the time it's not so important to get it right away. If your still having problems there are several common tricks. However at this point your snake is probably just settling in.
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"It's my snake, I trained it, so I'm going to eat it!" - Mad Max, The Road Warrior

That is Plan A for now, I just euthanized the remaining mice, so they'll keep. I'll let him cool off for 5-7 days & try again. Then I guess its back to the usual tricks ( I had this issue only once before, with my baby Heterodon Nassicus. I pulled him out of it, so no panic for now..)

Thanks,
Matthew

Few Questions

Describe your cage, including size.

Temps? Are they good? Check it with a temp gun.

Changing the water daily?

Does the snake have a hide?

How big is the snake?

Do you know what it was fed previously?
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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

Another thing is that if he's "nuzzling" and prodding it you're probably already half way there. A lot of times my babies will do that to a f/t rat and not eat, but shy away from a live prey item that moves aroung a lot. Try a live rat pinky that only wiggles a little and leave him alone in the dark with it... I'll bet he eats.

Ok, I may do that in a few days. I'm letting him cool off & get hungrier. Time may work best of all..

Sincerely,
Matthew

Cindy..

1) 10 gallon.

2) Not sure exact temp, but the hot half is warm to the touch. Air temp over there is about 84 degrees. Water bowl is on that size..

3) Sorry, forgot the order of the ?s! He is pretty small maybe 7-9 inches long max.

4) Bowl is changed daily. I often see signs he has soaked in it..

5) They said a hopper. The fuzzy I tried yesterday was really a small hopper..

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At this point he has been here 8.5 days so I just froze the mice I bought. I'll try a life hopper next week. That is currently the plan. I don't know if they are lying to me ( They are usually honest about the animals, though pricey) about him feeding. He may still be nervous or maybe he is constipated ( I've seen a couple of bits of Urate so I don't think so but I don't have experience here.) Just trying to be patient. It couldn't be hardwer than getting my neonate hognose to eat all those years ago. Also, a cold front moved through after Ike, so its been unusual cool locally. I wonder if that is a factor>
I'll keep you updated..

Thanks,
Matthew

Ok I have a couple of suggestions, and the more experienced keepers can correct me as needed.

>> 1) 10 gallon.
TOOOO BIG. Make it smaller son. One thing I have learned is the more space I give my bloods the less they like it. I would look at setting up a shoe box for now. If you would like, set it up in the 10 gallon. Cover three of the sides for the 10 gallon. If he doesnt have it already a tight secure hide. Mine also like to burrow in the newspaper. The more tight secure type caging the happier the blood.

>> 2) Not sure exact temp, but the hot half is warm to the touch. Air temp over there is about 84 degrees. Water bowl is on that size..

BAD Juju! Go HERE! and order the cheap pro exotics PE1 temp gun. Its basic, but cheap and gives you a better reading than guessing. Temps are important with these guys.

>> 3) Sorry, forgot the order of the ?s! He is pretty small maybe 7-9 inches long max.

Baby!

>> 4) Bowl is changed daily. I often see signs he has soaked in it..

Good deal. Bloods LOVE their water, and daily changes are good juju. When I go into the cages in the morning and grab the bowl, if they are soaking they move. Fresh water is coming!

>> 5) They said a hopper. The fuzzy I tried yesterday was really a small hopper..

Food size is good I think. I probably would offer a larger hopper. But as other said I would wait. If you offer the frozen thawed, try warming it in water to 104 degrees. Offer on tongs and give a wiggle. Wiggle may take a few mins literally.

>> At this point he has been here 8.5 days so I just froze the mice I bought. I'll try a life hopper next week. That is currently the plan. I don't know if they are lying to me ( They are usually honest about the animals, though pricey) about him feeding. He may still be nervous or maybe he is constipated ( I've seen a couple of bits of Urate so I don't think so but I don't have experience here.) Just trying to be patient. It couldn't be hardwer than getting my neonate hognose to eat all those years ago. Also, a cold front moved through after Ike, so its been unusual cool locally. I wonder if that is a factor>
>> I'll keep you updated..

The temp changes could be a factor. Bloods really do take some work. They are fun, but they do require a bit more work on your end then balls. I would also wait a few days before offering. Try feeding later in the evening just before lights out.

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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

Land of the Outcasts!

I was doing the morning herp chores & went to change the waterbowl in the baby Blood's tank. Well, he died sometime last night. Not sure what happened, but I'm guessing incorrect care at the shop plus the move stress caused/aggravated a respiratory infection. He also seemed to have lost weight fast. When I scrubbed out the tank I found that constipation wasn't the answer, good movements had been had. Well, they replaced him for me ( though not entirely for free, my grace period had expired on the warranty.). Slightly bigger baby now, more active & aggressive. I had noticed that the little guy didn't show any aggression..
Not sure what happened, but I'm going to try again. Love these snakes!
BTW. I have a nice commercial hide in the tank, forgot to mention that. 10 gal too small? Hmm, VPI said that was an OK size for a baby. I do understand that too much rooms freaks them out, I've seen that with many neonate snakes in the past..

Sincerely,
Matthew
R.I.P BB

Unfortunately, so did my baby Blood. After looking back on his last week, I failed to recognize some behaviors that were indicating poor health. I took his frequently raised head for curiosity about me, his new home, etc. Unfortunately, he was Stargazing.
Anybody know anything about this illness? I've heard vauge things about it in the past. Was my little guy doomed from day one? Sadly, it seems so..

Matthew
I have Crohn's my self, which is IBD for humans. I'm not sure what Inclusion body disease really is though..

If your old blood really did have IBD and you got the new one from the same place then I'm guessing that it has IBD too. I've never had to deal with it but I think its highly contagious and about 99% fatal in pythons. Someone else here might be able to give you some advice if this new one starts showing some symptoms. Hopefully he's fine though, good luck with him.
Kim

Unless you have biopsies and a couple different opinions from qualified Vets, I wouldn't wave the IBD flag. It's really bad Karma. The presence of Inclusion bodies can mean a whole lot, and not neccessarily IBD. Blood Pythons are very sensitive when it comes to respiratory problems, and if not aggressivley treated, will kill the animal quickly.
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South Central Herpetological

I also forgot to add that the raised head is typical when dealing with a URI. It helps the excess fluid drain from the mouth and sinus cavities, but doesn't help the fact that the excess fluid will build up and may eventually fill the lungs.
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South Central Herpetological

Ok, thanks. Good info is priceless. I don't see the new one acting in that fashion, so keep your fingers crossed..

Matthew

Ok, I can relate to that. I disinfected the whole setup after his death, for sure. Safety first..

Matthew

Hmm, not good. But I thought mites spread it? I'm hoping this new Blood is not from the same source, or at least a different enclosure.
Or that I'm mistaken in my DX & it was a birth defect that killed my baby.

Matthew

IBD diagnosis is best done by necropsying the spine and brain tissue. IBD is not typical in short tailed pythons and I have seen sudden death in bloods before. Often times, the problems are long-term care issues or more likely in this case, import animal exposed to poor conditions. IBD is less likely the case, it could be any number of viruses or bacteria infections that could have resulted in the animals death. Even a congenital problem could have led to an early death.

We still do not have all that much information on health issues with snakes and that we do know can only be assessed with proper vetinary care.
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I'm inclined to agree with you. I'll never know what killed the baby, since a proffesional Necropsy is out of the question here. Nor do I have a qualified herp vet nearby. Had I realized the severity of the situation, I would have sent the poor little guy to the freezer.
Live & learn, I suppose. I must be more careful in the future. I did handle & expect the animal before purchase & it passed then.

Sincerely,
Matthew

Does the snake have an RI? Making any noises? My first blood got some bedding lodged in its mouth on Day 1 and got an RI...Brought it to the vet who wasnt a specialized herp vet but did deal with herps. I would call around too all the vets in the area and just ask them if they work on herps at all. The vet I went to gave me some antibiotics and it was a big pain to have to lodge a syringe in her mouth every other day for a month...but in the end it worked and she is a beautiful healthy girl now.