Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys

I have a 6 year old, 14foot male albino burmese python. A couple months ago I tried to feed him even tho he was getting ready to shed (usually he dosnt care he generally eats like a pig) during feeding the rabbit attacked him pretty bad and messed up alot of his scales. since then, he has not shed and has refused 3 rabbits, including one today. He has lost alot of weight too. when i open the cage and nudge him with my snake hook, he opens his mouth and hisses VERY loud and kind of half strikes at me, half turns away and trys to hide... This snake is baby tame when out of the enclosure.

whats wrong with him? should I get him to a vet? hes my baby i dont want anything to happen to him. please help!!!!!!!! anything i can try to do with him?

The behavior and anorexia are both signs of pain. I would definately take this to a vet.

Ian

Any time any animal is bitten by another especially a rodent a vets first treatment is antibiotics because bites are packed with harmfull bacteria. Thus causing the wound to be automatically treated as infectious. You should definately get the snake to a vet and get it treated. This can very well turn in to a lethal infection. Plus I would strongly consider doing whatever I could to switch the snake to prekilled that avoids situations such as this. Plus just a bit of knowledge..... it's recomended not to feed snakes in shed not only because they refuse eating but because if you cause a bulge in the snake and the skin rolls up and gets stuck on the bulge it could asphyxiate the snake.

"because if you cause a bulge in the snake and the skin rolls up and gets stuck on the bulge it could asphyxiate the snake.

"

Are you kidding me? I suggest you check your sources before spouting off hearsay.

Ian

"Spouting off hearsay"?

Wow what a nice respectible way to offer a debate. Everything we talk about is basically hearsay. We learn what we know from those that do the research. Anatomy from Fry, parasites from Klinginberg, much other information from Mader. By the time we bring it here it's hearsay. Don't try to claim you've not brought your own hearsay here. Instead of deciding you're going to insult me by using such a harsh reply try using a little respect and just ask where I got my information from. I would be happy to tell you and then you can discuss or debate your scepticisim to them. Now to answer that question even though you hadn't asked.... I was discussing general feeding with a vet I know she's a very repuatable vet. The head vet of the Birmingham Zoo and also a Prof. of biology at Auburn Univ. mind you one of the best vet schools in the southeast. I was telling her about some of my snakes she was looking at telling her they will eat regardless of if in shed or not. She told me that a retic at the Birmingham Zoo under her care died from asphyxiation from a tightly rolled shed stuck on a lump from a recent large meal. And that she's heard of other times it's happened. And she recomended I not feed my snakes in shed for that reason, or to at least keep the food items small. So if you'd like to continue to debate this subject you can try contacting her. Her name is Dr. Marie Rush head vet Birmingham Zoo, and prof. biology at Auburn university. Before trying to insult me for not researching my claim try acting respectful and ask where I got my information.

I don't know much,I'm the first to admit it. But it doesn't seem logical that a snake could be asphyxiated that way. I would think that the lungs are closer to the mouth than the stomach. I would think that it would be painful to get a shed stuck around the snake in front of the food lump, but I wouldn't expect that to affect the lungs.

Am I really confused?

I don't doubt that these snakes died and that the vets knew what they were doing, I just don't understand.