Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I sprayed some PAM on my snake and later I saw her got into the water dish and back out.

Is the water still ok for her to drink, given the concern that some PAM might have gotten into the water?

I don't have first hand experience with PAM (knock on wood), but I do recall that the label says somewhere to remove the water during treatment etc. If it doesn't, I would still think that it is a good idea. At least rinse out the dish and add fresh water. The one exposure your snake experienced likely won't see any ill effects, but for just in case, look for any head tilt, disabled balance... inverticides usually cause neurological symptoms in vertebrates.

I hope this helps,

Ian

One rule that should be strictly followed with the use of PAM is to not spray it directly on the reptile. Lab studies during the initial development phase of this material showed that it did cause the death of some small reptiles when it was sprayed directly on their bodies. Most survived but there were a few deaths recorded. I believe this is enough evidence to deter this practice without much argument. Better to be safe, and it is not even necessary to do so. Follow the directions with regards to spraying the interior of the cage and keep water bowls out for a day or so. If enough is ingested, it could be fatal. One practice that can be used with really small reptiles is to allow the PAM to stay in the cage for about an hour after spraying and then wipe the residual up with paper towels before putting the animal back in.

Kelly

Thanks all. My snake died the next day. It was upside down and when I turned it over its body was in zig zag shape. Looks to me like it was poisoned. What a hard lesson to be learned. The direction does say not to spray directly onto the animals. I missed reading it for some reason. I hope to replace the snake soon after I get over the heartbreak

>>I sprayed some PAM on my snake and later I saw her got into the water dish and back out.
>>
>>Is the water still ok for her to drink, given the concern that some PAM might have gotten into the water?

I regularly treat with PAM as I have a rescue in my home and you never know what nasties may come in. However I believe like kelly stated, the application should be on the cage. When I treat my cages I treat the base of the cage, allow it to dry and then lay down my substrate. I usually return water to enclosure about 1 hour after treatment. Basically I clean everything and the last step is fresh water.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
Email Cindy
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