Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up a rescue I guess,(still paid),alterna. She is about 30" but is rail thin. I know, (wrong page), but I like the help on this one. Anyway, she has an awesome feeding response but gurdges two days later every time. I've tried pink rats, pink mice , and fuzzy both. She drinks water like she has never had any and bites like crazy. I know nothing about her and the pic doesn't begin to show how skinny she really is. I would love to keep her around so any help would be great! Thanks in advance, Scott.

Ok ... no pic. I tried but trust me, she's way too thin!

Do NOT feed the snake!. That is THE WORST thing you could possibly do at this point. Take her to the vet for a two-dose regimen of Flagyl(Metronidazole) orally at the rate of 50 mg. per kg. of body weight. I am betting the snake has intestinal bacteria issues from being neglected and being exposed to fouled water, etc...from the previous owner. if it is regurging when it is kept in the low 80's, this is VERY likely the culprit.

Flagyl is a very reptile friendly antibiotic, and it usually works with taking care of issues like this like absolute clock-work!

1) Do the first dose, then another follow-up dose in 12 to 14 days. And DO NOT feed it anything at all until a good 7 to ten days AFTER the last dose either. Then when you do go to feed it again for the first time, make SURE the meals are on the small side to see how things go for a few more feedings. Then when you see that these are being held down, you can very gradually up the size in small increments.

If you keep trying to feed it, it will repeat the regurgitation process until it dies. This puts an incredible strain on their system, and it will surely die in VERY short order, but if you do exactly like I suggested, you can enjoy your snake for years to come.

Believe me, this is your VERY BEST course of action, and several other people on these forums have thanked me afterwards for saving their snakes that had this very same issue. Please do this ASAP for the sake of the snake, and you will be very happy you did.

Good luck!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

Make sure you quarantine the animal so others do not become infected. Also wash hands well after handling the animal and or its bedding. If the infection is Giardia, which there is a good chance it is, you can catch it too.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

WWW.TDSNAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

Or even......

A) Entamoeba invadens

B) Trichomonas

C) Balantidium

D) Rhizopoda

E) other Flagellates

F) Ciliates

ALL OF WHICH can be taken care of with two simple dosings of Flagyl(Metronidazole).

No doubt the quarantining would be paramount in keeping any other snakes in the immediate area from possibly contracting this, as well as the important hand washings you mentioned Tony.

years ago I had a 300 gram Honduran that started not keeping ANY meal down no matter how small it was. I immediately dosed with Flagyl at the rate of 50 mg/kg.......and it was END OF STORY!! from that point on. She is now a very large, voracious-eating 2004 proven breeder!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

Thanks a million! I have an appointment this evening with a herp vet. I will keep you guys posted on her recovery.

As always, you rock! -Scott-

Awesome man!.....that is the best decision you could have ever made!

Yes, let us know how things go!

Just a little recap on exactly how the Flagyl combats the bacteria........

The medication kills BOTH good AND bad bacteria within the gut, so the waiting for a good wek or more like I said earlier gives the stomach a chance to regain it's good stomach flora to aid in proper digestion, as well as giving the animal time to replenish it's stomach acids to the correct ph level, along with the eloctrolytes it lost during all this.

Glad this helped you make the right informed decision. And while you're at it at the vets, he/she can do a fecal floatation to see if there are any worm parasites that also need treating. Panacur(Fenbendazole) is administered at the rate of 50 to 100 mg. per kg. just in case the vet is wondering about these dosages.

These are fairly inexpensive proceedures and will definitely save the snakes life.

good luck!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

I don't regularly participate in the forums but since I just went through this I thought I would share my experience. I recently acquired an adult milk snake that was very thin and would not eat. Another hint of a problem is its poop reeked worse than I had ever experienced. It was also later determined to be a wild caught snake. I knew at this point the snake was sick. I took a fecal sample to my vet and it was found to be loaded with parasites. You name it it had it, it was that bad. The vet had to orally administer the first dose. After that I dosed the snake by injecting f/t large pinks with the drug and the snake ate every time with no problem. It was getting some food, medication, saved me money on vet bills and provided regular fecal deposits for testing. I can't remember exactly how many doses it took but the snake was medicated at regular intervals for nearly two months. After that a follow up fecal exam showed all was clear. The snake is now in apparent good health and is gaining weight. I plan to have it checked one more time in the spring to be sure all parasites were eliminated. As the other gentleman said you have to see a vet ASAP. Good Luck.

After that I dosed the snake by injecting f/t large pinks with the drug

Are you talking about Flagyl, panicur, ivermectin ....?

or was it flagyl by itself?
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www.Bluerosy.com

The vet prescribed Panacur and Bactrim to treat the problem. Both had to be taken orally and dosages were carefully monitored. Bactrim was an every other day treatment and Panacur was a two time treatment (one in the beginning and the second about 15 days later). As per the vet some of the critters can only be killed at a certain life stage so the lengthy treatment schedule was to be sure we got everything, otherwise, the problem would reoccur. Injecting the F/T pinks and allowing the snake to eat normally, kept it hungry enough to eat every other day, was easy on the digestive system, and elimated the stress of forcing the drugs in the snake while providing regular fecal samples for testing.