Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male BRB that's about 4 years old who I'm concerned about.
This winter he has been through a phase of not eating - which happened last winter also - I try to keep the heat up, but it doesn't always work. After much agrivation trying to get him to eat the frozen rats he has been trained to eat (and frozen mice) I had to feed him live. (which he immediately responded to and ate heartily.) I fed him two live mice and 1 live rat in the last shed cycle he has had.
I hope he will eventually go back to frozen food - but I think he's just sensitve right now. I tried to get him to eat one frozen right after a live as my boa book suggests, but he wouldn't take it.
So today, right before he shed, I found a little present in his water bowl (one of his favorite places to poo) It was rather normal - brown, well formed with orange-ish yellowish urea chunks and your average level of stinky-ness. But there was a big green slimy patch. It was a dark mossy algea color and I was a little too scared of it to poke at it and take a closer look.
I've been thinking about taking him to the vet to have him checked out - but I thought I'd see what kind of advice I could get on here, first. I searched the archives and found some references to green poo and parasites and salmonilla... Is that what could be going on? Is that possibly linked to his changed eating preferences or because of the live food?

Unfortunaly I didn't keep the poo for analysis - it's too yucky! Though I know a vet will probibly ask me to do just that.

Amberbaker,
. Getting a vet to do a fecal analysis of the strange looking feces is a good idea. It may be that the snake is not eating well because of parasites but it is very common for male BRBs to go off feed during mating season. The fact that the snake stopped eating last winter is significant. That was probably the first breeding season that it was mature. Most of my adult male BRBs either go off feed or become picky feeders from December through March. I have had several of them go as long as 5 months without a meal during and after breeding season. I do not worry about them as long as they do not lose much weight. The ones that go the longest without feeding sometimes cause me some concern and I start trying different food items to get them restarted eating. It is often a live mouse or litter of live pinky rats that gets them to restart eating. After they start eating again they quickly change back to their regular diet of medium rats.
Good luck,
Jeff

>>I have a male BRB that's about 4 years old who I'm concerned about.
>>This winter he has been through a phase of not eating - which happened last winter also - I try to keep the heat up, but it doesn't always work. After much agrivation trying to get him to eat the frozen rats he has been trained to eat (and frozen mice) I had to feed him live. (which he immediately responded to and ate heartily.) I fed him two live mice and 1 live rat in the last shed cycle he has had.
>>I hope he will eventually go back to frozen food - but I think he's just sensitve right now. I tried to get him to eat one frozen right after a live as my boa book suggests, but he wouldn't take it.
>>So today, right before he shed, I found a little present in his water bowl (one of his favorite places to poo) It was rather normal - brown, well formed with orange-ish yellowish urea chunks and your average level of stinky-ness. But there was a big green slimy patch. It was a dark mossy algea color and I was a little too scared of it to poke at it and take a closer look.
>>I've been thinking about taking him to the vet to have him checked out - but I thought I'd see what kind of advice I could get on here, first. I searched the archives and found some references to green poo and parasites and salmonilla... Is that what could be going on? Is that possibly linked to his changed eating preferences or because of the live food?
>>
>>Unfortunaly I didn't keep the poo for analysis - it's too yucky! Though I know a vet will probibly ask me to do just that.

Amber, I agree with Jeff. I have some males that eat only about 8 meals per year. They do not lose very much weight, so I do not worry. Some males will do this every breeding season. Like Jeff said, some of the males require live feedings to get them to eat again. I also would take a fecal to a vet. Some times when snakes have not fed for quite some time, and then begin to feed again their poop will have a green color. That could be bile (from a long hunger strike) or something much worse. The only way to know is to go to a vet. Good Luck! Howard.

Thanks Jeff & Howard,

I took Cecil in for a vet check-up so he would be on file for when I take in a fecal sample (the next time he poops.)
The vet said he looks healthy and confirmed that his eating habits could be due to weather, mating season, or personal peculiarities, and not to worry since he looks healthy.

The vet also orally gave him some Panacure de-worming fluid in a syringe; he said that it is a good idea to de-worm your snakes about once a year.

So, from what I gather, he assumes snakes are always getting worms of some kind from the food they eat. And regardless of what's in the fecal sample I bring in (which he said might not exibit worms due to the different phases of reprocution that the worms could be in) I should de-worm him.

I just wanted to follow-up and ask if this is what either of you have understood from your vets.
And have you given your snakes Panacure before?
Are there side affects?
Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Welcome to the forum.

Although I have not actually used Panacur at this point on my Brb's I do know a bit about it. In dogs/cats it is labeled for killing hookworms, rounworms, and whipworms. It also has a non-labeled use to kill lung flukes. It seems to be safe and is commonly used in reptiles.

You asked about fecals. The only drawback I see at this point from your post would be that the next stool your snake produces will likely not show any of the above parasites because it was wormed. If the sample shows positive for something, then you can absolutely know it is present. You could also get a false negative, which means you will need to run another fecal at least 3 weeks from the last worming.

Hope this helps,
Linda

Amberbaker, I generally do not worm snakes until a fecal shows a parasite or eggs. I have given several snakes Panacur before. It is a great de-worming agent! I also like the fact that it is really mild, and many studies have been done on the side effects of using Panacur. Some studies have shown that a dose 100 times greater than the recommended amount produced no permanent side effects. Hope this helps. Howard.