Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought two tangerine hondurans at a reptile show last weekend and set them up in seperate quarintine cages, each sprayed with Provent-a-mite and allowed to dry completely before adding the paper towel substrate. The first two nights they were fine, but then I noticed some involuntary twitching...I initially brushed this off as pissiness for being disturbed. But now, they are wandering incessantly and twitching every couple of seconds.
From what I have read, this is due to an overdose of pesticide (or other toxin). It has to be the Provent-a-mite. I have thoroughly cleaned their cages. I don't know how much time the little guys have left, so I REALLY, REALLY need some info/experience ASAP!!

Thanks in advance for your help!!

~Kuroneko~

If you have changed cages and rinsed the animals off and hydrated not much more you can do.Keep them warm enough for their immune system to function optimally and they should recover.Be sure to hydrate! Every time I am feeling bad I make sure to hydrate too,but thats another story,lol.Good luck,Jeff

it's not logical for cages that were sprayed & then dried completely to elicit this kind of response. you don't say how old the new snakes are, or their genders, but are you sure you're not seeing a breeding response, or a male-to-male "combat" response? twitching's a part of courtship behavior, too.
terry

Yes , that is from the provent a mite...........hate to say this...but its 50-50 whether they live or die...........they may die............if provent a mite is sprayed on plastic or glass or such material..........it sometimes does'nt dry........when snakes are put in, they usually ingest some from the fumes or actually tasting it.......depending how much they got in them will tell if they recover or die........dangerous stuff..........let us know what happens..........take out of those cages immediatly and wait.........thats all you can do now.......chris

Well, after a nice long soak, both of the hondurans seem to be doing a little better...not as much erratic jerking and no more contortioning. Hopefully they'll be in the lucky 50%.
I do have one more, rather strange question. Both snakes have passed vibrant orange excretia. It wasn't the solid piles that I'm used to with my boas and pythons, but a chunky mix. (ech) I'm assuming that this isn't normal, but what could have caused it? I know it wasn't a product of my husbandry tactics, because this occured the night that I brought them home. Yeah. Gross.

Anyway, thanks again for all of your help!
~kuroneko~

If they have another "vibrant orange excretia", I'd have a vet do a fecal on it. It's definitely not normal.
-----
Ace

"vibrant orange excretia"

Awesome!! Can I use that for a band name? And a song? hell, the first album? How about a record label? You're a genius.
-----
Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld