hi all,
I've been peeking in and "listening" to this forum for a couple weeks and thought i would finally join in.
I've been an eastern indigo fan since 1970 after picking up a copy of "know your snake." When I discovered indigos were no longer available (protected), I purchased a boa and the rest is history. I've become an indigo owner in only the last two years (finally realizing that boyhood dream).
I started by purchasing three 2002 couperi from two different breeders. Long story-short, I now have two, thus the point of this long posting.
I had two red-throated (M&F) and a black male. The black male was always a picky eater, insisting on frog-scented mice for the first year, eventually coming around to “brained” mice. The two reds became voracious eaters (even during opaque) and quickly grew much larger than the black male. In June he refused to eat. I tried all my tricks, waited until after he shed, he still refused, and then I discovered a palpable roundish lump in his midsection. This snake never regurgitated a meal.
Here’s the frustrating part and an important part of the story. Nine months prior to the indigo lump discovery, I was given a small cal king. This snake started as a picky eater, but became a voracious eater. It never grew and shed only twice in the nine month period. Then it regurgitated one meal, became listless, had a palpable lump in its midsection, was taken to the vet, given fluids, and died, all within four days! I opened the snake and found a severely swollen pancreatic duct and abnormally large kidneys. Under the advice of the vet, the snake was sent to a veterinary path lab in the sacramento/davis area. The report came back negative for crypto. The types and amounts of bacteria were reported to be typical for snakes, nothing remarkable.
When I discovered the lump in the indigo, I went immediately to the vet. After several consultations by phone with other vets it was decided that oral Baytril (x4 treatments over 8 days) was in order. After six days the lump was no longer palpable. Four days following the last treatment the snake refused to eat. Seven days after the final dose the snake died. I took the dead indigo to the veterinary pathology lab at the University of Minnesota for a histopathological work up. The report came back positive for cryptosporidial organisms in the stomach epithelium. Other problems were found, but considered to be secondary to the cryptosporidiosis.
I thought I practiced good hygiene technique, but clearly there were problems. All my snakes are housed individually, all have their own furnishings, all are fed f/t rodents, they have never run out of water, I wash my hands between every creature, etc. When I was in high school I had dozens or snakes, lizards, tortoises, all wild-caught, some purchased from sleazy local Portland pet shops, some from Hermosa Reptile (there’s a blast from the past). I’m sure my husbandry practices now are considerably better, as well as better informed, than they were back in the day.
I feel as if I’m sitting on a time bomb and the best I can do is practice the best sterile technique I can and keep my gloved fingers crossed.
thanks for listening,
matt
