Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently bid on a snake on reptibid. The seller sold a snake to my daughter (11yrs old) that was in a sorry state when it arrived. The poor creature was so starved that its skin is in folds. I am 51 and it broke my heart. I need some help. After three days I still cannot get it to eat. I raise my own mice so food is not a problem to get. so far I have tried five sizes, ranging from pinky to adult. prekilled frozen/thawed and live. I need help and it would be greatly appreciated.
You can also reach me at cbar2@bellsouth.net
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Always be safe.
Doyle T. Barkley I

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In any case, I believe you can report him to reptibid.. or some such.. I highly reccomend you do so.

Possibly you can force feed it a nutritional supplement using a needless syringe... and hm, Can't think of a supplement unless you want to throw pinkies in a blender.
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1.1.13(eggs) Beardie
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Wish for: Candoia Sp, Frilled D, BTS

If it is emaciated it may not be able to feed on its own. If it were my snake I would be feeding it some "JumpStart" with 50/50 water using a feeding needle ($6 @ beanfarm.com). The advantage to this is that it does not have any of the stress or potential damage that force feeding does. Report the seller, and good luck.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

you can thin down science diet cat food chiken dinner with pedialite for the electrlites and feed it to the snake with a syringe with no needle you can get the things at petcoallso wix in some rep cal vitamins in with the food.

One of the main things with an emaciated snake is to prevent further dehydration. If they are in such a shape that they won't eat on their own, they likely won't drink on their own either. Here's what I would do:

1. Get the snake hydrated. Soak him for an hour or so in clean water, and watch him and see if he tries to drink while he's soaking. If he doesn't drink, then you need to get some water in his stomach. Don't overdo it. If you can get a couple of CCs of water into him every 12 hours or so, that will help immensely. If you have a 2cc syringe that's perfect. You will also need some sort of tube to attach to the syringe. A red rubber French Catheter is best, but small diameter aquarium tubing will work in a pinch if the snake isn't too small. I have had some success just letting the snake drink from the tip of the syringe, too. If you end up using a tube, then make real sure you don't insert the tube into the snake's glottis (the tube in the bottom of hs mouth where his tongue is).

If he has severe folds of skin on his tail, that indicates an extreme dehydration and loss of body weight. When a snake loses about 20% of his body weight due to dehydration, he is in real danger of renal failure. A snake does not eliminate uric acid in the same way mammals do. Mammals eliminate uric acid in a soluble form, so our urine comes out as a liquid. With snakes, it comes out in the form of uric acid crystals (the white chalky stuff you find in the bottom of the cage). Their kidneys need plenty of water to accomplish that. When they dehydrate, they can't eliminate the uric acid and it starts to build up in their kidneys forming uric acid crystals in the tissue. Once that happens, generally the snake does not recover.

It would be a real good idea to give him some fluid subcutaneously. You will need syringes and needles and either some sterile saline or Lactated Ringer's. Those things you will need to get from a veterinarian. I usually give about 2-5% of the body weight every 12 hours.

You don't want to feed him until you get him hydrated. When you feed a dehydrated snake, you trigger the production of more uric acid, which he already can't eliminate effectively and you just compound the problem.

Once you get him hydrated again, then you can make a slurry to feed him by intubation. You will need the syringe and French Catheter for this. Here's how to make a good slurry:

You will need a food processor for this and a fine mesh strainer.

1 egg
6 frozen/thawed pinkies
2 tablespoons Jump Start (see Colchicine's post)
3 or 4 tablespoons Pedialyte
(optionally you can add some B-complex vitamin supplement to stimulate appetite)

Put that all in the food processor and process it until it is completely liquefied. Then press it through the strainer to remove the bone bits and pieces that won't pass through the syringe and tube.

When you tube the snake, don't feed too much at one time. After you withdraw the tube, hold the snake with it's head elevated for a few minutes. This will keep the slurry from running back out of his mouth after you release him into his cage. You can keep the remaining slurry in a small tupperware container for 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator. I'd feed him a small amount (I don't know how big the snake is so I can't give you realistic amounts) every 2 days for 3 feedings, then increase the amount and decrease the frequency so that you are feeding him larger amount every 5 days.

Alternately, you can use a Pinkie Pump if you have one. They are relatively expensive and most people can't justify purchasing one because they just won't use it that much. If you use a Pinkie Pump, use extreme caution, they can build up fairly intense pressure that can be released suddenly causing damage to the snake's stomach and esophagus.

You will want to continue the hydration supportive therapy while you are tube-feeding him also, especially soaking and subcutaneous fluids.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have a question for you if you don't mind. I am not in need of critical care for my snakes, but your response prompted me to ask. I see on many forums that soaking in gatorade is a way to rehydrate a snake and frankly this has always seemed incorrect to me. Wouldn't such a high sugar solution actually dehydrate a snake more quickly than plain water? And also...the books for the "general keeper of herps" usually suggestion IP fluids instead of Sub-Q It seems more dangerous to me (IP) and more likely to cause a bacteria enteritis. I only ask because you seem to know what you're talking about, and I am coming to respect your suggestions. I always wonder what I'd do if my snakes were ill since there isn't a herp vet here where I live. Is it okay to use 2.5Þxtrose/.45 NACL for Sub-Q fluids?

Thanks Mr Oldherper,
Linda
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

>>I have a question for you if you don't mind. I am not in need of critical care for my snakes, but your response prompted me to ask. I see on many forums that soaking in gatorade is a way to rehydrate a snake and frankly this has always seemed incorrect to me. Wouldn't such a high sugar solution actually dehydrate a snake more quickly than plain water? And also...the books for the "general keeper of herps" usually suggestion IP fluids instead of Sub-Q It seems more dangerous to me (IP) and more likely to cause a bacteria enteritis. I only ask because you seem to know what you're talking about, and I am coming to respect your suggestions. I always wonder what I'd do if my snakes were ill since there isn't a herp vet here where I live. Is it okay to use 2.5Þxtrose/.45 NACL for Sub-Q fluids?
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>>Thanks Mr Oldherper,
>>Linda
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>>"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

Yeah, that's why I didn't suggest IP. It's far too dangerous for an inexerienced person to try. IP fluids is very effective if you do it correctly, but if you don't have a pretty good knowledge of snake anatomy you could possibly seriously injure the animal.

I would think your sugar/saline should work fine, although I've never used it for that.

Also, I've never used Gatorade to soak a snake. I have heard of it, but never tried it. I really have my doubts that enough sugar would be absorbed through the skin to either hurt or help, plus I doubt that the snake would drink it while he's soaking in it. One of the advantages of using water is that he may actually drink while he's soaking.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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