Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My young male who used to be a nut about food, 2 jumbo rats a week, would even feed through a terrible R.I., shows NO interest in food at all anymore. His last meal was on 2/6 and before that it was 1/20. He still has good mass, but is def showing signs of weight loss compared to before. I can't get a stool sample to check for parasites since he wont eat. He's been off the injections for his R.I. for quite some time now so I don't believe thats the problem. Temps are good, humiditys good, everything is normal. Is this rather normal in young males to winter fast this long/much? Just curious because I'm about to schd a vet appt to see whats up with him. Any info is appreciated, Thanks.

Don't know much about winter fast, all I can do is share a similar story. My burm quit eating in Nov 04. After 3-4 months I took him in to the vet along with a stool sample. There was no poop, rather what looked like hardened flesh. I thought it looked like a dried up worm. It was enough to check for parasites which came back negative. The one thing I overlooked was the undertank hide temp. It was considerably colder than the rest of the tank. I closed it off (as I had no way to heat it) and he started eating again a week later.
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DZ

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

While temperatures are often the same in our view, winter often doesn't go unoticed by the snake; possibly for the exact reason listed by the other poster. (say, if we measure the temp 20cm from the heat source there is not change, but 1metre away, there may be significant change)

Also to note; you can test any sample for parasites, but that is not to say that it will be a good sample. A negative finding does not mean a negative snake, just that there were no signs of parasites in the sample. Obviously if the sample is small, or poor, then the likelihood of a false negative increases.

last time he ate was about a little over a month ago and has me a bit worried. Took him to the Vet and I am going back tomorrow for a fecal and a cbc. Evrything is right in his environment., Dunno? Hopefully the vet will find some bugs.

performed on your Burm to check for parasites. I did with my Indian today, since he didn't have a defecation or any feces in him. The Vet did a wash, somewhat like an enema and found out that he was loaded with bugs. He was treated with Flagyl and hopefully he comes around and eats. I am very relieved to have found the problem , however kind of bummed at the reptile shop's husbandry where I got him from. I guess I should have known better and expect it. I am always learning from my experiences!!

Thats a good idea, never heard of it before. I'm going to make a vet appt tomorrow and request that be done. Thanks for the help.

My Indian ate last night. Amazing what bugs will do to your snake. He will be getting a second dose with his meal in a couple of days. Good luck with your Burm.