Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'll try to make this brief, though I can be long winded. It's been forever since I've been on here and I'm kind of at my wits end with 2 sick snakes I have.

I put my whole collection down for the winter. Moved to a new house, keeping the snakes down for another month or so. I started to warm the collection up in a room that didnt really get good light. My collection had been on a rigid daylight schedule previously at the old house. So, the snakes were all warm, but no one still really showed any interest in eating after quite some time. I finally got some lights installed in the room and started the regular on/off day cycle. All but 2 of my snakes picked up and began to eat.
Currently, I have 2 lifeless pigmys (1 very old barbouri and 1 adult, unknown age streckeri) which I've been force feeding and watering for the past 2+ months. The snakes are not dead, but they dont move, at all. It's like they're paralyzed. I'm feeding them pinkies and also (made for human infants) chicken hot dogs (think Viennese sausages).
I can pick the snakes up, and there's no protest at all. they're completely lifeless other than the fact they're esophagus opens and closes, so I know they're breathing...

Does anyone have any thoughts about what might be going on. I dont have an option for a local vet in the Charlottesville Va area, unless someone knows someone here.
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

I'm not a vet, but I'd say, that they are just victims of old age. I suppose you might have "damaged" something if you were force-feeding them, but that's not likely, IMHO. And I'm assuming they're not defecating as they should have by now?Probably they need to be euthanized if they're not eating. Force-feeding just prolongs the inevitable. Of course there would be the slim possibillity that they're gravid? (Do you know their sex?)

Have you cleaned the cages lately and sprayed for mites (Provent-a-Mite)?

I have also heard of/witnessed this "syndrome" in sistrurus. Were you ever able to determine a cause? Curious if anyone else is familiar with this phenomenon/disease and does it affect other spp?

I'm glad I'm not alone. I lost the streckeri a few days ago.
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

I ran into a mite problem one time and used Provent-a-Mite to deal with it. I had 50 venomous snakes, and after application of Provent-a-Mite the only two snakes that had issues were my 2 Red Pygmies. Just as you described, they were both lifeless. Once in a while they would move their tails just a bit, but nothing else. I gave them water through an aspirator, but to no avail. One lived for 2 weeks, the other about 5 weeks.

The rest of the collection survived many years without issue. I have used Provent-a-Mite w/o issue one time since and had no complications (I also had no Sistrurus).

Ok, thanks. No signs of mites on my end. I have used Provent-A-Mite last year though when I got some adoptees from a rescue but they were treated quickly and efficiently. No signs of 'em after a few days and no signs since.
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"