Nanci
Alien Lover
Edited!!!
I am ecstatic to announce that John has allowed me to purchase Fred. This is NOT a snake that John wanted to sell. And I only asked to buy him once! This shows what a great, generous guy John is- he knew that Fred was very, very special to me and offered to let me buy him. Thank you so much, John!
**************************************
This is going to be a long thread! Please hold comments till the end- thanks!
Whew! What a stressful three weeks this has been. It all started when Ruby and Pepper refused to mate, and it was discovered that Ruby was a male. This left me scrambling for a different pairing, and Lily, 2007 Serpenco Lavblood, was the lucky female I chose. Who would I pair her up with, though? As I was considering my options, John Finsterwald offered a suggestion. He'd send me out Fred, his SMR Rosy Blood, who had already completed his breeding duties at home! Hmmm- took me about five minutes to say yes!!
Fred arrived nearly three weeks ago. Right out of the shipping container I sensed something was not right. Fred's breathing sounded odd- like he would take in a breath, hold it, and when he let his breath out I would hear a little pop. I listened for quite a few breaths, and it was not my imagination. I called my vet and he was able to see Fred that afternoon. Meanwhile, I wanted to take a couple pics of Fred. It was here that I noticed that- was he blue? I wasn't sure. His eye looked blue. Wait- retained spectacle! Only a very close, careful examination revealed this. Off we went to the vet.
Right away the vet wondered if Fred was blue. Well, he'd shed the end of January, so I didn't expect he would be. And look- did I see how his head, near his right eye, was asymetric? Easy for a vet to see- not so easy for me to see, but I could, now that he pointed it out. Yes, Fred had a retained spectacle. The vet opened Fred's mouth. Look here- see how the blood vessel supplying his right eye is huge? That means there is an inflammatory process going on with the eye. (Does the vet know CPR? Because I am going to have heart failure!!) Fortunately, his eyesight in both eyes is fine. On to the sinus exam, which required three people. The vet carefully examined Fred's sinuses from inside his mouth, through his eye, through his skull. The right sinus is inflammed, explaining the breathing noises. On to the lung. Fred's lung is, thank God, clear. Whew- the first bit of good news. Heart- fine. At this point Fred thoughtfully provided a stool sample, which was whisked off to be tested for parasites and a Grams stain. The good news: only whipworm eggs, which came from the mice, but pass through the snake without hatching. No snake parasites. The Grams stain was within normal limits of positive and negative bacteria.
Here's a picture of Fred's eye with the retained spectacle:
I am ecstatic to announce that John has allowed me to purchase Fred. This is NOT a snake that John wanted to sell. And I only asked to buy him once! This shows what a great, generous guy John is- he knew that Fred was very, very special to me and offered to let me buy him. Thank you so much, John!
**************************************
This is going to be a long thread! Please hold comments till the end- thanks!
Whew! What a stressful three weeks this has been. It all started when Ruby and Pepper refused to mate, and it was discovered that Ruby was a male. This left me scrambling for a different pairing, and Lily, 2007 Serpenco Lavblood, was the lucky female I chose. Who would I pair her up with, though? As I was considering my options, John Finsterwald offered a suggestion. He'd send me out Fred, his SMR Rosy Blood, who had already completed his breeding duties at home! Hmmm- took me about five minutes to say yes!!
Fred arrived nearly three weeks ago. Right out of the shipping container I sensed something was not right. Fred's breathing sounded odd- like he would take in a breath, hold it, and when he let his breath out I would hear a little pop. I listened for quite a few breaths, and it was not my imagination. I called my vet and he was able to see Fred that afternoon. Meanwhile, I wanted to take a couple pics of Fred. It was here that I noticed that- was he blue? I wasn't sure. His eye looked blue. Wait- retained spectacle! Only a very close, careful examination revealed this. Off we went to the vet.
Right away the vet wondered if Fred was blue. Well, he'd shed the end of January, so I didn't expect he would be. And look- did I see how his head, near his right eye, was asymetric? Easy for a vet to see- not so easy for me to see, but I could, now that he pointed it out. Yes, Fred had a retained spectacle. The vet opened Fred's mouth. Look here- see how the blood vessel supplying his right eye is huge? That means there is an inflammatory process going on with the eye. (Does the vet know CPR? Because I am going to have heart failure!!) Fortunately, his eyesight in both eyes is fine. On to the sinus exam, which required three people. The vet carefully examined Fred's sinuses from inside his mouth, through his eye, through his skull. The right sinus is inflammed, explaining the breathing noises. On to the lung. Fred's lung is, thank God, clear. Whew- the first bit of good news. Heart- fine. At this point Fred thoughtfully provided a stool sample, which was whisked off to be tested for parasites and a Grams stain. The good news: only whipworm eggs, which came from the mice, but pass through the snake without hatching. No snake parasites. The Grams stain was within normal limits of positive and negative bacteria.
Here's a picture of Fred's eye with the retained spectacle:
Attachments
Last edited:
