Not eating (HELP!!)

[OCsnakeman]

Hey this is OCSnakemans roomate. My female baby bloodred is having some issues and I'm starting to get worried. A couple of weeks ago she regurged, since then I have followed the advice of people to wait a few days then to just feed her the heads of pinkies. I fed her 2 pinkie heads 4 days apart and she kept them down. So today I tried to feed her a full pink, I tried the smallest one I could find. She wouldn't eat it, she didn't even seem interested. I am getting concerned because she is getting real thin. I'll try to get a pic on tommorrow (my camara is dead). Any advice on how to get her to start eating whole meals again? She is still plenty active when I get her out, but I'm starting to worry. I also noticed a blue mark on her underside that I didn't notice before, is that just due to the almost irredecent nature of bloodreds underbellies? I hope nothing is wrong with her. Please help.
-Phen

 

[oldhand]

Can you post a pic of the "blue mark"? so people have a better idea of what it is.

 

[howiet4702]

So what was the date she last ate the pinky head?

 

[OCsnakeman]

pinky head

The last pinky head was eaten this past tuesday. It is now saturday.

 

[MegF.]

Usually you should wait 7-10 days, but since she got two small meals down and held them down since then, it doesn't really matter. You might try half a pinky, or braining a small pinky to see if it attracts her that way. You might think about seeing a vet about the spot and the lack of appetite. Hope she improves.

 

[gatorlink]

I agree with meg go ahead and get one of those little scissors for cutting cuticles (u can find this at any pharmacy) and make 2-3 cuts along the back of the DEAD pinky. Then try feeding .
As for the blue spot I'm not familiar with bloodreds but the underside of my creamsicle is so pale that i can see some of his organs as well as any poop b4 he takes a dump

 

[oldhand]

Another feeding sugestion, that i've sucsesfully udes in the past is to remove the legs of the pinkie, so it is easier to swallow and digest. Just an idea but if thawed can be messy.

 

[gardenmum]

Well, my opinion is this, if she is active and has kept down two meals of pink heads,then I wouldn't worry about her. They don't HAVE to eat every four days and it is possible she just isn't hungry enough or not ready to eat after eating those two meals since she had regurged. I dont think you need get over excited about missing one meal after only four days, but of course, keep an eye on her.

That blue spot could very well be the digesting matter of the pink or the excriment getting ready to come out. That's what it sounds like to me.

I would also suggest that if she does regurge again, that you wait at least 7 days before you feed the first pink head and then wait 7 more before feeding the next pink head. You really want to make sure that all the food is digested and the stomach fluids are built back up properly before she eats another meal. But with her being active and all, I don't think you need get real concerned at this point. Also, it might be best if you not handle her at all for a couple weeks till she has kept a few meals down and you know she is back to 100% normal.

Good luck with your little girl.

 

[CAV]

I agree with Dianne's post. I don't even blink until a snake goes 4-6 weeks without a meal.

Definitely stop handling the snake until regular feedings resume. Place the feeding container inside a cabinet, close the door and leave the snake undisturbed with the pinkie overnight.

 

[Phen]

Thanks for the input so far. She is really wrring me. She doesn't seems to be herself. She is really thin and I can see folds in her skin. I'm gonna wait a couple of days to feed her again, hoping it is that she is not hungry. I'm at work right now, so I'm gonna grab my camara charger to snap some pics when I get home. i hope to have tem on tonight or in the morning at the latest, but I don't have a very good feeling about her. Thanks again - Phen

'bloodred' - Ketseuki

 

[gardenmum]

Ouch! I assume you are referring to the lateral folds along the sides towards the back half of the snake? If that is indeed what you are referring to, then yes, I have to say I would be concerned to. Not panicking, but concerned. Make sure she has plenty of water at easy access. In fact, I find having them in a small container like a deli cup best if I see this. Normally these fold lines occur when a snake is starving itself (non feeders) which yours is not, is dehydrated, or has multiple regurges (stressed/ill). I have pulled plenty back from this stage - basically non feeders - but have to say, I have lost some too.

I would place a very small container of water right under the hide with her to be sure she has easy access to it, it is always possible she is bashful and doesn't come out to drink. And, also, if she is feeling down, she won't want to come out for water so this will allow her to drink when she is thirsty.

As long as she kept down the last two pink heads and those were in the past week, I would say she is not "starving". But regurging causes stress, not to mention loss of important fluids from the stomach, and feeding too much too fast will only make it worse. I, personally, would not attempt to feed her for another couple days but would be sure she had the water by her side. And I would leave her undisturbed to rest. Sometimes worrying and trying too hard to "fix things" will also add to the stress she is already under.

Good luck with her and I hope she comes through for you just fine. I have seen plenty of them do it, so she has a good chance.

 

[OCsnakeman]

Its not my place to tell since she wasnt mine

Katesuki died yesterday, thanks for the advice everyone, but she didnt make it. It is thought she had a liver failure, based off what the local herp said. Phen (roomy) was the owner, but I thought i would share it since this post was under my name.


OCsnake

 

[Alias47]

Sorry to hear it...

Sounds like you should have a necropsy performed to be sure that it doesn't have anything that could be passed to your snakes...

Especially if it was holding down food.

 

[MegF.]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[gardenmum]

Very sorry to hear that she died. Wish there had been more we could have done to help the situation out. Tell your friend we are sorry.

 

[Phen]

It is sad but true. Ketseuki died sometime yesterday. I sort of felt it coming, but it is still sad. Anyway, i finally got my charger from work and can upload the pictures now. The pic in the cage was taken three weeks ago when she was doing ok, the second pic is post-mortium. I figured I'd put up a pic of the black spot. When she was alive the spot wasn't quite as black, it was more blueish. Like OC said, the local herp thought that it was an organ, possibly the liver that had quit working. Thanks for all of the help, I too wish we could have done more. I'm gonna try and not mourn too long, and I was going to get another snake this month anyway,now I may buy two.
Thanks again, Phen

 

[E. g. guttata]

It looks like she died of dehydration or the heat was too high. If she was as active as you say and there were folds in her skin, I would have to go with dehydration. She was probably scared to go get a drink in the daytime when she was thirsty because there was too much light and she felt vulnerable and unprotected. I had that happen to me this last year. I just read this post today . Wish I had read it sooner though, especially when you posted about the skin folding.

 

[Phen]

I don't think it was dehydration, it is pretty dark in her viv, the light in the pic is just from the flash. I had her normal water bowl in the corner or the pic and I had a small water bowl in each of her hides. The temp in the cage hovers between 78-80 degrees. I just don't know. Her activity level dropped off sharply as soon as that spot showed up. I hope I can solve this mystery before I get another snake, so the same thing doesn't happen again.
-Phen

 

[E. g. guttata]

I still have the hatchling that died from dehydration. I'll post a pic of the spot on it's underside. It looks very similar to that spot (almost exactly like it). If I remember right, that spot is actually the gall blader, so maybe the snake was hydrated enough, but the gall bladder failed :shrugs:. Not sure but that might be another possibility.