Halp!!!

[Vysathi]

Hey all,

I know it's been a long while since I was on here- I meant to log in a few weeks ago. Now, Holmes, my BRB, is very sluggish, and I think dehydrated. I'm going to see if he wants to eat tonight. He's lost a significant amount of weight. I think because he had a movement and got most of the waste from his last meal out. He also has been having a spotty shed.

His breathing is a little raspy, I'm going to make an appointment for him tomorrow if he isn't doing better in the morning. But I feel like he might be making hissy noises because he's annoyed with me and hungry.

Any suggestions on how I can help him feel better and get him healthy again?

He still has good grip and strength. He hasn't tried to bite or strike at anything, but he's not his usual curious-roam-all-over self.

PLEASE give any tips you have.

Thanks,
Vysathi

[TempestK]

By all means, follow your intuition and get him to a vet. With all the issues going on, it seems very likely that medical intervention is needed.

[kwhitlock]

Humidity? Temps? What is your setup like? Gonna assume since he's having a bad shed, and that he has some raspy to his breathing. Bet he's developing an RI, but just my 2 cents.

[millertime89]

Bad shed may lead to a bit of stuck shed in the nose resulting in raspy sounding breath. Check mount for mucus. Don't let the vet prescribe meds without doing a culture.

[Vysathi]

Okay all....

I appreciate the input and the help.... But sometime today, probably in the morning shortly after I left for work, Holmes passed away.

[Snakesitter]

I'm so sorry to hear that, Vysathi! :-(

I agree with the respiratory infection hypothesis, as it fits the symptoms you described, and they progress very quickly with rainbows. :-( Make sure you clean and disinfect his old enclosure, furnishings, and tools very carefully, so that the next resident does not catch whatever laid him low.

Just a future tip for anyone else reading this, if your animal may be sick enough to require a vet trip, do *not* offer food...it will only delay the vet visit, and may even make it worse if a regurg occurs.

RIP Holmes.

[Vysathi]

Thanks Cliff. It didn't matter that I offered food, Holmes wanted nothing to do with it. All he wanted was to be close to me, and I think he knew beforehand. Lots of pets do- and I will miss him dearly, he became a member of my family very quickly.

[EL Ziggy]

I'm very sorry for your loss V. RIP Holmes.