Failure to thrive??

[vanderkm]

I have one honduran hatchling from last year that has been a problem from about 6 weeks of age. He fed normally with clutchmates until I moved everyone up from peach fuzzies to large fuzzy mice. He refused to accept larger prey and began to appear dehydrated and wrinkled almost all the time though I observed him drinking.

He would eat peach fuzzy sized mice, but would shed (needed a humid hide) after every one to two meals. He has moved up to small hoppers now, but still sheds after every meal or every two meals. Needless to say - he is not much bigger than a hatchling - far behind all others that are huge!

He has been cleared of internal and external parasites and is kept with a temp range of 75-88 degrees from front to back of his tub, and a drop of about 5 degrees at night. He is active and vigorous, but most of the time appears borderline dehydrated. He has occasionally had two sheds at once - I will be helping him get one off and there will be another complete shed ready to come off.

I suspect an inherent kidney, liver or digestive malfunction, but wondered if anyone else had experienced anything like this - and any ideas of what else I could do for him (short of euthanizing him - have definately considered it, but will not likely do that until he refuses to feed).

thanks for any input,

mary v.

[beth wallbank]

hey Mary. I have had this happen as well. I did some research and some phone calling around, and with a short brumation, a little corn was on deaths door came out of cooling ready to eat anything in front of him, and still does to this day. Might be an idea for you. Good luck with your little guy.

[vanderkm]

Thanks Beth - good idea with the brumation - I had it work for me with 50% of my non-feeding corns last year.

This guy eats vigorously and is tackling small hoppers now, but only feeds when he is not blue and he sheds about every 2 weeks - so he just doesn't get much food into himself between sheds.

I don't have temperatures cool enough right now to try a brumation - how low did you go and for how long? to jump start yours? I may consider trying it in an alternate location, or will definately brumate him this winter if he makes it that long,

mary v.

[beth wallbank]

Hi mary
The little guy that I brumated last year as a last resort, I only brumated him for three weeks, but just in a rubbermaid in my crawl space under the house. It never gets above 8 down there even in the summer, so works great. Hope all works out for you.

[Simon Sansom]

Hi Mary,

I've encountered the same sort of thing before. It's interesting, isn't it?

I have a feeling that some animals just aren't meant to make it. There are many possible factors, but some just may be congenitally inferior for whatever reason, the roll of the genetic dice, etc.

Just guessing really, though.

Simon R. Sansom

[gonesnakee]

I can relate also. I just lost a 2003 Albino Jungle Corn yesterday. Poor little one was force/assist fed for about 1/2 year but always looked dehydrated. She then finally decided she would eat live on her own, but more often than not would regurge. Never regurged once when FF even 2 at a time, but liked to puke the live ones she would eat on her own back maybe 1 or even 2 outta 3 feedings? Sometimes 2 or 3 days after the meal was taken (nasty partially digested pinky). She always had pedialilte in her water & I think thats why she kept on so long. I even got her to eat dead/thawed for me once, but she puked most of that one a few days later also. Its like she could digest sometimes & not others & it wasn't based on the size of the meals or # days between either. She would always have bowel movements & it was obvious that she did digest some of her meals. She was high maintenance thats for sure. When I actually first saw this posted I was actually considering euthanizing the poor girl. Then when I checked her yesterday afternoon I realized she was already gone. Little one must have died that AM. As Simon said some things are just not meant to be & I wonder if I should adapt some slightly harsher "culling ethics". This poor little one went for nearly a whole year for nothing. What if she did survive? Then what, I get her going on her own OK & then sell her this summer say. Even if I tell the person whom I sell it to, someone down the line ends up later with an adult AJC & breeds her only to encounter a bunch of the same BS with her offspring & possibly so on passing poor genes. Makes one think anyhow. Mark

[vanderkm]

Definately good points from all - I find this guy I have interesting as he does eat on his own and has never regurged. Digests and poops well, just can't seem to grow fast enough because he is always in a shed cycle - and always has that dehydrated look. I have several others the same age, same management, so don't think there is anything I have done wrong with him - and I don't consider him a breeding prospect - definately not a snake I would ever sell.

I have persisted with him more because I would like to see if he will recover - some people report individuals that have been poor doers as babies that suddenly seem to take off - and I guess I haven't had enough yet to know if he was in the ranks of those, or if he is likely a hopeless case. Figured I have gone on with him long enough that I would bounce the problem off a couple people who have seen more than I have.

What I hate is that fate always seems to make the prettiest ones the ones that don't thrive!


mary v.