not constipated anymore.

[axwielding1]

Hey all... My Sumatran Borgersmai, Lapar, I mentioned before has scale rot... I;ve been cleaning her 2 times daily, and applying Neosporin. She went on Baytril for about a week, and seems to be doing better. Tonight, I came home from work to find some crap in her cage. She remained with her butt in the "prone position" for about 2 hours. I took her out and gave her a soak.
Still in the prone position, I began to wring her out. I'll bet she crapped out half her body weight! Some Big Dog crap! I ( we ) finally got it all out, and she appears to be shoe stringy..She hasn't eaten in 5 weeks, and I assumed it was because of the scale rot, and the Baytril. Now I know better... She was pretty blocked up.
Here's my questions...
Could the fact that she was so badly constipated have added or triggered the bacterial infection?? I mean, could she have been toxic with all the fecals retained inside?
Also, how can I be sure this doesn't happen again? I've heard of giving them some mineral oil, but have not heard this from a reliable source, such as here...
Any help will be appreciated.
BTW, as soon as she was empty, she was looking to re-fill!!!! LOL
ax.

[dave68]

check your temps, and probably up them.
just a thought.

Dave

[Grant vg]

just keep them hydrated.... and in an environment where they feel secure, thus being active.... and you shouldn't have a problem.
when i switched to sphag.. my bloods have been defecating like any regular boa constrictor would.
When i was on newspaper/paper towel, that really doesn't stimulate much movement, you are more likely to see decreased bowel movements.

gvg

[axwielding1]

Well, upon coming home from work today, I noticed Lapar moving some in her tank. About 7:00 I checked her again, and removed her from her tank to clean her and change her paper towel substrate. She was very limp and her mouth somewhat ajar, not a good sign. She died this evening. I watched as she took her last breath. She was pretty far gone by the time I took her out, Her eyes not moving, and breathing deeply every so often...
I'm not sure of the cause of death...
She was a hard starter, and took some time to get feeding when I got her, she then seemed to eat fine, and was really pounding down the food, and grew like a weed... Then the scale rot came, and this I believe took it's tole. She hasn't eaten in awhile, but seemed plump. Last night she crapped like never before, after a good soak. This morning, her temps were 82, and humidity 60%.
I've kept her husbandry steady, and have managed tenps and humidity twice daily. Alot of work, but fine, she was an excellent snake to handle.. My kids are VERY upset, and can't understand why she died... I may go for a necropsy, if available from my vet.
Anyway, it's always hard to lose a pet, which is what she was. I spent alot of time nuturing her along. Maybe she was just not a high quality blood. She had a great demeaner , and the kids handled her regularly, with me overseeing, and she's been great.
Hopefully, I'll get another after mourning for awhile. I will definitely get one from NERD this time. I want a high quality hatchling that's well started.
Bad news sucks, doesn't it???
ax...

[sapphire_moon]

I am so sorry to hear about your blood.

Bloods temps are 88-92 degrees (from what I read)
humidity 70-80%

Definitly get one from nerd. I plan on getting one from there...some day (hey I can dream! lol), maybe a nice black blood, or borneo :)

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Im sorry about your loss.:( Good luck with the next one and let us know if you determine the cause of death.

C.

[nita]

So sorry to hear you lost Lapar. If you get the Necropsy done please let us know what the outcome is. I also know how difficult it is to explain death of a pet to children. Thankfully mine were young (3 1/2 yrs) enough and didn't see their animals dead so I lied to them.

[axwielding1]

I explained to them that some things just happen that way.
They mourned the first night, but now, a couple days later, they have been bugging me about getting another. My youngest son, 9 years old, wants me to get this red tail Boa in our local pet store. I have considered it only because the husbandry is far easier, and have a good personality, but really, I'm just not a "Boa person".. After having a blood, even with the problems I've had, I can't imagine getting anything but. I think my husbandry was not an issue, and found I could read Lapar pretty well.
So, if I get the Boa, it will be mainly to tide over the kids until I get another Blood. The kids do have a Ball python, so it's not like they're snakeless, so I'll probably just wait. There should be a herp show coming up in Westchester, NY soon, so I'll have to go and see what's out there. Maybe a nice screaming red Maylasian or Banka, who knows? Or I may just get one from NERD once the Juvie's pics are up...
Anyway, I'll certainly post as soon as I find the *right* one...
Thanks for the backup guys!
ax.

[sapphire_moon]

I'm sure it wasn't your husbandry. It sounded like you had everything under control.

Goodluck finding the right one (if you get one from NERD i'll be SO jealous!) and post pics!

[Linds]

Sorry to hear of your loss and better luck with the next one. Next time make sure your temps are warmer and there is a gradient. Bloods/STP need a much warmer spot than 82. I keep mine with an 80-90 gradient. They need the heat to keep everything running, and even warmer temps need to be provided for sick snakes. They need to be provided with a "fever" to fight off the sickness, and keep their metabolism running to work with the meds.