RI in new CRB..help?

[Sharlynn93]

ok, kind of a long story on this one...i apologize in advance...i am a corn snake and garter snake owner and recently convinced my hubby to allow me to get the Columbian Rainbow i have been "mooning" over that the local pet store has had for a year...she was being kept in a 20 long, with virtually NO humidity (just a water bowl) and a simple heat bulb...brought her home 6 days ago, and she started emitting a squeak the day after i brought her home...she has since progressed to the point she is starting to open her mouth to breathe occasionally, refuses food (hasn't eaten since i brought her home, although she ate 3 mice in the last 2 weekly feedings at the pet store, now 11 days since her last meal and shed less than a month ago...1.5 yrs old and 4 ft long)...i have her humidity 72 now and temp at 75 and she seems to be resting somewhat comfortably...i made a call to the vet 3 days ago, but they waited until yesterday to call me back, and now i work until monday afternoon, so i cant call back until then...any advice to help her until i can get her to the vet? the closest reptile vet is 1.5 hrs away and the outside temps are about 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so i am also concerned about transport to and from...

[DeadlyDesires]

i would turn up that heat.

[Sharlynn93]

thats what i thought, would an UTH be ok with an exo-terra mat? thats what i use for substrate in all of my cages...

[DeadlyDesires]

well it would heat up the bottom for sure but you need the ambient temps up higher as well.. around mid 80's if not a little warmer because she is sick..

[formica]

what do you mean temp at 75? how and where is this measured?

have you measured her basking temps on the ground? she needs a basking area on the ground of 30-31C / 86-88F - this is best achieved with a UTH and thermostat


the 75F ambient temp is irrelevant as long as the basking area is setup properly, without a 86-88F basking temp, your CRB has little hope of fighting the infection - if possible measure with an IR temp gun, otherwise use a digital thermometer with a probe, combined with a thermostat and a UTH/heat mat


how is the enclosure heated at the moment? UTH is the only method I would recomend for a high-humdity snake species - and I'd also recomend a humidity retaining substrate that your CRB can burrow into (coir or coco husk for eg), they love to burrow, and when they are sick they should get as much security and comfort as possible.

[Sharlynn93]

i don't have an IR temp gun, all i have is one of those stick on thermometers from petco right now (please don't bash, this is what was sold to me by "experts (hah)" at petco, so it is measuring the ambient temperature i am sure. I did get an UTH just gotta wait for the hubby to get home to help me install it for her..she has a heat bulb shining down on her "hot side" right now and humidity is 80 to 85...she seems to be doing MUCH better...am calling the vet back tomorrow after work to try and get her in either tomorrow afternoon or tuesday...i am really glad i got her when i did or she would have probably died in the conditions she was kept in the local pet store...i may not have an optimum setup YET for her but its waaaaay better than what she had there, and i am working on making it perfect for her...i have learned sooo much from all of you, i really appreciate any and all help and advice you can give me, my corns and garter snake are pretty "low" maintenance compared to her, and i know in retrospect i should have researched more and had an optimum setup for her but my hubby actually relented and said YES to her, if i had waited and he saw how much it was going to cost to set her up, etc, he would have balked at the idea...now he is madly in love with her and just as excited about getting her well and making sure she is happy...especially now that he knows she is ill, and if we hadn't gotten her she wouldn't be getting the help that she needs...

[formica]

ambient is a useful temp to know, but it is not essential and infact will be very misleading, esp as yours as an RI, a digital thermometer, and a thermostat for your UTH are essential, you need them yesterday - also be aware that sustained ambient tempretures of 88F+ will kill your CRB, you need a basking temp of 88, ambient (air) should be around 76

heat bulbs are a big no no for CRB's, they need high humidity, it should be 80%+ while she is a hatchling, a heat bulb will not allow anywhere near this kind of humidity - and without a digital hygrometer its impossible to know what humidity you are providing

she needs that UTH and thermostat, plus a digital hygrometer and thermometer, yesterday.



is the heat blub inside or outside the enclosure? if its outside, you will need to find a way of sealing off the lid when you get rid of the bulb, a piece of plastic, or even wood, wil do fine, just gotta keep that humidity up high, its esp important for a hatchling



sorry to keep repeating...but CRB's have much tighter requirements than corns and garters, who can surivive well in a wider range of enviroments, CRBs can only surivive in rainforest climates with very high humidity and stable tempretures

[marvelfreak]

What kind of cage is it in? With a sick animal that requires such high humidity i would keep it in a plastic totes with a UTH. put the water bowl next to the heat pad but not over it. this will help you maintain the humidity and temp. Just drill some air holes in the side. Can we see pictures of your set up and the snake?

[Sharlynn93]

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[Sharlynn93]

she has a vet appointment in the morning, she seems to be doing better now that i have the wet towels on her lid...hopefully in the next few months we will be getting her a tropical setup, but for now this will have to do...

[formica]

beautiful CRB from her head shot, I would say she looks to be suffering from dehydration due to lack of humidity

Originally Posted by Sharlynn93

she has a vet appointment in the morning, she seems to be doing better now that i have the wet towels on her lid...hopefully in the next few months we will be getting her a tropical setup, but for now this will have to do...

next few months is far too long, as I said already, high ambient temps will kill her, low humidity will also make her very sick

a plastic tub costs peanuts, a cheap £3 tub from a super store wil do, a pulse thermostat for the UTH can be bought for £30-35, or at the very least an on/off type for less than £20, a digital thermometer/hygrometer with a probe for just £2-3 on ebay to check basking area temp (you need a better one than that in the long run, but for now it will suffice), at most you need to pay £40 ($60-70) to get her setup correctly with a UTH and high humidity

[Snakesitter]

RIs are serious with rainbows, so I am glad you are getting her to the vet fast. Remember that snakes are masters at hiding illness, so just because she looks better does not mean she is. Don't worry about such a short lapse in feeding; these animals can go for months without food if they need to. Please let us know how the visit goes!

[Sharlynn93]

she isn't a hatchling, she is 4 feet long...the head shot was taken the day after i got her...i have only observed her drinking once since we got her 8 days ago (she may have drank more, and i just didn't see) she isn't very active in the tank, but when i have her out she is very exploratory...i try not to have her out too long each time because i want to keep her in the humidity, but i do want her to familiarize herself with being held, etc...i have the whole lid covered with wet towels except where the light is. I can turn off the heat lamp, but the UTH does not put off much heat and i am afraid the temp will drop too much if i do...she uses it for basking also, so i am confused as to how getting rid of the heat bulb will be beneficial? forgive me, i'm just a bit confused...what do they bask under if there is no heat bulb?

[formica]

if the UTH provides a basking temp of 30-31C/86-88F, then that is exactly what she needs - ambient temps at 76 are fine - but of course you need to be able to measure the temps properly first!


also CRB's are nocturnal, it is not natural for them to have to bask in light to b able to warm up




removing the heat bulb will allow proper control of the humidity, which will be significantly lower around the heat bulb that she needs

[Sharlynn93]

also, if i use the tote idea, would i be able to put her back into this tank when she is well? i really do not like plastic totes for keeping my snakes, they look crappy and cheap to me, and i like to watch my snakes...(they are in my living room)...