Dehydration Question???

paolo_28 · 04-09-03, 09:47 PM

Hey guys, I think my baby BCI Titan looks a little dehydrated. If he is, I don't really get it because there is water in his bowl all the time and I usually spray down his tank once in a while.

Has anyone's snake ever been dehydrated before? And what should I do?

Thanks In advance.

Paolo

HetForHuman · 04-09-03, 10:54 PM

well you should give a little more info like what the temps are in the cage and also what the humidity is usually at.

maybe just try to up the humidity a bit and see how that goes.

and also how often do you change the water for him??
i have to change the water for 1 of my snakes at least daily because i swear she will not drink if the water is too warm.

Linds · 04-10-03, 02:08 PM

What are the symptoms your snake is showing that leads you to believe he is dehydrated? What are your humidity levels in the tank? What kind of substrate are you using? Is it possible that he is going into a shed? Around this time their skin often gets a little "baggy" looking, which sometimes may give the snake a dehyrdated appearance.

paolo_28 · 04-10-03, 08:31 PM

Day and night time, the temp is around 85-90F. I'm using forrest bedding - Jungle Earth as a substrate.

Paolo

J_Riley · 04-11-03, 12:31 PM

If you're sure s/he's not in shed, try the skin pinch test. Like it sounds, use your thumb & forefinger and carefully pinch and slightly pull up her skin, then let go. Observe how long it takes to go back in place. If it takes a second or more, that's moderate dehydration.

zouleous · 04-11-03, 12:44 PM

Make sure you change the water every day and I would buy some spring water in the gallon jugs from the supermarket. That's what I do and it's certainly helped. It's only like 60 cents (US) for some cheap spring water. Tap water has too much chlorine etc..that dries them up. It also doesn't hurt to spray him down every day for a while...see if that helps. Also, your temps should drop about 5 degrees F during the night. I do this by using a cheap timer I baught at wallmart that shuts off an overhead lamp after 12 hours during the day.

Z

herm · 04-14-03, 03:15 PM

Mix in some pedialite in his/her water.

paolo_28 · 04-17-03, 04:38 PM

What is Pedialite? and what does it do?

nuno · 04-22-03, 08:47 AM

Paolo, I agree with Linds. I know when boas are about to shed they look a little dehydrated but it's just the appearence of the skin. I would wait a week and wait to see if it sheds then pick him up and slightly pinch the skin and release and if the skin goes back to the same position then you're o.k.

Emily-Fisher · 04-22-03, 08:53 AM

Give him 1ml of pedialyte, gatorade or powerade for every 5grams that he weighs. Feed him through a syringe without the needle. hope this helps!

rattekonigin · 04-22-03, 08:56 AM

I think mixing pedialyte in the water would pretty much negate the whole purpose of using pedialyte (which is a brand of isotonic electrolyte solution, by the way...isotonic meaning that it has the same electrolyte concentration as your body's tissues...it's commonly used to prevent dehydration from diarrhea/vomiting in very young children), you might as well just leave plain water in there...not to mention that, unless it's refrigerated, the pedialyte will not be any good after a few hours.

P.S. - I really think you should check him over for the possibility of it being a shed, first of all, because there's no need to stress him by forcing him to drink something he may not even need...2nd of all, if you do decide to administer fluids, I'd stay away from gatorade/powerade or any sport drinks because they have a lot of sugar, artificial flavouring and colouring that might not be very good for the snake...stick to clear, plain, flavourless electrolyte mixes (and that even means avoiding some kinds of Pedialyte) if you want to go that route.