Help: BRB won't eat

caitsnake · 01-17-13, 08:52 AM

Hi all-I am having trouble getting my Brazilian Rainbow Boa to eat. She is recovering from a respiratory infection (spent time at vet and went thru 2 weeks of antibiotic injections) and her color and eyes are back to normal. She hasn't eaten at least 2 months and I'm getting worried. She is still strong when held...should I be concerned? Should I try force feeding?

SpOoKy · 01-17-13, 09:39 AM

Force feeding is always a last resort and 2 months of not eating is not a long time for a snake.

Can you give some more detail about your set up. Enclosure size, temps, humidity, substrate...

SnakeyJay · 01-17-13, 11:43 AM

Full details of how he's kept and what you have tried so far... That way were not going over things you've already done.

Meshagirl3 · 01-17-13, 12:12 PM

Also, how old is your snake (if you dont know age then approximate size helps)? If your snake is a juvenile, two months without food is a very bad sign. If adult, not a huge deal, no.

Are you trying to feed her what she ate before the vet trip, or are you trying something different?

Always do force feed as a last option, try anything else before that, the snake can actually die from the shock of it in some cases.

caitsnake · 01-17-13, 01:31 PM

Thank you all for the responses! She is a 2 1/2 yr old BRB (about 4 feet long) in a 40 gallon glass tank with a screen top. I know the screen top is not ideal, so I have a damp towel over it with a heat lamp, large water bowl I clean daily, and a smaller tupperware container filled with moss that I soak every 2-3 days. The rest of the tank is bark substrate that I just switched out with aspen to try something different. Her eyes still look slightly hazy from the respiratory infection but I'm trying to avoid another $200 trip to the vet.

I do all of this to keep humidity as high as I can, but it is difficult in Indiana. I originally think she went to the vet due to the drop in temp and humidity in October.

I have been looking for a better setup but they're hard to find.

SnakeyJay · 01-17-13, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meshagirl3

If your snake is a juvenile, two months without food is a very bad sign.

Considering its had a respiratory infection during that time then it's not a "bad sign". If anything I'd say its expected really from the stress. Even as a juvenile 2 months is not long at all, as long as the snake isn't losing weight and is in good condition now the RI is gone.

SnakeyJay · 01-17-13, 01:35 PM

It's good that you changed from aspen anyway as it grows mould in humid environments.. How are you offering the prey? With my brb you have to get the head of the rat really warm before she will strike.

SpOoKy · 01-17-13, 01:40 PM

Quote:

I do all of this to keep humidity as high as I can, but it is difficult in Indiana. I originally think she went to the vet due to the drop in temp and humidity in October.

Quote:

I have been looking for a better setup but they're hard to find.

You can try replacing the screen top with plywood. Just cut to fit and add the spot for the light. Keep in mind that you will want to put screen arond the hole where the light will sit or your snake will just end up escaping through the fixture and possibly burning itself.

Having a solid lid will do wonders for your humididty problems.

Lankyrob · 01-17-13, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakey-Jay

It's good that you changed from aspen anyway as it grows mould in humid environments.. How are you offering the prey? With my brb you have to get the head of the rat really warm before she will strike.

I read it that they have just put the aspen in??

To the op - what are your hot and cold end temps and the humidity levels?

SnakeyJay · 01-17-13, 01:49 PM

Oh my bad, I'd get rid of the aspen then mate... It's no good for high humidity animals... Plus it means you can't most the viv or mould will grow.

caitsnake · 01-17-13, 01:58 PM

Thanks everyone! I will definitely switch back to bark....I was trying everything. I also plan to update the top. Right now one side of the tank is 85 degrees and the other side is 70 degrees. The humidity can go from 70% down to 40% between tank sprays. Which is why I'm considering a new tank or working on my own top.

One last question: the vet suggested every other day warm water soaking....thoughts on that??

DeesBalls · 01-17-13, 02:01 PM

for sure get rid of the aspen... it grows mold in humid areas as Snakey-Jay already expressed, as for not eating, i dont think 2 months is not that big of a deal at all... she is probably just getting over the stress from the vet visit, and injections and all of that-

i say just be patient with the feeding, as long as she is gripping stong while being handled my personal OPINION is that she just needs time to recover.

as for the tank- what helped for me is to get a piece of plexi glass cut to size to fit into the lip of the tank, cover 2/3 of the tank, and put the screen over the plexi glass. should only cost few dollars (depending on how much plexi glass costs in your area) works decent for keeping humidity in a glass tanks- or - switch to an UTH on thermostat, and use the plexi glass idea, but cover the whole top.... if you do it this way, you will need to drill a some holes in the plexi to let the tank "breathe" if you will.

hope she feels better, and hope this helped you out a little bit.

DeesBalls · 01-17-13, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caitsnake

Thanks everyone! I will definitely switch back to bark....I was trying everything. I also plan to update the top. Right now one side of the tank is 85 degrees and the other side is 70 degrees. The humidity can go from 70% down to 40% between tank sprays. Which is why I'm considering a new tank or working on my own top.

One last question: the vet suggested every other day warm water soaking....thoughts on that??

the temps seem fine- if i recall 70 may be a little to low, i keep my low side at 74 (could be wrong on that)

as for the soaking, its not a bad thing to do, it could help. If you can, just maybe use a large tub in the tank with water- so if she wants to soak she can... i know mine is in the bowl alot. and humidity is always around 70-90

Snakesitter · 01-18-13, 03:25 PM

Hi Cait! Just saw this....

At 2.5 years, your rainbow can survive a two-month hiatus from food without any long-term effects. However, keep an eye on her weight and appearance: if she starts to look gaunt or loses weight, then it's time to take action.

In the meantime, some of her environmental parameters can be tweaked slightly, and this should help her out.

Your temps are mostly good, but I would drop the hot end by three degrees to 82. 85 can cause illness if the snake spends too much time there, such as the moist hide (and therefore what she regards as safety) being on that end.

For humidity, GlyKon is correct: plexi is the best answer. However, I would make it the same size as your screen top. Enough air will get in that the snake can breath. If you're worried, drill two or three small holes. You should also consider replacing the heat lamp with an undercage solution, or with a radiant heat panel. Heat lamps dry the air, which can lead to illness. A return to bark for substrate, which will hold humidity better, has already been discussed above. The moist moss is an excellent tactic -- well done!

One possible item that may be causing the snake stress is the daily water changes. I change mine once per week (unless soiled), and the snakes do fine on that schedule. Ditto with moistening the moss. If you feel more frequent updates are necesssary, change both every three or four days, but at the same time. This will limit your presence and lower stress while the snake recovers. Also, do you have anything covering the outside glass? You might try placing a background over a few sides to further increase her sense of privacy.

As for feeding...

Try offering her next meal using the same prey that she ate before. Offer it just after dusk, which is when Brazilians are the most active, with the room lights out. Offer it piping hot (run it under really hot water), as this will attract her. Do the dead rodent dance on tongs to see if she will grab it. If so, great. If not, leave it in the tank with her overnight. Etiher way, leave the room immediately, and do not check back for another hour.

If she refuses her familiar prey, then there are various "escalation" strategies you can try, from scenting to braining to fresh killed. The ultimate lure for a Brazilian, however, is always a live mouse. Nothing gets them fired up so fast. If all else fails, try this. She should take it. If so, feed her several every other week for three or four feedings to pump her calories, and only then start weaning her back to her usual food.

If she refuses even live mice, then you may want to have the vet feed-tube her -- *much* safer and less stressful than force-feeding -- to get her calories and jump-start her digestive system. This will also allow him to slip her in some nutiritional and digestive supplements.

Good luck, and please let me know if I can help further!

mykee · 01-18-13, 03:55 PM

A respiratory infection is VERY stressful both on the snake itself as well as their immune system.
I every case I've ever seen with respiratory infections, two weeks is never long enough a course of antibiotics to completely kill all bacteria, but whatever.
If you couple the RI with assist or force feeding, you are more than likely going to kill your snkae. Let it be, make sure it's husbandry requirements sre met, and wait it out. A healthy snake with proper husbandry will eat almost every time.