Respiratory Infections

Someone asked me on Friday about Respiratory Infections.

Have I gotten them in the collection?

Yes.

Have I lost any animals to it?

No.

How was it treated?

Well... Over the course of my experiences, I have been issued Baytril and also Ceftazidime.
More recently, my local vet, Dr. Tom Greek, has been giving me the latter drug.

It is every three days, subdermally with a needle, and amount dependent on the weight of the animal.

Enrofloxacin (also known as Baytril) was also subdermally, but was also given orally as well, depending on the situation.

Have you ever given a snake a shot?

It is NOT fun, especially if you are doing it for the first time.

Sub-dermal means below the dermis, which is a thick layer of scales and skin for the Ball Python and most Reptiles. Piercing thru that layer is rather hard, and sometimes there is the possibility of piercing too far down beyond the skin into the muscle tissue.

On top of getting the right layer, one must also have the animal still and not struggling, lest you put the needle in the wrong place and have to pierce twice or three times.

It is a challenge, which is why my Vet gave oral Baytril for a while.

The effectiveness is less than that of a shot, however, so it is one of those things that is either a pain and effective, or convenient and less effective.

Ceftazidime (also called FORTAZ) has become more popular over the years in terms of effectiveness due to its potency. This is important to note that if given too much, you can kill your animal.

Both Baytril and Fortaz are meant to treat bacterial diseases. Read more here.

As I always stress, TAKE YOUR REPTILES TO A QUALIFIED REPTILE VETERINARY SPECIALIST.

Remember that even when you do this, some animals will pass no matter what you do, as I remember the loss of my beloved Enchi female.

So there you go.

To avoid RI, keep your animals clean with good husbandry, keep strange animals away (quarantine), and be vigilant. If you notice anything wrong with your snake or any animal, for that matter, do the responsible thing and take them in to a qualified Veterinarian.

You are the one that is responsible for taking care of them.

Do the right thing.

Have a great day, my friends!

Hatchling Issues

Well, as in every season of breeding, one gets hatchlings (hopefully). When you are lucky enough to have viable hatchlings, the next step is to get them going.

And sometimes, it just doesn't work.

Here are some problems that one finds as a breeder.

1) Non-Feeders:

Some critters have extra yolk to absorb compared to others, and therefore don't need to eat for a few weeks after being hatched out. This is the best scenario, as they just are fatties getting a little less fat before switching from the mother's "milk", so to speak. Other situations become apparent when babies are skinny, you can see their spines, and they just have no interest in any food item.

How do you resolve this issue? Assist feeding. Pre-kill a small prey item (mouse hoppers tend to be a good choice) and put it into the mouth. Usually this is enough of a stimulant to allow for a response, and the snake swallows. Sometimes it is not enough even then, and the animal doesn't respond to anything. In this case, water and patience is the only way to go. Force-feeding should be a last resort, and is not fun for anyone.

2) Problems:

I just had an animal pass away that did not appear to have a well functioning digestive tract. Her stomach and vent area were bloated, and the material did not pass quickly if at all. She ate fine, but eventually succumbed to the lack of regular body flow and passed.  Other animals hatch out with kinks, physical problems, and even missing parts. These are par to the course when dealing with live animals, and it should be something that you as a breeder are aware of. It's again, not fun... but it happens. And you have to come to terms with it.

3) Non-Shedders:

This is a small problem for some, and honestly, it is not that big of a deal depending on the situation. Shiny babies are cute and all, but if they stay shiny, there may be a physiological problem with them that you can't see other than the lack of shedding. The best bet is to treat them like normal, and when they grow by feeding and age, they will eventually shed out, given there are no other hidden issues.

So what do you look for in problem babies?

Well, as I just addressed..

-Non-shedders
-Non-feeders
-Bloating, digestive issues, lack of waste passing
-Color change... (If your baby goes from a white belly to a yellow, this is not a good sign)
-Poor muscle tone/movement (If your baby can't move well, that is also a bad sign)

If any of these are the case, you need to put that critter on watch. If you are concerned, take it to a qualified reptile vet. All of these things are things to do to keep your babies healthy and thriving. Do all you can do make it so.

But realize in the end, there are sometimes fights you just can't win.

Have a great day, my friends.

Crisis: Quasimodo

Well, I have gone at least a year or so with out any problems in the collection.

But, of course, it happened yesterday.

I was cleaning the subadults, and caught this female with a HUGE head! Apparently she has an abscess in the upper jaw region possibly due to a rodent bite. She looks so misshapen.

I, of course, was worried. I don't tend to have this problem, and I didn't have any Baytril that was usable anymore. After I cleaned it as much as I could with Chlorhexidine and q-tips, I had to wait over night to take her in to the Vet. It was a bad night, my friends. I thought she was going to swell up and shut off her airways.

No sleep for me, last night.

But morning came, and I woke up super early to take her in.

And off to the Vet we went.

Poor puffy face got poked and prodded and cleaned out.

We got some shots of Ceftazidime and a note to clean it often with Chlorhexidine, as well as a small lecture to feed pre-killed.

I may have to look into that... Frozen thawed seems more appealing right now than puffy faced snakes.

So as of this blog, it has been a day since we went to the vet. Improvement? Not much, but there.

She'll be fine... She may have inherited the name Quasimodo, however.


HAH!

Have a great weekend, my friends!