Fasting Ribbon- Please help?

[infernalis]

When you can see a spine, and the body looks like it has too much skin, it's way too thin.

About the only way to accurately tell without waiting that long is a gram scale.

"Best Buy" has one for around $40 that works great.

I know how expensive vet visits are, but I love my animals, so I just grin and bear it. ($65 just to walk in the door!)

My vet thinks I'm cool. (Why not, I bring her WC snakes to treat) but not many people come to her office with Garters)

Best luck,
Wayne A. Harvey

[rafiki]

Alrighty. He still hasn't eaten. And he now has a very visible lump in the last third of his body. It looks like a food lump, but is not.

I took him to the Bird and Exotic Vet of Seattle yesterday. They took an ex ray, and have tentatively decided that the lump looks like fish bones.
He is on injectable Baytril (.01 ml) once daily,
and one drop of mineral oil in mouth twice daily for seven days.
He is not happy about either, and I'm not sure I'm getting enough mineral oil into his mouth. He is very small, and never opens up. I get it on his tongue when he flicks though. The shot is way easier, I don't think he even feels it.
The vet said a diet of goldfish did not cause thiamine deficiency in ribbon snakes, but that it will give the snake parasites, like any live fish diet.

Overall, he is still active and fast. I think he does look a little skinny though. He is also getting easier to handle, which worries me slightly, but it may be just because I've been holding him so much more often lately, for his treatments.

From my limited experience, it seems to me like domestic animal veterinary medicine is a lot more science focused than reptile medicine, which almost seems more like common sense/guess work. Does this seem right to anyone else? I asked around, and this vet has a very good reputation. I guess only time will tell if her treatment will work.

If anyone has any tips for getting the mineral oil down him, please let me know.

[jitami]

No advice, but hoping all goes well with Rafe's treatment. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in with advice. Please keep us updated.

[Snake lover 3-25]

idk either... but i'd make sure that he's drinking some water hope he gets well soon!!!

[adamanteus]

If the vet thinks the lump is lodged fish bones, I don't understand what he thinks will be achieved by Baytril and minerals. Also, he is wrong about the Goldfish/thiaminase thing. They do contain high levels of thiaminase and this will cause problems eventually.

[Loren]

If the vet thinks the lump is lodged fish bones, I don't understand what he thinks will be achieved by Baytril and minerals. Also, he is wrong about the Goldfish/thiaminase thing. They do contain high levels of thiaminase and this will cause problems eventually.

Mineral oil is sometimes given to help dislodge/lubricate or soften impactions. I guess that must be why she advised it. Not sure on the baytril though- unless she thinks there is an infection at the bone site.

[Jenlang_79]

I don't have any advice on the medicine..but I do want to say good luck with your little guy...it sounds like it is not life threatening if treated..that is great news!!!

[drache]

my first hit guess at the lump had been impacted food
the oil seems like a good idea, but I would have gone with an animal based oil (fish oil), rather than mineral oil which I believe is made from petroleum or some byproduct of gasoline production
the way to get it in the mouth would be to pry the mouth open carefully by sticking the corner of a stiff business card, credit card, or the like into the opening that the tongue comes out of when the mouth is closed and then turn it to get the edge of the card into the mouth - gently!
then you can insert a dropper or syringe
it's fine to stick something down their throat a little - they don't have a gag reflex - just make sure it's nothing that can puncture or scratch them

unless the vet saw some sort of abscess or infection also, I'm not sure what the baytril is for and I don't agree with the goldfish being fine either

[Zephyr]

Is it a female? Maybe it's jellybean lodged in there if it's a mass of bones... Also, I've heard of numerous people feeding their ribbon snake only live goldfish with regular growth rates and no problems. Maybe ribbons process their food differently than garters...

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i doubt it

Is it a female? Maybe it's jellybean lodged in there if it's a mass of bones... Also, I've heard of numerous people feeding their ribbon snake only live goldfish with regular growth rates and no problems. Maybe ribbons process their food differently than garters...