I need an EXPERT. Seizure!?!?! loss of balance, wont eat.

[nuetralgothic89]

Serenity was in the care of my friend for the last three months...
He finally brought her down to the cities...
the other night someone said there was something wrong with her, said she was coiling up on the floor...
i didnt think anything of it, i figured she was just freaking out because of so many people around...
also i didnt see any of that occur.
I went and got her some fish today and bedding to clean her cage.
I went to hand feed her a fish and she seemed like she didnt even see it...
I touched her with the fish to get her attention but she just moved a little bit.
a second later she started coiling rapidly going in circles, then she uncoiled and started shaking and spinning like she was having a seizure... she seems fine now...
please someone tell me whats wrong with her...
i'm a 20 year old male and i havent cried like that in years when that happened...

I suspected she hadn't eaten in a while and my friend said he hasn't fed her in over a month....
She ate one fish last night... she has been acting funny eversince she had her "seizure". she is 29 inches long and about 2 years old.
now she is moving arould like she is blind and off balance. she rolls over all the time and she climbs the wall of the tank and just falls over.

She looks like she stops breathing for minutes at a time until i touch her.

I just cleaned the cage which hasen't been cleaned in months.

Now i wont mind if she dies.... but just having to see her suffer like that knowing theres was nothing i can do really hurts.

Seriously if she's gonna die then she's gonna die, but if i just need to wait for her to get better then cool.


FINAL NOTE: Please dont reply to this unless you can help, i dont need people saying good luck, of hope she gets better, or anything like that... A diagnosis is all i'm looking for.

[adamanteus]

It sounds to me like vitamin deficiency brought about by feeding with thiaminase fish. What type of fish has the snake been eating?
The normal course of action (if I'm right) would be a course of multi-vitamins, probably best administered by a vet, as injection might be the best way to get it into the snake's system quickly.

[nuetralgothic89]

Rosy Reds from petco.

[adamanteus]

Rosies contain thiaminase. I recommend you see a vet, explain the thiamin deficiency issue and ask about vitamin treatment.

[nuetralgothic89]

Besides the loss of calcium and the thiamin thing... can i get her to eat something so she makes a slow recovery... earthworms?

[nuetralgothic89]

I dont have the money to visit a vet.

[adamanteus]

From your description I think she has passed the point of a gradual recovery, intervention is required by this stage. If you have a multi-vitamin formulated for reptiles available, you could try to make a solution of this and squirt it down her throat with a plastic syringe or similar.

[adamanteus]

Quote:

"It should be noted that there are a number of 'feeder' fish (including Goldfish) that are unsafe to feed to Garter Snakes. This is because they contain an enzyme (thiaminase) which destroys the thiamin in the snakes' diet. Thiamin is necessary for the production of vitamin B3 in the body. Vitamin B3 is necessary for the synthesis of calcium. In short, a Garter Snake fed on Goldfish (and other thiaminase containing fishes), will not be able to take up calcium. This results in spasms, seizures and ultimately, death".

[nuetralgothic89]

thank you i'll see what i can do.

[adamanteus]

Good luck, Aaron. Keep us informed.

[Stefan-A]

Good luck, hope she gets better.

[gregmonsta]

Fingers crossed for her ... an injection of vitamins sounds like a must in this case.

[guidofatherof5]

Just wondered how things were going with your snake.

[nuetralgothic89]

I don't have the money to visit a vet :( She is to far gone to help... she won't eat. I'm not home right now so I don't know how she's doing exactly. I just hope she passes quickly and feels no pain...

[gregmonsta]

She will be in a lot of pain unfortunately. I urge you to find a reptile rescue service in your local area asap before it's too late! Please, or find someone that can pay for the treatment required.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

If you can't have her euthanized... crush her head. it's an instantaneous death. if you can't bring yourself to do that, put her in the fridge for a half hour, then move her to the freezer. Anything is better than her having to go through the convulsions and the pain any longer.