Not sure what's wrong..

[Qwerty3159]

Well he's been soaking for near 40 minutes and nothing yet.
Also I live with my parents (obviously due to the fact I haven't yet even got out of high school) and they seem convinced the fecal test and possible meds the snake would need would be way more than the meager 100 dollars I have to spend for this snake's problem. Any idea of the cost?

[d_virginiana]

Fecal float aren't very expensive. The parasite meds themselves aren't bad (at least in my experience). Combined they may go a little bit above $100, but probably not by much. I feel like you're looking at a fixable problem that's worth treating. If your parents are concerned about cost, you can always call the vet and ask for an estimate.

[Qwerty3159]

Thanks. At least now I only have to wait and hope he passes something for me so I can bring it in.
Sorry if this has been answered already but is the weakness and weird rubbery and soft skin caused by the parasites? Will they be cured? I'd hate to see him suffer any more because just crawling onto his hide drained him.

[d_virginiana]

In my case, yeah, the weakness and bizarre skin texture were caused by the parasites. Again, you won't know 100% about what's causing it till you get the fecal done, but it does sound enough like what I dealt with that IMO it's worth testing for.
You may want to mention to the vet all the similarities to the mammalian parasite issue I had just to be sure they look for those. Not sure if that's something they normally include in a fecal float.

[d_virginiana]

Also, they may automatically assume it's a thiaminase issue since you feed fish and you're seeing weakness and strange movements; I would strongly advise against letting them administer B1 shots before they do a fecal exam. That is what happened with me, and I ended up being glad I told them to hold off till I got the fecal float results back.
That's just my personal philosophy on treatment though; do the less invasive stuff first and see if there's an easy non-invasive fix before you let them do something with more potential after-effects.

[Qwerty3159]

Thanks for telling me that.

Today when I got home he was slumped in the water dish and I thought for sure he was dead.
He wasn't. He's still kicking, drinking from the bowl with gusto, only for it to gush out of his mouth minutes later like a horrific water fountain. Unfortunately, after yet another soak he still hasn't passed anything, and refused about every type of food I could have given him.

I guess I'll wait and see. There's not much I can do if I can't get a fecal specimen!
Should I try adding some sort of medication to his water? I'm sure he keeps a little bit in him each time he spits up so maybe a bit of anti-parasite could help.

[d_virginiana]

Anti-parasitics can cause problems if you medicate for the wrong parasite or get the dosage wrong. I wouldn't do anything in this case unless a vet tells you to.

There's probably SOMETHING left in his system that just hasn't come out yet. You may want to put him in a hospital type setup; remove all decor except for a hide and water dish and paper towels for bedding (if his skin's sensitive he'd probably appreciate that). That way any poo will stand out and it'll be easier to preserve it for the vet.

[Qwerty3159]

I've actually done that already.
The only thing is his tank is his water dish and two hides. Let's hope he fights through long enough to provide a sample. He's soaking now.

[Qwerty3159]

Thank you for all your help guys. I truly am blessed.

Unfortunately, the snake passed away several minutes ago. I wish there was something I could have done. I appreciate all of your input and I hope his last days weren't as painful as they seemed. He will be missed.

Good luck, little guy. You shouldn't have been taken so soon.

[d_virginiana]

Sorry to hear that