my christmas snake (fell on me)

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Hey guys,

Ok i know that i have that thread out about me wanting a large snake for christmas but now im almost sure I cant afford one. Last night I came upon a man from around my area who had a 5 foot regular burm, now this is the bad part, He told me it was 4 years old!!!! I said 5 feet??? no way you have got to be wayyy mistaken on the age for him to be 5 feet. And he said no its the only snake we have ever owned and we bought it for our sons 16th birthday (they had pictures) and our son is 20 now. He said his son moved out 3 years ago and they have been in charge of it since, so basically it was left upstairs to rot and die. he is hissing and striking now because other then me last night he has not been even touched in about 2 years or the sad part... gotten out of the 20 gallon glass tank! He had no humidity device and get this A HEAT STONE, Those damm things should have been recalled YEARS ago. This poor snake really got to me, When i went upstairs to see him he hid in the corner and staired at me like he has never seen a human. He is soooo thin its heart breaking and extremely week. Now if all this wasent enough the husband only fed him wild mice and rats!!!! They had mouse traps in there house and if/when they caught something they would take the dead mouse off the trap and throw it in threw the hole in the lid. I told the man immediatly that i wanted that snake!!! He said ok he would sell it to me for what its worth.. ( i was thinking well in that case u pay me 400 and we will be even) the price of that snake was 400.00!!! that is completely crazy but i could not get him to come down. I wasent about to leave the poor thing there so i bought it for that price. I know u all probably think im very dumb and i probably am but it was something i just had to do ya know. I know that this snake is most likly past the point of return and wont live very long considering the state he is in...but i want to make the last few weeks or months but hopefully years of this guys life worth living. He is going to have the best of everything (even though he bit me this morning, but when he did he was to weak to throw coils on me, he got one over my arm and couldnt even squeeze very hard, after a couple seconds his coil just fell off) I know this was a long thread but im so upset about all this i had to get itoff my chest! So to make a long story less long Im sorry and thanx for everyones great value offers but i am not going to be able to afford a big snake this year! Sorry about waisting ya'lls time sendin me pics and info last week.. thanx again for everything... why does it say im 21??? im 18.. hmmm o well..

kyle

Doing a good deed is never dumb, and this Burm may just surprise you. They're pretty hardy snakes. If he's made it this far under lousy conditions, he's likely to thrive under good care.

I'd start out by feeding him small prey items every few days -- from what you've described, nothing larger than a weanling rat and maybe even rat pinks or large mice. Once you've got a little bit of weight on him you can increase the size of his prey items but for now you don't want to shock the little fellow's system.

clarinet45 said:

You should get your money back to spend on vet bills and bring the police over there. That is blantent animal neglict and/or cruelty. NEVER pay for rescue animals, or else what has that couple learned?

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It's difficult-to-impossible to get animal welfare or police interested in snake cruelty cases. The original owners don't need to let police see the setup without a warrant -- and good luck getting a judge to sign a search warrant based on "I heard they were keeping a skinny snake and feeding it wild rats."

If they were running a huge breeder operation or dealing with an endangered species that would be something else, but by and large the police don't really care about reptiles. If they enforced reptile neglect laws, how many iguana owners would be behind bars right now?

I would generally advise against buying rescue animals, but in this case it was Christmas and Kyle may just have saved this little guy's life. So let's grant a one-time-only "Santa Claus exemption" on this one and hope he can turn things around for him.

im sorry, i mean i thought about the fact that it was rewarding them for there carelessness and cruelness but when it went threw my mind in the 10 seconds i had to decide i thought they are an older couple and they dont do this for a living its the first and last animal they will ever own.. they didnt want anything to do with it. if it was a gross breeder then i wouldnt have done it but with them i figured they diudnt learn from it in fact they made out well but o well who cares.. i rescued there first and last victum

Whatever the circumstances, you have him at home now. The important thing is getting him back to good health. How are you currently keeping him? What size is his cage, what are his current high and low temperatures, and what substrate are you using?

You may want to consider giving him a warm bath to get him hydrated: a good soak in lukewarm water will probably do him good. After that you may want to feed him a mouse (at least you know he's taking prekilled). Then leave him alone for a couple days before giving him another mouse. I'd say try feeding him every three or four days and don't be surprised if he passes up food for a while.

You probably should get him to a vet as soon as possible, but if you spent all the money you had on him this may help keep him alive and put some weight on him until you can afford a vet visit.

Generally I would agree to not pay for rescues, but being it was a pet (and they didn't have more), they weren't going to get it any help and you were willing to pay what they wanted you are fine. It doesn't sound like they are going to use the money to buy more pets to neglect like pet stores would. I don't think your purchase is encouraging the owners to go buy more animals. Hope it does well for you.

This thread should be in the python's forum or the sound off forum.

Is thread moving a function that still happens around here ?

he got a hot bath this morning for about 30 minutes... thats how i got bit haha,, i was trying to pick him up to put him in the tub but owell he needs to let out some frustration.. rafter the bath i drove him to our lake house and put him in the care of my brother, its a 7foot by 7 foot homemade cage that he is in. his temp is between 93 and 98 degrees i think he said right now. He said something about really cranking the humidity to help with the resperatory system but he was going to call his vet and clarify first. And yes i am taking him to the vet. I am saving to do that now. I was going to Branson again with my cousin for a weekend getaway in 2 weekends but i took all my money i was saving for that to cover vet bills haha.. i think i about got enough already

whats moving a thread?? is that something i should do? did i mess this up or put it in the wrong spot or something haha??? im sorry

kylehargrove said:

he got a hot bath this morning for about 30 minutes... thats how i got bit haha,, i was trying to pick him up to put him in the tub but owell he needs to let out some frustration.. rafter the bath i drove him to our lake house and put him in the care of my brother, its a 7foot by 7 foot homemade cage that he is in. his temp is between 93 and 98 degrees i think he said right now. He said something about really cranking the humidity to help with the resperatory system but he was going to call his vet and clarify first. And yes i am taking him to the vet. I am saving to do that now. I was going to Branson again with my cousin for a weekend getaway in 2 weekends but i took all my money i was saving for that to cover vet bills haha.. i think i about got enough already

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I might turn that heat down to an 86-88 low/92-93 high: while he definitely needs some extra warmth, that may be just a little bit much for him. Other than that, it sounds like you're doing a superb job of giving him the care he needs. Good on you!

Oh Wow! What a sad story with a hopefully happy ending for the big baby. Good luck with him, I truly hope he pulls through and becomes a wonderful pet for you.

okay i turned his heat down now... its set on 89-92.. that work? I am getting him soaked again tonight for 30 more minutes, tomorrow morning he is getting a pinky and then a few days off except for the occasional warm bath. Then another couple pinkies depending on how he is doing. I dont wanna take him to fast to health cause that can be unhealthy haha. He is going to the vet monday afternoon and we are going to find out something then. He has a staring problem haha i dunno what thats about, o well. I am doing the best i can. any more advice would really help me. thanx for everyones support

kylehargrove said:

okay i turned his heat down now... its set on 89-92.. that work? I am getting him soaked again tonight for 30 more minutes, tomorrow morning he is getting a pinky and then a few days off except for the occasional warm bath. Then another couple pinkies depending on how he is doing. I dont wanna take him to fast to health cause that can be unhealthy haha. He is going to the vet monday afternoon and we are going to find out something then. He has a staring problem haha i dunno what thats about, o well. I am doing the best i can. any more advice would really help me. thanx for everyones support

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That sounds great: it looks like you've been drafted as your Burm's Guardian Angel -- and what's more, it sounds like you're doing a great job at the task! After all he's been through it's good that he finally caught a lucky break.

Kevin, congrats on your new critter! And while I USUALLY have a policy about not paying for rescues, in this situation, I would have done the same. They are not breeding them, nor looking to get more and turn a profit....so you do what you have to do. I once paid a ridiculous amount of money for a horse that was so starved she could barely stand up....but that's another story, lol.

Sounds like you are doing well with him, the only concern I would have is when you said you gave him a "HOT" bath. When you bathe a snake, water that feels barely lukewarm is more than warm enough....you would be surprised what the actual water temp is if you measured it. Our body temp being 98 degrees, water that feels warm to us is most likely well over 100 degrees and too warm for the snake.

Man, you have a big heart.....I love all snakes and I hate to see them suffer, but $400 for a normal Burm? Wow.

I would've laid the facts out for the guy....told him the condition of the snake was not going to command a fair market price due to the possibility of veterinary expenses, then I would've told him the honest market price of the snake and given him multiple references in case he didn't believe me. Thats just what I would've done personally if I wanted to "rescue" the animal.

Good luck with him, I hope he does better in your care.

hey, yea well david i was going to rescue him but i couldnt without coughing up the cash... btw after his bath tonight he started breathing bad. I dont know if the heat and warth is loosening up mucus in him or what but he sounds like a human who has flim caught in the throat. and his nose is pouring snot and i cant get it to stop and foamy white spit is bubbling out of his mouth like he is blowing spit bubbles.. did all this happen from a 97 degree bath>?? i thought the heat was good for him??? i hope i didnt do anything wrong. Now he is laying under his heat lamp sneezing. a cold maybe? I hope its nothing more serious cause im about broke... um he is hissing alot to, pretty much none stop and not at me, just ALL the time, even when he moves and im lookin in threw the window... i dont know what to do. If theres anything i need to do to make him ok tell me

kylehargrove said:

hey, yea well david i was going to rescue him but i couldnt without coughing up the cash... btw after his bath tonight he started breathing bad. I dont know if the heat and warth is loosening up mucus in him or what but he sounds like a human who has flim caught in the throat. and his nose is pouring snot and i cant get it to stop and foamy white spit is bubbling out of his mouth like he is blowing spit bubbles.. did all this happen from a 97 degree bath>?? i thought the heat was good for him??? i hope i didnt do anything wrong. Now he is laying under his heat lamp sneezing. a cold maybe? I hope its nothing more serious cause im about broke... um he is hissing alot to, pretty much none stop and not at me, just ALL the time, even when he moves and im lookin in threw the window... i dont know what to do. If theres anything i need to do to make him ok tell me

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Kyle: relax. You're doing everything you need to do for your Burm and more. You haven't caused any of his problems and you're doing all you need to do and more. It sounds like he may have a respiratory infection. If that's the case, he will really need to see a vet ASAP. In the meantime keep his heat and humidity where they are at and keep giving him warm baths (85* or so should be fine).

Alternately, he may just have a little water in his nostrils. I've seen my Burm sneeze a few times after a bath and she didn't have a respiratory infection. If he wasn't very strong to begin with, he may have inhaled a bit of water and now is trying to get rid of it. I would treat it like an RI if he's still sneezing after tomorrow: otherwise it may be a false alarm.

I don't know what else you can do if it is an RI (although I'm going to check with some friends who know a lot more about this stuff than I do), but here are some other home remedies which may help him with different problems your snake may have:

Does he have any stuck sheds or old burns from the heat rock? If so you may want to add a little bit of betadine to the bathwater -- enough to color it the color of iced tea, but no more than that. Let him soak in that for 15 minutes or so but be sure not to let him drink it (keep his head above water). That may help with any scale rot or skin infections.

Also, how is his mouth? If he's showing signs of mouth rot or if he has rubs on his head you may want to rub some Neosporin on it (just Neosporin, not neosporin with anything else). Put that on the wound and clean out any pus you see. Again, if he has any of these conditions he'll need to see a vet ASAP but if you don't have the $ right now this will be a lot better than doing nothing at all.

Offer him small but regular meals. In his weakened condition an overly large meal could do more harm than good. Pinkies or hoppers (mice) should be fine for the present time. Make sure he keeps one down a couple days before offering him another one. When he's established on those you can start moving the size up, but take your time and err on the side of caution.

Make sure his cage is clean: get rid of any droppings quickly and make sure he has regular access to clean fresh water. Check for mites. If he has them you can go down to your local drugstore, get some anti-louse spray, and spray his cage and accessories with that, then let it dry. You can also rub him down with vegetable oil and give him a bath. This causes the mites to drown but since it doesn't do a lot for the eggs, you'll have to repeat it again in 10-14 days. (There are better ways to take care of mites, but I'm assuming you're really short on cash so I'm trying to offer quick and inexpensive solutions).

o no ... my cousin danielle is bringing over his new 16 foot burm tomorrow.. OMG IF they touch each other is she going to get it?? if i touch one do i have to scrub befre touching the other??? SHOULD I LOCK THEM IN SEPERATE ROOMS?? I am not even sure if my snake has it or not im sure im overreacting but i woudlnt be able to live with myself if it was something bad like that and it got passed to the other snake and he took it home and it gave it to all his snakes.. Right now this prolly sounds dumb but dont foget i have that 6 or 7 foot green burm which is for sale but since i got the lil guy i keep them at different ends of the house when there here, then i sent the sick one to the lake house 55 miles away and i shower if i come home from the lake house before i touch my green burm. I had nothing but the best intentions in rescueing this poor snake and it now seems there is a chance that i could of just sent 13 snakes to there deaths if his gets it and takes it home to his others.. im 18, havent been outta high school long so i remember what i learned in american history "Some of the worst things are world has ever know were created with the best of intentions" i dont have a ton of money anymore now and so i dont know how i am supposed to find out whats what.// god i wish a freakin vet would just be nice and do a good deed like i did and cum check them out for free and i would pay when i got money.. i am going to continue to do everything in my power to keep them ok, im in tulsa oklahoma and we are having the worst snow and ice storm weve had in 6 years according to the news so its takein me 3 hours to get to the lake house... but im going back and forth and always checken on everyone and whew,, im exausted and just want a break. I feel like i have a kid with collic...again.. any info helps.. even if its just to tell me to shut up and take a pill

kylehargrove said:

o no ... my cousin danielle is bringing over his new 16 foot burm tomorrow.. OMG IF they touch each other is she going to get it?? if i touch one do i have to scrub befre touching the other??? SHOULD I LOCK THEM IN SEPERATE ROOMS??

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Kyle: you should NOT allow your cousin Danielle's burm anywhere near your rescue burm. In fact, you should keep your Burm separate from all your other herps until such time as it has seen a veterinarian and for some time thereafter. (I'd recommend at LEAST a 90-day quarantine personally: others may give you different times).

Scrub your hands with antibacterial soap (I use hand sanitizer) between handling your new snake and any other snakes. Do not give your other snakes food your rescue refuses. You've presently got them at opposite ends of the house, which is good: keep them there for a good while.

Whether or not your new Burm has an RI (respiratory infection), he may have any of a host of other conditions (mites and the like) which another animal could take home. Quarantine should be mandatory for any new animal, especially one which arrived in bad condition.

So far you have been doing everything you need to do: now it's time to relax and let good food and a good environment heal him.