wow

Alright fellas, interesting morning now. So, back in February/March, I had assumed that my bigger fwc had eaten my smaller one. Well, I found some towels that I had taken out of the enclosure (I put wet towels in their cages, when they get ready to shed for higher humidity) and never though nothing of it. Well, I came across them as I was cleaning out the snake room yesterday, and put them in the laundry. I washed them, forgot about them in the washer and re-washed them today. As I was putting them into the dryer, I saw something at them bottom of the washer. It was my smaller fwc, still freakin alive !!. I know its not retic related, but Im using my experience and what I would recommend to clients that would call in a similar situation. I put him on heat in a plastic tub with water (he looks pretty dehydrated and skinny, obviously. IM gonna offer him a meal today, and see what he does with it). Any other thoughts on this. Im just in awwww, that he was still alive and a decent tongue flicker and even somewhat moving around. Messed up obviously, but I mean wow !!

Wait so your fwc was stuck in a towel since feb? And then got put in the washer? And he is still alive?

WHAAAAAAAT?

Thats the explanation I can come up with. Im wondering if was just stuck in the threads of the towel (old towels that are starting to shred some) and when I wadded them up he was just in there. He is so small, and I only held the towels for a couple seconds to take them out and into the big trash bag, I couldnt feel him moving.

Its crazy. And overnight he went into his water dish by himself and urinated. good signs. He still seems week, and tried to eat a rat pinky last night but just couldnt get it started. Im going to keep offering as he regains strenght and hydration.

When I did an exam on him, I flipped him over and he didnt really right himself right away. He didnt seem neurological though, more just extreme weakness. If its just weakness, that I can deal with and treat. If it is neuro issues, that is much tougher and poor prognosis. So, time will tell

Wow, well hopefully there is no damage, and just lack of food and what happened.

Would reccomend maybe a vet visit, just to be sure. It might be hard at first.

Hope he gets better, and good luck.

Im in emergency/critical care veterinary medicine, got the vet part all covered.

I did not know.


That is very cool you can help him/her.

I'm a bit surprised you didn't double check the towels after you suspected the small one was eaten. My first thought would have been an escapee, not a meal.

There was no way for him to "escape". Unfortunately, I just didnt check the towels. We all look back and realize the woulda, shoulda, coulda's of an event. It was just one of those things. I was so nervous from the get go because of the size difference, but a few people told me, to go ahead and put them together. So, I think because that was so embedded in my mind, and because of their known cannibalism, thats what was just in my mind. The towels were in a bag back in the corner, just kinda forgotten and I saw the feces from my female, without eating in the previous 2-3 months. My first thought, was, well, she ate him. And the towels just stayed in that bag in the corner, out of site so to speak, until I did a whole snake room clean and disinfect this last Monday when all this happened

I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm just surprised that the thought didn't cross your mind.

Believe me, had I to do it all over again, with a clearer head, Id do things much different. It was what it was. Hes all good now and seems great. Nice being veterinary medicine for situations such as these