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Wild caught guyana not eating.

MattK

MattK

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I purchased a wild Guyana about three weeks ago from reptiles-n-critters and she is very malnourished to the point of seeing every one of her vertebrae. I've tried live and F/T of every size and she will not have any of it. On a brighter note shes very docile for a 5 plus foot wild boa and I have no problems handling her. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions I could try before I take her to my vet.
 
Take her to a vet asap. She is probably loaded with parasites...
 
Would you describe the cage set up and temps, please. In many cases, WC animals are not as forgiving of our husbandry "errors" as CB. Also, could you detail your feeding attempts better.
I'll agree with Ron that there are likely some internal parasites to contend with; they may, or may not, be the chief problem at this point. If she is as thin as you describe, something has been going on for some time...it would be nice to know the background story.

You made a point of commenting on how tame and easy to handle she is. My first recommendation is to handle her once more - for a thorough exam - then STOP. This is not a captive bred snake that is used to being handled, it is a WC animal that isn't eating. Your first goal should be to ascertain its health, then to acclimate it to captivity. At this point, handling should be kept to bare minimum to reduce unnecessary stress (even if the snake doesn't seem to mind).
 
Right now she is in a custom wood cage with a large meshed screen drop down lid. The temp is 82 with about 40% humidity. She is on paper towels so I can monitor external parasites a little better( Hard to tell on her she's really dark). I've tried live feeders of every size from mice to large rats in and out of her cage. Same with F/T, when out of her cage I put her in a large box or rubbermaid container. I've tried every feeding scenario I can think of at this point. I've contacted the place where I purchased her to ask about her feeding history and how long they had her with them before shipping her to me. When I first ordered her I received a juvenile by mistake and He was a little on the thin side but has adapted well and eats weekly for me with no problems. and is back to a healthy size. And yes, even though they are both easy to handle I use a lot of caution when doing so.
 
82 is too cold. Her immune system is almost off and any parasites she may have is having a field day right now. Is the front of the cage glass or plexi? WC animals don't do well at the start in display type cages. Try moving her to a opaque tub, about 3 foot long and 16" wide and no more than 12' high. Give her a good 90 degree hot spot and pop enough holes in the opposite end to keep it in the 80 - 82 degree range. A couple hide boxes won't hurt either.

Do that, get her treated by a vet and IF her kidneys or other organs haven't been damaged or shut down, she should start to take off for ya.
 
I don't think I need to mention that her problems probably have alot (if not everything) to do with the fact that she's been WC.. She's stressed, homesick, and not used to living in this type of environment. Do all you can to make her new home as natural as possible. up the heat, as has been said, and if you provide a hide, I'd recommend something non-porous or disposable, just incase she does have parasites or other problems that could come back in the future.

I am no expert on these critters, but this gal sounds like she may just be exhausted. She might not be as docile once her health is back up, but atleast you'll get some food in her.
 
Thank you for all the help. I uped her heat and yes I all ready keep in away from the rest of my snakes. She's still in quarantine for another two months. I have two wild caught and they are my first (one was sent by mistake) wild caught. Should I do fecal tests before or just go ahead and get them dewormed off the bat?
 
I believe a fecal will determine whether or not she has parasites and to what degree, so you'll be able to get her an accurate dosage of the proper medicine. I've never had to deworm my snakes though, so I'm not sure what the general practice is for that sort of thing.

Someone else will know for sure though, with all the smart folk around here.
 
yes, a fecal sample will help (and hopefully) identify whether there is intestinal parasites present. one thing to remember, is that a negative fecal reading doesnt mean 100% that the snake is free and clear of parasites, it is possible that the very small sample that was looked at was free of parasites but doesnt mean that the snake is negative (i am a certified veterinary technician so i deal with this all the time). the best and ideal thing to do, is get a sample done now, if its positive, then treat accordingly. if its negative, then wait 1-2 weeks (assuming the snake is stable and doing ok) and take another sample in for a follow up re-check.
 
Lots of good advise already offered. Get the fecal and treat as needed.

She's only been with you for 3 weeks and has been subjected to multiple ins and out of the enclosure with feeding attemps and she is probably incredibly stressed. I would suggest keeping contact to a min (if at all) don't remove her from the cage, spot clean as needed... keep the cage nice and dark (even cover the front) and make sure she has hides so she can feel secure. Don't offer her food for a few days to a week or more (if she can handle it, she sounds really skinny) and let her get used to the new enclosure. Then you can try offering a food item in her enclosure. Perhaps an avian food item (quail, chicken) would be more to her liking if she won't accept rodents.
 
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