View Full Version : Dehydrated snake..
snipstedy
03-22-2015, 08:52 AM
My T. sauritus dehydrated pretty bad a few weeks due to the fact that the new large dish that I put in the tank was too tall and she didn't find it, as well as the fact that my snake never soaks so that on top of having a 150 watt emitter even in a 55 gal without extra humidity sources such as moss or dripper systems had resulted in dehydration.
I managed to get her doing alot better as she started drinking constantly and was moving around better(not stiff anymore) but evidently she was still in need to be continually misted each day( I thought that having the humidity raised would be fine be it the case that she was doing alot better).
Yesterday I bought some moss and have been misting her again but since late last night and up until now she is just sitting under the log that is covered w/ wet spagnum moss near the big dish but I haven't seen her move at all much less drink.
Tonight I am going to have to bring her with me ( to the next city over, about an hour and a 1/2 away) so that I can watch her and mist her. Would it be a good idea to place her in a container of water and soak her for a while? Or would this cause stress more than anything? She doesn't seem to be drinking and I read elsewhere that they will drink a little while being in water.
guidofatherof5
03-22-2015, 09:19 AM
Hydrating is most important at this time.
snipstedy
03-22-2015, 09:35 AM
Thanks Steve.
I was just using a squirt bottle to drop water through the mossy log wher she has been hiding and when I can mange to have the drops go through right where her head is she will drink every time. Kinda difficult to make them fall on her head steady though. I almost want to make her come out so I can mist her, she has been there in the same place since last night but not sure if she should just sit there and hydrate from the wet moss.
snipstedy
03-22-2015, 02:36 PM
Anyone have any tips at all on hydrating a dehydrated snake? It drinks from the mist bottle but that's all. It seems to slow, I would soak her but don't want her in flail mode.
d_virginiana
03-22-2015, 03:26 PM
Depending on how tolerant she is of handling, you can take the front half of her body and put it over the water dish so that the water touches the underside of her head. They usually drink. I have an old blind one that I often do that for to make sure he's getting enough water.
snipstedy
04-05-2015, 02:33 PM
I've been having internet reception problems while away from home and just got back noticing my replies didnt load. thanks for your help.
Anyway since then things have been back and forth as I have been soaking her for about 20 min. each day. I missed a day and she got worse but then I started forcing her to drink orally(1/3pedialite) by syringe yesterday and she seems (to me) to be a good bit better today. I also gave her some ensure early this morning orally (I thought it was going to be her last day, very weak& has dropped alot of weight )but later today she has come out to bask as well as hanging out over the water dish.
I have an oral syringe that measures by mL. and teaspoon measuring scale. Anyone know how much water I should give her daily? She is a young scrub under a year old about close to two foot and about a little thicker than a sharpie marker.
Help is much appreciated, Thank you.
d_virginiana
04-05-2015, 06:11 PM
I can't help you with how much water she should get, but if she will drink from soaks can you try the pedialyte with that? Syringe feeding/drinking is really stressful for them.
snipstedy
04-06-2015, 05:10 AM
I saw an earlier post where Steve soaked one for 5 hours,I think I'll try that. many times its common that dehydration will cause their neck to slightly have a curve, after giving her the 1.1pedialite she seemed to have straightened out her neck and she was even basking and some tongue flickering.20min soaks hasn't seemed to do very much of anything but keeping her from getting worse, hopefully just need to soak longer w/1.1pedialite.
guidofatherof5
04-06-2015, 07:30 AM
Keep whatever you're soaking in warm.
Albert Clark
04-06-2015, 08:20 AM
Keep whatever you're soaking in warm. Also, reptiles absorb fluids through the cloaca so soaking or just allowing her to remain in the 1:1 warm pedialite is the appropriate thing to do. It really doesn't have to be deep at all. Enough where the fluid is over the cloaca. Good luck and keep us posted. :)
snipstedy
04-06-2015, 11:06 AM
I got in this morning and she seems to be doing much better. She was out to get some heat and sort of bask looking up at the light outside of her hide. I have about a 50gl tank with a mini heat pad and 150 watt emitter so I put the soak container in the tank on top the pad so the water will stay somewhat warm she's been in for an hour. When first in, she started drinking alot( I clean her dishes daily I dont know why, if she is thirsty , she doesn't drink from them). She has been in soaking for an hour, Its not very deep and I put a small plastic hide so she can rest her head on. She absolutely hates soaking It almost seems more stressful for her than forcing liquids orally but she is going to have to get used to it for a while b/c she still has a good bit of recovery to do. Her slither is still not really smooth its like she is rusty in places(if you will). I need to get her to a point where she will eat on her own. Its been about a month since she ate aside from forcing her some ensure yesterday.
Steve,
You kept yours in for 5 hours, would you keep one in for that long even if they completely hate it? I don't know if mine can even go 2 hours?
snipstedy
04-06-2015, 12:00 PM
I took her out b/c the water got cold I'm going to arrange it so that the heat pad is directly under the tub without substrate in the way. She was in for over an hour. I guess I'll let her soak once a day.
Albert Clark
04-06-2015, 02:46 PM
Well just be sure not to overdo it. Remember garters for the most part are not aquatic. You don't want to end up with a blister disease. One hour is too long and once a day is too much. Remember also reptiles heal slowly and recover even slower. Good luck. Imo, twice a week is enough until you see her improving and back on feed.
snipstedy
04-06-2015, 05:57 PM
Thanks for the info,
I had a newt that escaped when I was 12 but thats about it , so this is really like the first reptile I've owned. As she seems better than she was (which IMO was near death, so not saying much) she has dropped some weight. I'm glad she was a little on the thick side before this whole thing started a month ago, I just left her some tilapia 30 min ago and she is now a few inches away just staring at it(kinda glad about that, she may eat tomorrow). I know about the minnows (B1 defficiency) but is there any alternative to live food? I could try worms but when she was tiny I could never get her to eat one. I don't think T. sauritus really even eat them at all.
snipstedy
04-06-2015, 06:32 PM
Its seems that soaking aside from forcing orally using a plastic syringe (which I don't want to do again even though she drank) is the only way she will drink. I've caught her with her head near the dish but hard to tell.
d_virginiana
04-06-2015, 08:02 PM
Will she drink if you lift her head and dip her chin in the water? I've had several that will do that when they were ill, and I have a blind one that I regularly do that to get him to drink. It may not work but it might be worth a shot.
Albert Clark
04-07-2015, 12:42 PM
Thanks for the info,
I had a newt that escaped when I was 12 but thats about it , so this is really like the first reptile I've owned. As she seems better than she was (which IMO was near death, so not saying much) she has dropped some weight. I'm glad she was a little on the thick side before this whole thing started a month ago, I just left her some tilapia 30 min ago and she is now a few inches away just staring at it(kinda glad about that, she may eat tomorrow). I know about the minnows (B1 defficiency) but is there any alternative to live food? I could try worms but when she was tiny I could never get her to eat one. I don't think T. sauritus really even eat them at all.
Yeah, idk if t.sauritus will take worms either. Dr. Alan Francis has a homemade salmon and tilapia recipe on his page if you want to experiment with that as a option. Bait stores sell smelt. Pinkies are good alternative. Don't overdo the soaks though. Good luck.
snipstedy
04-07-2015, 02:24 PM
I'll have to look into that recipe thanks. She usually eats tilapia right away when she eats. I've seen recently that their system turns off the appetite when dehydrated as a protection from digestion problems due to the deydration.
I turned the emitter on as low as possible last night and this morning she was in the center of the warm side of the tank all drained out from the emitter. I'm not using the emitter till next winter. She's got belly heat and fixing to have a heat bulb.
I spray her and she drinks like she has never drank before and tries to get the water drips as it forms underneath her into the gravel. Im going to get some mini dishes and put them in her hide so when I lift her hide to spray her hopefully she will go to the dish.
I did a quick soak 10 min. warm water and couldnt tell if she drank b/c I had to put the lid on so she wouldn't climb out.I wont soak again till thurs.
joeysgreen
04-07-2015, 06:17 PM
When it comes to hydration, don't force it. Offer them options (clean water available for swimming/drinking, a humid hide, misting as needed). If they are eating on their own then they are doing well. Additional water can be offered by injecting it into prey items, but the main concern is assuring that there are no additional losses (cage too dry, no water access, polyuria, diarrhea or regurgitation). If your snake is not eating, and is dehydrated, then rehydration needs to occur parentally; which needs veterinary help to do so safely and adequately.
Ian
snipstedy
04-08-2015, 09:34 AM
I've supplied all the options. Now the best thing is to use the mister evrynow and then and the squirt bottle. today she is drinking a good bit from the bottle and is slowly progressing. Some good signs with normal behavior. The bottle seems the best cause I cant turn the emitter on at all because it apparantly dries the tank and her rapidly (only belly heat)She doesnt like getting wet b/c the warm water from the sprayer turns cold(same with soaking her which I'm not doing for a while).The bottle only drops on her head and she seems to like it and drink gulps for a long time.It is much warmer here anyway. Just bought some really fresh tilapia (her favorite thing to eat) but she just stares at it. I want to try worms .I have pinkies but she hardly eats them anyway.
joeysgreen
04-08-2015, 06:57 PM
Ill dehydrated snakes generally don't eat; nor are they physiologically able to process a normal meal. If it hasn't already been suggested, the more I learn about this animal, the more I think it should be taken to a veterinarian.
Ian
d_virginiana
04-09-2015, 09:17 AM
I agree with Joey. Something is VERY wrong with a snake that for whatever reason won't drink from readily available water sources. Is this the one that was frozen (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm kind of in a hurry and don't have time to re-read threads)? If so I still think you may be looking at some sort of organ damage like I initially said... There's just something very off about this.
snipstedy
04-09-2015, 02:36 PM
Must of been another thread Lora this one had never been frozen.
I never actually seen her drink even when she was well. I think she did at night or just when she had been alone for a while, she had to have drank then. Sounds like the best idea Joey. Going to have to bring her first thing tomorrow.
d_virginiana
04-09-2015, 02:53 PM
Okay, sorry about that. I just remembered there was another thread about a dehydrated snake that had gotten really cold.
I still think a vet visit is probably a good idea. There's no reason a healthy snake shouldn't drink regularly on its own.
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