emaciated???

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

kingsnake.com Classifieds: Locality-Specific 2009 CB Plains Garter Snakes

is it just my eyes, or is that baby snake extremely emaciated the last lower third of it's body? It kind of concerned me so I thought I'd ask.

[ssssnakeluvr]

yes, definitely emaciated!!! I wouldn't post pics or sell anything like that!!!

[Hornets23]

I thought it looked pretty bad too. I wasnt sure what was wrong but it sure didnt look right.

[jitami]

Wait... so he caught mom in his backyard, had no idea she was gravid, and yet breeds and sells ball pythons? I know balls are just a wee bit different than garters, but I still find it odd.

[MasSalvaje]

kingsnake.com Classifieds: Locality-Specific 2009 CB Plains Garter Snakes

is it just my eyes, or is that baby snake extremely emaciated the last lower third of it's body? It kind of concerned me so I thought I'd ask.

I don't know if it looks emaciated because it looks good everywhere except the lower third, it looks more like an injury or birth defect to me. Maybe a retained first shed?

-Thomas

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I have seen that kind of emaciation (lower third) in a few cases. In my cases, it has always been either a baby refuses to eat for too long and that is where they begin to show signs of being too thin, or the snake is sick with a blister disease (I got a couple babies from someone at hamburg once a few years ago and the next day they were covered HEAD TO TOE in blisters and the lower third of them was flattened like that and two days later they dropped dead ). Usually if I have a non feeder, soon after that back half starts caving in like that I lose them. This doesn't happen often but it's a definite pattern I see.

[GartersRock]

I agree! Looks awful!

Oh and Shannon!! I was just about to post a thread asking about that blister disease!
My bluestripe female that was a LTC WC that I purchased about 2 months ago had her babies about... 3 weeks ago? I can't remember. She had 12. They where all in excellent health. All born alive and healthy and eating great right away. Varied diet.
Last week I looked in on the babies and they where fine and clean. Next day I look in and they were COVERED in bumby blisters and one in each cage was dead... I had the boys and girls seperated in two cages at birth and have had no contact since. They where both eating the same food (and so are my 2 peninsula ribbon litters). Next day 2 more dead! Now there are only 3.2 and I fear they won't survive long. What the HECK is this. The bluestripe litter was the start of an extremely important project for me.

[Thamnophis Man]

Looks like he fed it one of the those (panfish) worms right before he took the pic. Hate to see the poor thing before it ate.

[MasSalvaje]

I have seen that kind of emaciation (lower third) in a few cases. In my cases, it has always been either a baby refuses to eat for too long and that is where they begin to show signs of being too thin, or the snake is sick with a blister disease (I got a couple babies from someone at hamburg once a few years ago and the next day they were covered HEAD TO TOE in blisters and the lower third of them was flattened like that and two days later they dropped dead ). Usually if I have a non feeder, soon after that back half starts caving in like that I lose them. This doesn't happen often but it's a definite pattern I see.

That is new info to me, thanks. Luckily I can proudly say I have never had to deal with an emaciated Garter.

I am with ThamMan, the add says it has only eaten two times, I am willing to bet it was one or two worms at a time and not fed more than once a week.

-Thomas

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I agree! Looks awful!

Oh and Shannon!! I was just about to post a thread asking about that blister disease!
My bluestripe female that was a LTC WC that I purchased about 2 months ago had her babies about... 3 weeks ago? I can't remember. She had 12. They where all in excellent health. All born alive and healthy and eating great right away. Varied diet.
Last week I looked in on the babies and they where fine and clean. Next day I look in and they were COVERED in bumby blisters and one in each cage was dead... I had the boys and girls seperated in two cages at birth and have had no contact since. They where both eating the same food (and so are my 2 peninsula ribbon litters). Next day 2 more dead! Now there are only 3.2 and I fear they won't survive long. What the HECK is this. The bluestripe litter was the start of an extremely important project for me.

Amanda, that sounds really bad. I don't know what it is or how your newborn babies would get something like that if they haven't really contacted anything. The few times I have seen it it was right after a very stressful period in the snakes life, like the day after shipping or coming home from a show. Maybe the extreme stress causes their immune system to dip so low that blisters just overcome them quickly. It just amazes me how fast they appear, and how fast the baby drops afterwards. I have never seen it in an adult snake, only in babies. Possibly they are stressed and it caused it? I really don't know.