Marnie's Snakes

[EasternGirl]

Oh I have a feeling she is going to try to bite me! She tried to bite the vet when he was listening to her breathing with the stethoscope. Unless she doesn't notice like you said...but she does not like to be held still and messed with...so she will probably be nipping at us just because we are restraining her. And the musk...that will be quite smelly. I will definitely let you guys know how it goes.

[EasternGirl]

Question for you guys...normally I keep a 40 watt basking bulb on during the day in Cee Cee's enclosure...sometimes adding a heat mat on very cold days. At night I use either a 40 watt night bulb or a heat mat on very cold nights. During her illness, I have been using a 60 watt basking bulb with the heat mat during the day to increase temps to about 84-86 on the warm side of the tank. Should I keep the 40 watt night bulb and the heat mat on at night as well? I have been turning the mat off at night to allow a temp drop, but since I should be keeping the temp up for her while she is sick...should I keep the temp up at night too?

[guidofatherof5]

Where is the heat mat located? In her main hide area?

[EasternGirl]

On the warm side...I have the heat mat on the warm side with the option of a red bulb at night or a basking bulb during the day overhead...she has a log hide directly over the heat mat...and substrate between the log and the mat. Sometimes she lays in the log and sometimes she goes under the log if she wants to get warmer. On the cool side she also has a hide...her favorite slim jim can, which she goes to sleep in when she wants to be cool.

[guidofatherof5]

I would leave the mat on at night(all the time) while she is battling this illness.
Just my opinion.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks! I will leave it on...she seems to be happy in the warmth and humidity. Hopefully it is helping. Time will tell I guess...and hopefully the meds will help.

[guidofatherof5]

Many positive vibes and prayers headed your way.

[EasternGirl]

Getting ready to leave for the vet in a little bit to get Cee Cee's first shot administered. I'm a bit nervous. I hope she doesn't have a bad reaction to the antibiotics or anything like that. I hope I'm making the right call with this.

[EasternGirl]

Okay...I'm back from the vet...Cee Cee did fine with her injection after the vet tech squeezed her neck so hard her eyeballs almost popped out of her skull. I'm not exactly sure what was going on there...the vet tech was very nice and she told me she had a garter snake when she was younger...I don't know if she had an aggressive garter, or if she misunderstood me when I told her that Cee Cee might get nippy when we gave her the shot and thought that I was saying that Cee Cee was a biter in general. But she took Cee Cee from me and immediately started holding her like you would hold an aggressive rattler or something...behind the head firmly, very firmly...Cee Cee immediately musked the crap out of her (good Cee Cee) and the whole room reeked...and then she tied herself up into a pretzel...I've never seen anything like it. She was musking and peeing and in a pretzel and looked like she couldn't breathe...and I said to the vet tech..."Um...do you think she is getting hurt like that?"...So the vet tech said "I think you're turning blue...do you need a break?" to Cee Cee and put her down. Next, she decided to try holding her on the table...that went much better. She still held her head but not so firmly. She showed me how to give the injections...I had to practice a couple of times with saline...poor Cee Cee. She didn't actually seem to mind the shots at all...she just didn't like being held like that. The poor thing needs a bath now...and definitely some treats. I think the vet tech needs a bath too...but she deserves to stink for a while. I know she wasn't trying to be mean but seriously...she wasn't holding a cobra...jeesh!

[guidofatherof5]

Just shows this person hasn't had many good experiences with snakes and won't as long as that's the handling she's going to do.
She needs to get bit by a garter snake to realize she's over reacting.