grapefriut seed extract

[phillyroc]

i have that that people put grapefruit seed extract into the drinking water and it help with sheding, regurgitation and chlorinated water,,,,

what are your thoughts on this??????

i am just trying to get everyones opions on these subjects ,, so i can take the best care of the snakes......


thanks

rocco

[MegF.]

I put some in my Aztec's water after she regurged. I hear it's supposed to work pretty well. The breeder I got her from said a lot of his snakes wouldn't drink the water after he put it in though. I used about 2 drops in an 8 oz. water. I'm pretty sure she drank from the water during the 7 day wait before feeding again. So far so good. I fed her 3 smaller meals over the next 3 weeks, and I just got her back on fuzzies today. I'll see how she does. No regurges up until now. I don't know about chlorination in the water as I use purified water for everyone including the snakes. I went thru the search and put in Grapefruit seed extract and then read everything that was posted. Most came to the conclusion that it wouldn't hurt them for things like regurges, or to keep bacteria from growing in the water. The rest weren't sure if it helped or not. I change my water daily to make sure there's no bacteria, so I don't use it for that.

[kathylove]

Always mix it in a glass and taste if first, until you get used to how strong you should make it. If it doesn't taste too bad to you, they will drink it.

Check out their website for more info:
http://www.nutriteam.com/index2.html

Also consider Nutri Bac probiotic for regurge problems - helps put back the microbes that SHOULD be there already. Check out the top part of this page of my website if you want more info:

http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn%20Utopia%20on%20the%20Web/Current%20Animal%20Inventory.htm

[Drizzt80]

I use grapefruit seed extract in my snakes' water all the time. I have seen no ill effects from it being used this way. I use empty 1 liter Aquafina bottles and use 1 drop of GSE per bottle of water. My research on GSE came about from some posts by CowBoyWay from over a year ago. Do a search on the site, and you should get some of his old, very informative, posts.

I also give my snakes a dose of NutriBac about once every two months or so. I inject it into the mouse they get fed because it is REALLY sticky stuff. I also use ReptiVite vitamins in this manner as well. I give these to all my snakes, hatchlings up to breeders. I've noticed with my breeders that their eggs tend to be very 'clean' none of the windows or other marks that others tend to see in some of their eggs. I have no idea if this is directly related to the supplements I use, but would like to think it is.

For regurges, they have to digest the mouse in order to get the benefits of the NutriBac, so injecting it isn't obviously the best for those situations! I use the NutriBac mainly as a digestive gut load for my snakes on occasion. The only probelm regurgers I have had have been newly acquired yearlings or hatchlings, and they have, knock on wood, typically come out of it over time and patience.

Hope this is helpful
D80

[kathylove]

I made a liquid mixed with water and used a feeding tube down their throats if they couldn't digest even very small meals. I brought back a couple of snakes "on the brink" that I had already decided to just feeze. It hasn't always been a cure-all, but has worked often enough to impress me.

[Quigs]

Chlorine in tap water evaporates very quickly (ie. 24-48 hours) I have heard nothing to the effects of GSE making that occur faster. If you need to get the heavy metals and chlorine out of your tap water, either A. fill a bucket and let it sit open to the air for a few days before using it or B. buy a dechrolinator from the fish section of your local pet shop, that result is almost instant.

I also never heard of GSE helping with regurging. I could be wrong (been known to happen before) but I was under the impression that GSE was used in water for the sole purpose of keeping it "fresh" and also possibly keeping the odor down a bit (primarily on rodents)

Quigs

[Sandra]

I have not been dechlorinating my corn's water. Should I be??

[REG]

I have one adult female corn in my collection, her poo has not looked good to me for 6 months. Good eater, but poo was kind of loose and runny. I bought a bottle of Nutri-Bac from Kathy Love, I am happy for what I see. The ingredients are not that different then what we need for proper digestion. Acidophilus for one. Thanks Kathy... REG

[kathylove]

At low concentrations, it is good for inhibiting growth of microbes in the water. At higher doses (see their website for details), it helps to "clean up" the digestive tract of pathogens.

Not only have I used it for that purpose on snakes, but also on my husband! He came back from Madagascar one winter with a persistent "stomach bug" that caused chronic diarrhea, nausea, etc. It went on for months and nothing specific could be found. So I started him on as much of the extract in all of his liquid intake as he could stand. The symptoms abated after a week or so. When he stopped taking the extract, the symptoms came back. But the problem eventually resolved between the extract and his own defense system. So I do have some respect for this supplement. I have considered using it as a first treatment on regurgers to knock out everything possible, then use heavy doses of Nutri Bac to put the good stuff back! Makes sense, but I haven't tried it that way yet.

The only negative (besides the taste) is that one doctor told me he thought heavy doses of the extract may change the pH of the snake enough that it should be mentioned to a vet if you seek treatment. That is because an altered pH could require a different dosage of medication.

As far as I know, grapefuit seed extract has NO effect on chemicals (such as chlorine), metals, toxins, etc. I use it only as a teatment against harmful microbes.

[Quigs]

Learn something everyday! Great info Kathy!

I'm gonna have to look into GSE a little further I think. Is it only obtained from health food sources? How much does it usually run?

I also had seen the nutri bac on your site Kathy. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least have it on hand if need be?

Kathy...

Do you only use it on a case by case basis or do you use it as a preventitive as well?

Do others do preventitive medication and vitamin and mineral supplement on their collection? I'm wondering what all is out there and who's had good luck with what?

Quigs

[kathylove]

I have used the extract on a regular basis just to keep the water fresh. Buy it at a health food store (more Mom & Pop stores will probably carry it rather than the ones at a big shopping mall - just call around and see who has it). It is around $10 - $12 for a small bottle, but it lasts a LONG time!

I never used the Nutri Bac as a preventative yet (have only been using it for less than a year), but I am thinking of mixinig it in water and injecting it into ALL of the f/t pinks fed to hatchlings for the first few weeks. Might help jump start their little digestive systems. But it will take extra time and I am going crazy now, so don't know if I will get to it.