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Found baby snake that escaped 6 months ago and need help!

M

missjewl

New member
Hi there, I just signed into this forum because I could use some advice. About 6 months ago, 3 of our baby snakes escaped about 2 months after hatching. This morning I went into the laundry room and there was a (barely) alive baby! Ok, so obviously I want to do everything I can to get this snake back to life if possible. The little one is very weak, but still able to move. I got her to drink some water first. I tried feeding a f/t pinkie, but she wanted nothing to do with it and refused to be force-fed. As of now, she is in a small plastic container with a water dish. I put the container (with a tight top) into our large snake tank, on the side with the heating pad. The main thing I need help with is when to try feeding/force feeding again. Normally, I would give it a week at least, but I don't know if this poor dear has eaten in 6 months. Should I wait the week and let her (hopefully) get stronger, or should I push the food issue, since she wouldn't have been out in the open if she wasn't at death's door? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Nicole
 
I think force feeding a pinky would stress her out too much now and might push her over the edge... see if you can get a very small syringe and some kitten milk or very thin baby food with meat to feed it. Open the mouth by gently pushing and rolling something like a thin tooth pick against her snout, leave it laying across in the corners of her mouth, replace with end of syringe end gently press in some milk through it. Be very carefull not to put the milk in her wind pipe, but really into the biggest hole in the back.

Of course this is just what I would do, others might give another advice. I'd wait with this procedure till she has drunk enough to look better but not 'puffy' anymore becaue of all the water she drank.
 
I'd probably puree 1/2 a pinky rather than syringe anything else in, personally, but a live day-old pink would be my firsy choice to try
 
Ok, thank you so much. I feel so much better with a plan of attack, since I really had no idea what to do if she is too weak to eat.
 
diamondlil said:
I'd probably puree 1/2 a pinky rather than syringe anything else in, personally, but a live day-old pink would be my firsy choice to try
Click to expand...

I oversaw that a live prey had not been tried yet... that is first choice of course!

How would you make it eat half a pureed pinky Janine wihout a syringe? Or was that not what you were saying?
 
You make a mice-cube tray! You chop up about 5 pinkies as fine as you can, (easier while still frozen) then puree them. You may need to use the blade of a knife or a pestle and mortar to get a finer paste. Then syringe up 3mls or so and put individual blobs on a plate or in an ice-cube tray for enough for each feed and freeze.
(Beware of reaction from friends, co-workers or family members...........)
 
Ah, thank you for mentioning the proper tools, I've been sitting here trying to mash a thawed pinkie with a spoon...it's probably a good thing no one is looking in my windows, eh?
 
Hahaha, yeah, not too many people I know would want to even hear mention of "pureed pinkie". I'm really thankful for the internet today, since I couldn't have found out what to do with this girl as quickly in any other way.
 
diamondlil said:
You make a mice-cube tray! You chop up about 5 pinkies as fine as you can, (easier while still frozen) then puree them. You may need to use the blade of a knife or a pestle and mortar to get a finer paste. Then syringe up 3mls or so and put individual blobs on a plate or in an ice-cube tray for enough for each feed and freeze.
(Beware of reaction from friends, co-workers or family members...........)
Click to expand...

But you use a syringe to put it in?
 
Ideally, you need to build up the "good bacteria" in her gut, to enable her to digest properly. If she hasn't eaten recently this may be low in her system and if she doesn't have a good level of gut flora, she may just regurge.

You need a supplement to put in water - sorry, I'm at work so can't reel off what I keep in my snakey first iad kit at the moment. However, you could syringe feed that as a solution as well, if she won't drink.
 
Guess who is all active this morning and pushing her nose against the top of her container to escape? :D

Last night I mixed the pureed pinkie with some water, gave her about 10cc of the mixture, waited an hour to watch for regurgitation (none), and gave another 10cc. I left her container in the big snake tank on the side with the heating pad overnight. It seems to have made a huge difference already! I thank you all for the help, it seems like it may have made all the difference between life and death for this little girl. I still can't believe she survived for 6 months, as I had long ago given up on finding any of the escapees. Thanks again! :)
 
lol

missjewl said:
Ah, thank you for mentioning the proper tools, I've been sitting here trying to mash a thawed pinkie with a spoon...it's probably a good thing no one is looking in my windows, eh?
Click to expand...


THAT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING I'VE READ IN A WHILE.
Do you have a photo, maybe?
 
missjewl said:
Ah, thank you for mentioning the proper tools, I've been sitting here trying to mash a thawed pinkie with a spoon...it's probably a good thing no one is looking in my windows, eh?
Click to expand...


LOL, this truly did make me Laugh Out Loud.

Reminds me of the time our youngest corn wouldn't eat and i was stood in kitchen chopping off the heads of pinkies ( i believe its called braining??) to my families' disgust.

Ahh, the things you do......
 
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