Enzyme deficiency...?

[doovoo]

I have a two + year old female (corn) here that I've raised from a hatchling. She's never had any feeding issues whatsoever (not a single regurge, etc.) and always a voracious appetite.

So I've just transitioned to Las Vegas from Ohio and all of my animals seemed to take the journey (by car) quite well. Within a week of my arrival every one had resumed feeding and everything seemed just peachy.

However...

This female that I mention as never having had any digestive issues has now (so it would appear) excreted - not regurgitated - two consecutive meals in as many weeks. I did at first assume these were a simple matter of stress induced regurgitation (first one was partially digested) excepting that they were covered in what was clearly fecal matter.

The first problematic meal was an adult f/t, and she passed it half digested four or five days later. I gave her some time to (I had hoped) recover a bit, and just gave her two small (live) fuzzies yesterday afternoon which she took as though she hadn't eaten in ages. However, I just checked in on her a short while ago and there they were (the fuzzies) in a pile of very thin excrement/clear mucous (traces of blood) and not digested in the least.

Argh.

Any ideas or suggestions on this one? I had considered that perhaps her digestive enzymes were out of balance (depleted) somehow, but why would that be? And what should I do about it if that's the case?

Or is it perhaps a parasitic intrusion of some kind? Again, if so, now what?

I'm trying to address the issue before it compounds into any further difficulties, as she is still quite healthy otherwise (alert, active, good appetite, etc.), so any advice or insight in this regard will be gratefully welcomed and accepted.

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

Trevor

 

[tom e]

You could try some Nutribac, which you can get from Kathy Love's website. I am using it now with a female who had similar issues.
Also go over everything again, temps in the cages- etc.
A vet trip might be in order too to check for parasites..
Good Luck!

 

[diamondlil]

I've got a theory that you might not like. I'm wondering if the snake could have had an organism like salmonella or crypto that is now causing symptoms because the immune system is in trouble due to the stress of moving. My theory is that like most of the gazillions of bugs the colonise every living creature, these organisms need a balanced, healthy animal to survive in as a host. It's not in their interest to become parasitical to the point of making the host ill. Nutribac or grapefruit seed extract could help te snake to recover the balance of organisms and recover its health.
(I'm not diagnosing your snake as having those particular bugs, BTW, a fecal could certainly be helpful in showing if there are worms or other parasites that have caused the problems)

 

[doovoo]

Thanks very much to both of you for the input on this matter.

I'll give the NutriBac a try and see what comes of it.

Being that I've only been here in town for a few weeks, I haven't yet shopped around for a vet - but it's now on my list of things to do this afternoon.

Again, thanks.

I'll post with updates...

Trevor

 

[diamondlil]

You should be able to find grapefruit seed extract in a local health-food shop

 

[doovoo]

Well, I've purchased both the NutriBac (local shop had some) and the grapefruit seed extract.

After much careful consideration, I've opted to start with the extract as it should stay suspended in her water whereas the NutriBac will settle out (per the label).

For now, I'll let her rest and (hopefully) drink the extract/water solution. In a week or so, I'll try to feed her a large pink or two and hope for the best...

Thanks again for the advice / suggestions.

Trevor