Crapcrapcrapcrap
Mar. 31st, 2008 11:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mad_andySam the Bastard has spent the last week in his water bowl.
Not that unusual; he often spends a few days in there before a shed.
And although he was emerging to see what was going on, there was something about him that didn't look quite right. See, I have a stack of plastic tubs on top of Zico's viv that contain (from the top) Rosie the white sided black rat, Roo and Rohypnol the royals, then Sam, then Oli.
Oli had a heat mat under one end of his box, connected to a thermostat. The heat rose through the boxes, keeping the snakes above at a good temperature. (Checked by thermometers on the outside and the inside of the boxes.)
I decided to reshuffle these, as Sam's box was right on the top end of what is regarded as acceptable for his species. So he went on the bottom, with the big heat mat between his box and Oli's.
Temperature dropped a couple of degrees. It seemed a bit more humid than usual, but he's always liked the humidity somewhat higher than he should. All seemed well.
Then he refused his chick, and I thought fine, no worries - he was blue for shed, and he often turns his nose up at this point. Then he settled into his water bowl and again, quite normal. He didn't emerge except to see what was going on in the bedroom, and that was unusual; he's normally in there for a couple of days, sheds, and is then his usual bolshy self.
So tonight I thought well, this has gone on long enough. So I got his box down, opened it up - and got the shock of my life.
His eyes were still the blue of pre-shed (a condition technically called corneal oedema, fluid beneath the cornea - in a mammal - or the clear scale that covers the eye in a snake), the skin over his face and neck swollen and wet, the old skin still in place and the scales underneath waterlogged. The skin over the rest of his body had the same waterlogged appearance, and when I picked him up the old skin sloughed in patches on my hands, but the underlying skin remained puffy and damp. He must have been sore, because he tried really, really hard to bite me - and not the open mouth strike or strike-bite-away of an angry or scared snake, but a hard, prolonged bite.
I held him tight enough to prevent that, but when I tried to examine his head he half-choked himself trying to get at me, so desperate was he to drive me away from him.
I am upset about this. I am devastated, because he might be a shit and he might be difficult and shirty and all too deserving of his epithet of 'The Bastard', but he's suffering and it's my fault.
Yes, to be fair, I had no reason to believe that his behaviour was in any way indicative of trouble to start with. But even so, he felt unhappy enough to soak to the point of utter idiocy and I'm kicking myself.
Slay has been, as usual, no help at all. I was struggling with Sam (and trying to see through copious tears, upset as I was at the sight of Sam in such distress) - and he was grouching that he'd made me some toast and I should come eat it before it got cold.
So anyway. Whilst clutching poor old Sam firmly in one hand and holding the bulk of his body under my arm against my side I grabbed a travelling box, layered it with dry hemp bedding, and stuffed Sam into it - without getting bitten, no small achievement. I watched him thrash angrily for a bit, then settle and coil up, glaring and hissing at me in fury.
The positive side to this is that the condition doesn't appear to have progressed to 'blister disease', which is where too high humidity causes bacteria to grow on and under the skin, causing pus and bacteria filled blisters that become open sores. The snake then usually dies of septicaemia when the bacteria goes in to the bloodstream.
So far it's just puffy and swollen - and, no doubt, very sore. I'll see how he is in the morning, and if he's looking OK I'll give the vet a ring at my old practice - she can tell me if she thinks he's going to need a week of oral antibiotics, or not. (Oral dosing snakes? Lots of fun, I assure you.)
If he's still looking bad, then it's off to the specialist vet in Swindon. And no dount a bollocking for keeping him in such inappropriate conditions as to cause the poor lad such suffering. And I'll deserve it, too.
So tomorrow it's another reshuffle of boxes and tanks until I can make sure that now he has conditions to live in that won't make him sick. Poor little sod - but one thing is for damn sure, he's going to make sure I pay for this. I see a lot of bleeding in my future!
*Sigh*
Shit. Shit. This should never have happened.
Not that unusual; he often spends a few days in there before a shed.
And although he was emerging to see what was going on, there was something about him that didn't look quite right. See, I have a stack of plastic tubs on top of Zico's viv that contain (from the top) Rosie the white sided black rat, Roo and Rohypnol the royals, then Sam, then Oli.
Oli had a heat mat under one end of his box, connected to a thermostat. The heat rose through the boxes, keeping the snakes above at a good temperature. (Checked by thermometers on the outside and the inside of the boxes.)
I decided to reshuffle these, as Sam's box was right on the top end of what is regarded as acceptable for his species. So he went on the bottom, with the big heat mat between his box and Oli's.
Temperature dropped a couple of degrees. It seemed a bit more humid than usual, but he's always liked the humidity somewhat higher than he should. All seemed well.
Then he refused his chick, and I thought fine, no worries - he was blue for shed, and he often turns his nose up at this point. Then he settled into his water bowl and again, quite normal. He didn't emerge except to see what was going on in the bedroom, and that was unusual; he's normally in there for a couple of days, sheds, and is then his usual bolshy self.
So tonight I thought well, this has gone on long enough. So I got his box down, opened it up - and got the shock of my life.
His eyes were still the blue of pre-shed (a condition technically called corneal oedema, fluid beneath the cornea - in a mammal - or the clear scale that covers the eye in a snake), the skin over his face and neck swollen and wet, the old skin still in place and the scales underneath waterlogged. The skin over the rest of his body had the same waterlogged appearance, and when I picked him up the old skin sloughed in patches on my hands, but the underlying skin remained puffy and damp. He must have been sore, because he tried really, really hard to bite me - and not the open mouth strike or strike-bite-away of an angry or scared snake, but a hard, prolonged bite.
I held him tight enough to prevent that, but when I tried to examine his head he half-choked himself trying to get at me, so desperate was he to drive me away from him.
I am upset about this. I am devastated, because he might be a shit and he might be difficult and shirty and all too deserving of his epithet of 'The Bastard', but he's suffering and it's my fault.
Yes, to be fair, I had no reason to believe that his behaviour was in any way indicative of trouble to start with. But even so, he felt unhappy enough to soak to the point of utter idiocy and I'm kicking myself.
Slay has been, as usual, no help at all. I was struggling with Sam (and trying to see through copious tears, upset as I was at the sight of Sam in such distress) - and he was grouching that he'd made me some toast and I should come eat it before it got cold.
So anyway. Whilst clutching poor old Sam firmly in one hand and holding the bulk of his body under my arm against my side I grabbed a travelling box, layered it with dry hemp bedding, and stuffed Sam into it - without getting bitten, no small achievement. I watched him thrash angrily for a bit, then settle and coil up, glaring and hissing at me in fury.
The positive side to this is that the condition doesn't appear to have progressed to 'blister disease', which is where too high humidity causes bacteria to grow on and under the skin, causing pus and bacteria filled blisters that become open sores. The snake then usually dies of septicaemia when the bacteria goes in to the bloodstream.
So far it's just puffy and swollen - and, no doubt, very sore. I'll see how he is in the morning, and if he's looking OK I'll give the vet a ring at my old practice - she can tell me if she thinks he's going to need a week of oral antibiotics, or not. (Oral dosing snakes? Lots of fun, I assure you.)
If he's still looking bad, then it's off to the specialist vet in Swindon. And no dount a bollocking for keeping him in such inappropriate conditions as to cause the poor lad such suffering. And I'll deserve it, too.
So tomorrow it's another reshuffle of boxes and tanks until I can make sure that now he has conditions to live in that won't make him sick. Poor little sod - but one thing is for damn sure, he's going to make sure I pay for this. I see a lot of bleeding in my future!
*Sigh*
Shit. Shit. This should never have happened.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 11:16 pm (UTC)There is nothing worse in the world than indirectly causing one of your 'babies' hurt, but I hope the little bugger will be fine.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 11:37 pm (UTC)*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2008-04-01 01:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-01 08:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-01 04:34 pm (UTC)I'm sorry to hear about Sam. Though don't beat yourself up too much about it. You thought it would be a better arrangement of the boxes and you had no way of knowing it would cause problems. There's no point in punishing yourself over and over because it doesn't change the past. If anything, it's a learning experience that you won't make the same mistake twice.
And I don't see Sam, of all snakes, having too many problems with this. I mean, he lived in your car for what three weeks? No, he'll get over it and be his feisty self in no time.