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Poorly Rambo
Apr. 24th, 2015 09:56 pmRambo is having a shitty time.
I check him over once a week, as a general precaution, and noticed on Sunday that he was looking thinner than he aught to- still not as thin as when I got him, but his weight had dropped a lot since his last weekly check. When I picked him up he was frantic, clearly uncomfortable, and the cause was obvious: he has scale rot.
This is a condition that is normally caused by living on damp, dirty bedding, so I was at a loss: I spot clean every day, replace all his bedding monthly, and the humidity in his tank is kept to a minimum. All I could think is that his seasonal search for a mate had caused him to damage his scales to the point of causing small cuts/abrasions, and infection had gotten in that way. Male corns go off food during mating season too, so he might be lacking the energy to fight off bugs that he would normally not be bothered by. -___-;
Anyway, I stripped the tank, sterilised everything, and sacrificed a new set of pillowcases to give him clean, smooth bedding since I didn't have any newspaper and it was the middle of the night. I was up until 2am tending to him, then had to work two full-on shifts at work before I could take him to the vet on my day off on Wednesday. If I could have taken him sooner, I would have, but I was refused the time off work. ;__;
Here's the poor sod at the vet, clinging on to the side of the table because apparently even snakes hate being seen by medical professionals:
The Vet was amazing. He gave Rambo a good once-over, confirmed it was scale rot, and gave him a dose of antibiotics then and there. He sent me home with oral antibiotics which I have to administer every other day for 10days, as well as some antibacterial barrier cream and a treatment plan. I gave Rambo the first home-dose tonight, and he took it well. He is also starting to look better- he's due to shed any day too, which is good, as it will jettison the damaged/manky scales and help him heal.
The vet thinks the infection was probably the result of an underlying problem: he thinks Rambo has a weak immune system, caused by his previous poor treatment before I got him. -___-; He has recommended that I move him to a different, less dusty type of bedding, and that I monitor his weight more closely, including giving him some suppliments just before breeding season next year to help him through his fast (although the sudden weight loss now was almost certainly caused by the infection). There's the chance this could happen again, but if I keep on top of it, I should be able to prevent it. He did not think I was the cause of this, although I still blame myself, and probably always will since Rambo is my responsibility. >__> I know some things can't be avoided, but it still weighs on me. All I want is for my pets to be healthy and happy.
Once again, I want to slap the guy I got Rambo from. This poor, lovely animal has been permanently damaged by that guy's actions, and that is just not on.
Meanwhile, Opal is happy, healthy, and out on the prowl for food even though she doesn't get fed until Sunday:
I check him over once a week, as a general precaution, and noticed on Sunday that he was looking thinner than he aught to- still not as thin as when I got him, but his weight had dropped a lot since his last weekly check. When I picked him up he was frantic, clearly uncomfortable, and the cause was obvious: he has scale rot.
This is a condition that is normally caused by living on damp, dirty bedding, so I was at a loss: I spot clean every day, replace all his bedding monthly, and the humidity in his tank is kept to a minimum. All I could think is that his seasonal search for a mate had caused him to damage his scales to the point of causing small cuts/abrasions, and infection had gotten in that way. Male corns go off food during mating season too, so he might be lacking the energy to fight off bugs that he would normally not be bothered by. -___-;
Anyway, I stripped the tank, sterilised everything, and sacrificed a new set of pillowcases to give him clean, smooth bedding since I didn't have any newspaper and it was the middle of the night. I was up until 2am tending to him, then had to work two full-on shifts at work before I could take him to the vet on my day off on Wednesday. If I could have taken him sooner, I would have, but I was refused the time off work. ;__;
Here's the poor sod at the vet, clinging on to the side of the table because apparently even snakes hate being seen by medical professionals:
The Vet was amazing. He gave Rambo a good once-over, confirmed it was scale rot, and gave him a dose of antibiotics then and there. He sent me home with oral antibiotics which I have to administer every other day for 10days, as well as some antibacterial barrier cream and a treatment plan. I gave Rambo the first home-dose tonight, and he took it well. He is also starting to look better- he's due to shed any day too, which is good, as it will jettison the damaged/manky scales and help him heal.
The vet thinks the infection was probably the result of an underlying problem: he thinks Rambo has a weak immune system, caused by his previous poor treatment before I got him. -___-; He has recommended that I move him to a different, less dusty type of bedding, and that I monitor his weight more closely, including giving him some suppliments just before breeding season next year to help him through his fast (although the sudden weight loss now was almost certainly caused by the infection). There's the chance this could happen again, but if I keep on top of it, I should be able to prevent it. He did not think I was the cause of this, although I still blame myself, and probably always will since Rambo is my responsibility. >__> I know some things can't be avoided, but it still weighs on me. All I want is for my pets to be healthy and happy.
Once again, I want to slap the guy I got Rambo from. This poor, lovely animal has been permanently damaged by that guy's actions, and that is just not on.
Meanwhile, Opal is happy, healthy, and out on the prowl for food even though she doesn't get fed until Sunday:
