Baby Burmese Won't Eat!

[HugoCJohnson]

OK. So I received 0.2 baby Burmese pythons a few weeks ago - one normal and one albino. I am having problems with the albino. I noticed at first she had a few mites, which I am going to take care of. She is pretty skinny (you can tell she is underweight) and she shows no interest in food. I originally tried a F/T mouse to no avail. I placed her in a separate enclosure that was dark and left her overnight with a F/T mouse as well, to no avail. I left her in the cage with a F/T mouse, too. Nothing. I tried a live mouse - she was terrified. I tried a small F/T rat - again, nothing. The prey is not too large...not even as big as the biggest part of her body. The daytime temperatures are around 87 with a basking spot around 92. Cool end stays at around 80. Humidity is between 30-50% throughout the day. She is on a 12/12 light cycle. Nighttime temps never dip below 75. She has multiple hides (cool end/hot end) and they aren't too big (so she feels more secure). She has a nice big water dish, too.

I cannot understand what the problem is, especially with a burm. She has a typical baby burm attitude and is actually fairly active. She is also not in shed. She doesn't seem to be sick other than the few mites. I am going to assist feed her soon if she doesn't eat, but I would prefer for her to do this on her own.

Any tips/advice...please!!

Thanks!
Hugo

 

[pitbulllady]

OK. So I received 0.2 baby Burmese pythons a few weeks ago - one normal and one albino. I am having problems with the albino. I noticed at first she had a few mites, which I am going to take care of. She is pretty skinny (you can tell she is underweight) and she shows no interest in food. I originally tried a F/T mouse to no avail. I placed her in a separate enclosure that was dark and left her overnight with a F/T mouse as well, to no avail. I left her in the cage with a F/T mouse, too. Nothing. I tried a live mouse - she was terrified. I tried a small F/T rat - again, nothing. The prey is not too large...not even as big as the biggest part of her body. The daytime temperatures are around 87 with a basking spot around 92. Cool end stays at around 80. Humidity is between 30-50% throughout the day. She is on a 12/12 light cycle. Nighttime temps never dip below 75. She has multiple hides (cool end/hot end) and they aren't too big (so she feels more secure). She has a nice big water dish, too.

I cannot understand what the problem is, especially with a burm. She has a typical baby burm attitude and is actually fairly active. She is also not in shed. She doesn't seem to be sick other than the few mites. I am going to assist feed her soon if she doesn't eat, but I would prefer for her to do this on her own.

Any tips/advice...please!!

Thanks!
Hugo

A lot of times albino animals have other abnormalities other than color, especially when it comes to their internal organs, that can negatively impact their health. I'd try treating her with a Flagyl(Metronidozole)suspension and Panacur first, administered via stomach tube, in case she has internal parasites, and if that does not work, then resort to force-feeding. If she can hold down the food and poop normally, you will at least know it isn't an issue with her digestive tract or other organs. You are doing everything else right, with the temp and humidity. What substrate do you have her on? You might try changing that because some snakes just don't like being on certain substrates.

pitbulllady

 

[HugoCJohnson]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I have her on cypress mulch to keep the humidity in. i am definitely going to get some Flagyl and make sure that everything is alright on the inside.