Help until Vet
Hello,
I should start this by saying I have a vet appointment scheduled for thursday this week (unfortunately couldn't get in any sooner) and I'm trying my best to keep this animal stable until then but I'm worried and would like some insight.
Background: I took in a male sunglow BCI (about 3.5 feet) about 2 almost 3 weeks ago. A friend of a friend was looking to re home him had sent me pictures of what looked like a healthy and mite free animal. When I received him he was infested with mites (the worst I have ever seen), full-body retained shed, emacciated, and very clearly dehydrated. I immediately soaked him and got majority of the mites off. His shed would not loosen at all besides a few belly scales. I've been keeping him in a tub, on a heat pad/thermostat (set to 88 on one side), and dampened paper towels (in an attempt to loosen his shed if I don't keep them dampened he dries out and the stuck skin makes it hard for him to move). He took 2 medium/large mice for me his first week here and has refused since. I've been soaking him every 2-3 days and he's been continuously passing urates. As of Friday last week he has gone into shed again and I'm worried he may not be able to get it off (even with help) as there's an entire layer still retained. On top of all of this he has started stargazing, bubbling at the mouth, and lost a lot of strength.
Question(s): what can I do while we are waiting on his vet appointment? Should I soak him again or will I stress him too much? Are there any husbandry changes I can make to better help him?
Thank you for any answers and advice. I didn't want to turn this animal away in such a bad condition but I'm afraid he won't make it. I want to be able to do anything and everything for him to at least give him the most comfortable life and best chance at pulling through.
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