Possible Coccidia Problems

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-10-17, 08:12 AM

So as some users may remember, I recently had Morzan euthanized and his body sent in for a necropsy. His results came back with coccidiosis, so I've decided to test a couple of my snakes and if any of them come back positive, I'm just going to treat everybody. I have a few snakes that I am now worried are showing symptoms, though they are holding pretty steady atm. My main worries are Demigod, Cloud, and River. Demigod has been up and down in body tone lately, going from healthy to thin and consistently dull in color. Over the past few days his poops have also started to smell. He is currently eating vigorously and quite active, though he isn't any more active than is usual for him. His belly also has that odd wrinkled look Morzan's had, and his last shed was spotty despite having adequate humidity. Cloud has had me worried for quite some time with his weight loss, though as of his last weight he had gained a few ounces back. His poops look and smell normal, and he has a normal appetite. My main worries are that his bones make unusual popping noises when handling and his colors are very dull. River has normal poops, but she's on the thin side and her head is starting to resemble a super motley boa's despite getting a 1 lb rabbit every 2 weeks.

I've talked about these issues in the past, but assumed that Demi was just going the same way as his littermates, and that I was just imagining things with Cloud and River since not much changed with them. Especially with how long I've had Morzan, I'd expect more snakes to be in worse condition.

They all have already defecated, so I don't have any samples to take to the vet, but I'm going to feed them and try to get poops from them again. This has proven difficult because most days I'm not at home anymore, and I work third shift now. So a lot of times I find their poops after it's already dried. Demigod is probably going to be the most difficult, because despite pooping all the time it's so small that I can't really separate the poops from the paper towels (I've moved him off of aspen to try to help with sanitation as he's in the worst condition out of the 3 I'm worried about). River will be the easiest as she poops fairly quickly after eating, I just have to initiate poop patrol to make sure I get to it in time.

As an aside, how reasonable is it to treat everyone? Will there be any health risks to treating a snake with healthy levels of coccidia? Is there a better way to go about testing and treating everyone?

Scubadiver59 · 07-10-17, 08:34 AM

Make sure you wash your hands and all tools (forceps, poop shovels, etc.) after handling each snake and cleaning cages so you don't cross contaminate. Use a strong bleach solution for cleaning those items or an anti-microbial solution.

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-10-17, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scubadiver59

Make sure you wash your hands and all tools (forceps, poop shovels, etc.) after handling each snake and cleaning cages so you don't cross contaminate. Use a strong bleach solution for cleaning those items or an anti-microbial solution.

Definitely. And I plan on switching to paper towels/newspaper for any snake I can once I start treatment. My rainbows will have to remain on their current bedding, as they could dessicate without that constant high humidity, and a humid hide can only do so much. And maybe River as well. Everyone else should be fine, though.