Strange Movements - Hortulanus
Hello I'm posting this, to ask if anyone has allready had a problem with a Hortulanus like mine. Let me start explaining it...or at least try. From 2 or 3 days ago, I've tried to feed my Red Hortulanus like I do every time with success, but this time she had a strange movement. She atacked the pinkie and grabed him, but cant understand why, she cant constrict the prey to eat. She started to roll and roll her body but doesnt roll the prey...this is a very strange thing. Never seen such a thing. She keeps trying and trying and nothing, I'm starting to get a litle worried on this. The terrarium is perfect, its like all my other Hortulanus are. The all have terrariums with the same things and iqual temps and humdys. I will try to make a movie and upload it to youtube so you guys can see better what I'm talking about. Regards RV

Here it is the MovieClip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKa3e9I25zU

Almost looks like neurological issues but not knowing what it may have come in contact with I couldn't tell you. Did you maby have a cleaning chemical on your hands unknowingly at one time while holding it? I know bleach gives me one hell of a headache after using it.

What can I say about Hortulanus, is that it is separated from the others since yesterday, hoping that nothing else in my collection has been affected ... because if they did, I do not know what to do ... but still ... I went to the Vet now and for the fisrt time, I left a Vet with a positive image of the person question. Continued on Hortulanus, what we did was a blood sample to see if a problem is Viral or Bacterial, because through the blood is only possible to verify WHAT IT IS. After the response, that will be on Monday, latest Tuesday we will move to a second method, which consists of: 1 - if it is bacterial, begin immediately with anti-biotic (which is unlikely to be) 2 - if it is viral, we have to do a second exam that is quite risky due to age/size of the snake, which is through a small surgery, do a sweep to the pancreas of the animal to see if it really IBD or other viral illness ( by what we saw, will most likely not be IBD and be Paramyxovirus, or herpesvirus, which is also lethal but if the snake dies, the virus dies with her). Meanwhile, by a 'small' distrust, he decided to administer calcium injection (treatment I have to continue for 10 days).

That food item looks a little heavy. Perhaps it was having a problem lifting it up to it's coils. Have you tried a smaller food items? Worth getting it checked out all the same! Hope alls well.