My snake was missing, now won't eat, yellow, injured. What to do?

Please have Penelope seen by a vet right away. It is important to have her checked as she may be dehydrated and/or injured if she has been missing for that long. She needs to be seen by a vet so they can help make a plan for her recovery and provide care immediately.

Check the temps in the enclosure. Low temps can affect appetite in reptiles. next, make sure you are offering appropriately sized prey. If it is too bog, he won't eat it or may regurgitate it afterwards. If you feed frozen/thawed, make sure it is at least room temperature before offering it to Ares. A snake will not eat cold prey. If he will allow, look in and around his mouth for signs of infection or injury. This may include redness, swelling, bleeding or discharge. Anything suspicious should be addressed by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte to treat or prevent minor dehydration. Offer prey and cover the cage afterwards. If he doesn't eat, remove it and try again in 5-7 days. Do not force feed. If you can provide the species, we may be able to provide more specific advice. If Ares is a ball python, they are notorious for their "hunger strikes". Make sure he stays warm and hydrated. Identify and reduce or eliminate any negative stimuli in or around the cage.

The changes to his enclosure may have caused stress. Low temps can affect digestion in reptiles. If temps were down, this could affect defecation. Try soaking him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20-30 minutes. This will provide warmth and hydration. To stimulate defecation, gently massage the belly from front to back during the soak. If the behavior persists, consider an exam with your veterinarian or vet experienced in treating reptiles.

Have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose and treat any infection related to the loss of the tail. In the meantime, increase tank temps by about 5-10 degrees F, soak daily in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20 minutes. Once he warms up and rehydrates, offer appropriately sized prey. Gutload prey for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Supplement with a product such as Fluker's Repti-Boost to get weight back on him. You can clean the stump with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine. Use paper towels for substrate until the stump is healed.

You may want to consider a follow up appointment with your veterinarian to make sure there are no signs of continued infection such as respiratory disease. Also verify that your temperature and humidity are appropriate. My favorite resource for this is www.anapsid.org Sometimes force feeding with a pinkie may stimulate him to start eating. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Give him a good soak (20-30 minutes) in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will provide hydration and warm him up which may stimulate his appetite. An exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet is always recommended for "new" pets or pets that may be ill or injured. Offer food about an hour or 2 after the heat lamp comes on in the morning. This will allow him to warm up and he will be more likely to eat what is offered. Use a variety of prey if possible. This can include crickets, dubia roaches, phoenix worms and the occasional superworm. Superworms are good to feed if you have a skinny gecko that needs to put on weight. Review additional care info here: http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html

Ball pythons are notorious for their "hunger strikes". All parameters seem to be within species ranges. Survey the area around the cage for any negative stimuli. This may include loud noises or vibrations, bright lights, cold drafts or high traffic. Reduce or eliminate any if found. Go to the local Petco and ask for a small amount of used (but not dirty) gerbil bedding. Use it to scent prey for your snakes. Gerbils are what pythons eat in the wild, so the scent may trigger their appetites. Soak them both in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte to treat or prevent minor dehydration. An exam with your veterinarian would be recommended to diagnose any underlying illness or injury.