Reggie stayed in bed all day, refusing to eat and acting more agitated than normal, particularly when Cassandra attempted to return her to the vivarium.
Cassandra pondered whether Reggie was ill or just in a foul mood. She noticed something odd about his appearance and questioned whether it was her imagination or if Reggie had suddenly changed in size. Cassandra made the decision to take her pet to Dr. Hanson, the local veterinarian, out of concern for his health and fear that something might be gravely amiss.
Dr. Hanson was visibly taken aback by Reggie’s size and the obvious affection the snake had for Cassandra when he first entered the veterinary clinic.
Cassandra explained the situation, and Dr. Hanson consented to examine Reggie. He recommended that the best course of action would be to do an ultrasound of the snake’s abdomen to see if it had consumed anything strange.
The veterinarian started asking the snake a number of questions about its eating and sleeping patterns. Cassandra talked about her nightly bonding ritual during this conversation. The veterinarian, who was worried, chose to show her the ultrasound results rather than break the bad news to her.
When Cassandra saw the python’s empty stomach in the examination data, she was perplexed. She was intrigued by this discovery. When the snake was lying on the bed, the veterinarian inquired as to whether she typically curled up and stretched out along her body. “Well, yes,” Cassandra confirmed with a nod.
“Look at this,” the vet went on, “Reggie’s stomach is empty, which is very unusual for a python of that size. I think it is getting ready for a big meal, which would account for its lack of appetite. Because of the extraordinary flexibility of their jaws, snakes can swallow prey that is much larger than themselves.
Cassandra couldn’t believe it. However, what might she be getting ready to eat? She cried out nervously, “I tried offering her different kinds of food, and she refused them all.”
Reggie stayed in bed all day, refusing to eat and acting more agitated than normal, particularly when Cassandra attempted to return her to the vivarium.
Cassandra pondered whether Reggie was ill or just in a foul mood. She noticed something odd about his appearance and questioned whether it was her imagination or if Reggie had suddenly changed in size. Cassandra made the decision to take her pet to Dr. Hanson, the local veterinarian, out of concern for his health and fear that something might be gravely amiss.
Dr. Hanson was visibly taken aback by Reggie’s size and the obvious affection the snake had for Cassandra when he first entered the veterinary clinic.
Cassandra explained the situation, and Dr. Hanson consented to examine Reggie. He recommended that the best course of action would be to do an ultrasound of the snake’s abdomen to see if it had consumed anything strange.
The veterinarian started asking the snake a number of questions about its eating and sleeping patterns. Cassandra talked about her nightly bonding ritual during this conversation. The veterinarian, who was worried, chose to show her the ultrasound results rather than break the bad news to her.
When Cassandra saw the python’s empty stomach in the examination data, she was perplexed. She was intrigued by this discovery. When the snake was lying on the bed, the veterinarian inquired as to whether she typically curled up and stretched out along her body. “Well, yes,” Cassandra confirmed with a nod.
“Look at this,” the vet went on, “Reggie’s stomach is empty, which is very unusual for a python of that size. I think it is getting ready for a big meal, which would account for its lack of appetite. Because of the extraordinary flexibility of their jaws, snakes can swallow prey that is much larger than themselves.
Cassandra couldn’t believe it. However, what might she be getting ready to eat? She cried out nervously, “I tried offering her different kinds of food, and she refused them all.”
