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Rescue Snake: Extremely underweight need advice

Waluwadjet
10-03-2015, 06:39 PM
So today I picked up two rescue reptiles. The crested gecko is in good health, but the corn snake is...

well...

the entire reason i made an account here to be honest. I have experience with ball pythons, geckos, tortoises, and salamanders so I have the basics down but the real reason i picked her up is because she's in dire straights. I'm guessing about a 50/50 chance for her right now.

starting from the top i got her from a guy who claimed that he got her last christmas at petsmart, making her at least a yearling. I don't know whether she's male or female because this guy didn't know his stuff at all.

She's thin, but not as bony as she seemed in the original photo. her enclosure was dismal. The Uth was dried and cracking off, the water bowl is permanently stained brown due to wood chips and no changing, there was actually reptile carpet under the shavings but it had never been changed, there were a dozen aquarium rocks and a piece of a goddam mirror in the shavings, a bunch of left over sheds, and the whole thing smelled like cigarettes. Suspiciously no waste... (how long has it been since they fed her? i don't know he wouldn't answer that)

she’s extremely small and when the dude was showing her to me he picked her up by the tip of her tail and swung her around to hand to me. (then he asked me "do you have experience with snakes as she dangled upside down in the middle of a walmart parking lot) she’s like the size of a hatchling. she hasn’t grown at all since they got her from what I can tell and weighs in at a wopping 10 grams.

I don’t see any evidence of mites and her vent is clear but she’s super underweight and small, she’s not used to people (scared half to death), and since she’s been in a smokers home an RI is a serious consideration. She doesn't show any symptoms and has no breathing issues but i'm keeping her under watch. i'm also using mite repellant about once a week.

i tossed everything but the tank, which i boiled and disinfected with Wipe Out. everything else is new and cleaned as well. there's a UVA/UVB bulb on a 12/12 timer and a thermostat set at 85 degrees F steady. she's in quarantine right now and the room she's in actually has a vent, which i've turned on to keep anything airborn from hanging around.

normally i'd wait for her to settle in a bit before trying to feed her but i think i'll try to feed her a f/t pinkie tomorrow because she's just so small.

here's her original setup and picture
http://images.craigslist.org/00202_9HeJ6YZpBUs_600x450.jpg
http://41.media.tumblr.com/87f54433722e4f12591152c307495c21/tumblr_nvnsyfa0l81s6pijdo3_500.jpghttp://36.media.tumblr.com/94767d2a0ff6a232b1ea76179d1a2635/tumblr_inline_nvm7d5yGud1rgnjyb_500.jpg

here's her current setup and some clearer pictures (there's actually five hides in here)
http://40.media.tumblr.com/58dffffb256816af8ed3d92579729c3b/tumblr_nvnzo0tMz91s6pijdo1_500.jpg
http://36.media.tumblr.com/48d12067b72dc3dfa1b2973c93734113/tumblr_nvo0dlgQGR1s6pijdo3_500.jpghttp://41.media.tumblr.com/90689abef37564abea64111d09c9349d/tumblr_nvo0dlgQGR1s6pijdo2_1280.jpg
http://41.media.tumblr.com/cde8483c136a69145a3bfe2b8cbaed47/tumblr_nvnt97Z3kb1s6pijdo1_500.jpg

she’s so scared she lunged at me when I took the paper towel out for this and I do not blame her one bit. if the way she was handed to me and the state of her habitat is any indication then she has every right to be completely terrified. I honestly don’t mind if she never becomes a “hands on” snake as long as I get her healthy. I cut into my monthly food budget significantly to get her set up, though she was practically free (i'm selling clothes, books, and doing commissions to make up for some of the loss)

other than upping her food intake (i was thinking once a week or even once every five days until she stops looking like a toblerone) does anyone have any advice? i'll try to keep you all updated, i have a good idea of what i'm doing, i just want to get her as healthy as i can and any advice is welcome

Karl_Mcknight
10-03-2015, 06:54 PM
she's definitely small, but I just have to be honest here, I seriously doubt she's a yearling.

Although she's small, she's not skinny. She looks to be healthy. She's colorful, her ribs and spine are not pronounced (as they would be if she was seriously underfed).

I think you have a baby snake, and maybe the previous owner just told you she was a year old. And if she is a baby, that would also explain why she is snippy with you. (Babies tend to do that).

Just as a suggestion - I'd treat her as a baby (even if she really is older) and this means frequent handling so she will get used to you, and feeding her based on the Munson plan. Give her fresh clean water daily, hiding places and correct heat, and I'll bet she does fine.

Waluwadjet
10-03-2015, 07:01 PM
I'm going to be honest that was in the back of my mind. This guy obviously had no idea what he was doing and had multiple conflicting stories, but she's older than a hatchling judging by the deterioration of the carpet under the tank. either that or they stuck her in an old moldy one. don't know which is more unsettling. either way he ended up losing money so i don't know what he was thinking.

either way i'm using the Munson plan and weighing her frequently. keeping the hot end at 85 and the cool end at about 75 and monitoring it with a thermostat that maintains a steady 85 and keeps it from going over.

like i said i have experience with snakes, but not corns. i'm just super worried that i'm missing something. either way i'm glad i took her out of there

Karl_Mcknight
10-03-2015, 07:16 PM
Corn Snakes are sometimes referred to as "The Labrador Retriever" of snakes.

Meaning they are easy to handle, easy to get along with and very friendly.

They are extremely hardy and grow pretty fast as babies. (Mine has doubled in weight in just 3 months).

So if you've had experience with snakes, keeping a corn snake will be a "walk in the park."

The only real difference that I've encountered is that they like a slightly cooler temp than does a boa or python. I used to keep my Boas and Pythons around 90 to 92 degrees, but Corns do better at about 85.

Good luck.

Waluwadjet
10-03-2015, 07:18 PM
My bp seems to prefer stuff around 95 which is why i made sure to get a therm (didn't want to burn)

thanks for the help!

jagodzinski
10-03-2015, 08:59 PM
Sounds like you are doing a great job! I hope she's alright.

My only recommendation would be to consider swapping the light out for a UTH. Typically, corn snakes don't need heat lights and do better with the belly heat from UTHs.

The only other thing is I see you have stick on thermometers. Do you have a probe one on the floor? Because ideally that is where it should be 85*, it does not have to be 85* ambient.

Again, welcome and thanks for rescuing her!

Waluwadjet
10-03-2015, 09:13 PM
Yup!! the picture there isn't completely set up. it's coupled with a uth and a thermostat that keeps the uth at 85 and keeps it from over/under heating (the uth plugs into it and the probe goes between the glass and the uth)

it's this one to be precise (https://www.hydrofarm.com/p/MTPRTC)

as for the bulb, it gives off about a single degree of heat simply due to the fact that it's a bulb. it's pretty much exclusively for a light/dark cycle and providing uva/uvb. i haven't had good experiences with heat bulbs (fluctuation in temps, hard to regulate, burned a hole in my carpet, etc.) so i tend to avoid them unless the species prefers it.
but in my experience, even animals that don't "require" uva/uvb benefit greatly from having it. in some cases it even works as part of their visual spectrum, though this varies from species to species so i'll have to read up on corns a bit more before i can say for certain. either way i tend to provide it right off the bat just in case. it seems to help them settle in faster.

Thanks for the help!

hypnoctopus
10-03-2015, 09:47 PM
She looks thin to me (her spine is clearly visible), but not on-death's-door thin. Otherwise she looks pretty good; nice color, no stuck sheds, clear eyes.

Anyway, it sounds like you're on the right track. She's pretty colorful already, so I bet she will be an attractive adult.

Myca
10-04-2015, 12:13 AM
She is very pretty. Such nice color. I bet she was terrified being dangled by her tale. I bet she grows into a real sweet heart. What thermostat did you get? I need to buy another. I have to set up another rack. Actually my husband does, he just doesn't know it yet.

Waluwadjet
10-04-2015, 03:43 PM
I hope to give her a good home after all that! I'm feeding her today in a bit

And Myca, I use Hydrotherm thermostats. They're technically used for growing seeds en masse but they work great for my enclosures. The model I use for my single tanks would work if what you used was one continuous strip, and they're only thirty bucks each.

https://www.hydrofarm.com/i/jpg/3372_5773.jpg
here's the pdf of the specs/setup (https://www.hydrofarm.com/downloads/fc/MTPRTC_instr_18734.pdf)

here's what it looks like with some of my other habitats that have already settled in. it has a hook hole so you can hang it up. i just need to glance at it to know what's up.

http://s21.postimg.org/6wezrqhmv/image1.jpg

Bonus: I'm a student on amazon (studying zoology) so i get Prime for free, and since they ship from amazon i get it in two days. it's great for emergencies. Ordered one early saturday morning and got it today for no shipping cost. even if you aren't a prime member, they ship out from amazon and not a third party seller so that's just great.

Waluwadjet
10-04-2015, 03:44 PM
i don't know why that image is sideways.....

Myca
10-04-2015, 08:24 PM
Thanks
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