Dehydration

[Reptiles=3]

Hi all,

I have a question and its not about my corns but you guys are some of the only people i trust . what are some of the sighns of dehydration and how can you treat it im not sure if one of my Ball Pythons is dehydrated or not but im pretty worried i will also use this info. for the well being of my corns so please respond!!

Thank you in advance for all replys!!

[CornLess]

Sunken (dented) eyes, bad sheds, and if you pinch the skin and it stays pinched are all indicators of dehydration. If the animal has sunken in eyes, then it's advisable to take it to the vet, who may give it subcutaneous fluids to help rehydrate it. [edit:] If you suspect your animal is dehydrated, a trip to the vet for a check up could head off problems.

To keep the animal hydrated in its enclosure, you can provide a water bowl with a larger surface area (evaporates faster, raises humidity), if a screen covered tank, cover a large area to keep the humidity in, and you might also make a humid hide box for the animal. A humid hide is simply a rubbermaid box with damp substrate such as mulch, bed-a-beast, damp paper (or regular) towels, whatever is most appropriate for the snake. Misting the tank over the warm side will help raise the humidity, as will adding a second water dish on the warm side. Using an enclosure made for higher humitity animals, such as a plastic cage with less ventillation, or basically anything other than a screen top cage, helps.

[edit]: Regular soaking sessions in shallow, tepid (baby bottle temp) water will also help keep your animal hydrated, but perfecting the enclosure conditions is preferable.

You can get ideas for techniques for raising humidity (and battling dehydration) by looking at care info and sites for tropical species or species that require a moist microhabitat (like a lot of gex).

Hope this helps.