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Cursed_Witch

New member
I have noticed certain things i will name. But plz, stop with the "maybe u shoudnt get a snake" or "u should have done this or that..." advices... I already have the snake, n im not giving it up. OKK

I noticed:
- Whenever i take a pic with flash, his skin changes color (view imgs with flash discolor)
- One eye has a cap
- Skin is stretched or loose (view stretched skin imgs)
- He has a "default" in his pattern.

http://photobucket.com/albums/b113/Paolitta/Corn/

Please view the images n let me know if this snake is healthy or not.
I hope the link works
Thanks
 
Like you said the pics are not great and I am new to snakes. When I first read your post I thought of dehydration (loose skin) but I see H2O is available. Best of luck to you and I am certain you have come to the right place for help.
 
Cursed_Witch said:
I noticed:
- Whenever i take a pic with flash, his skin changes color (view imgs with flash discolor)
- One eye has a cap
- Skin is stretched or loose (view stretched skin imgs)
- He has a "default" in his pattern.

http://photobucket.com/albums/b113/Paolitta/Corn/
Thanks

.... I believe the discolouration is a result of your camera's white balance. In other words, it's not the snake changing colour, it's all in your... picture.

The 'default' (defect?) in his pattern is completely normal, snakes won't always have perfect saddles.

As to the loose eyecap, I know someone whose milksnake retained an eyecap. Although she tried the usual damp towel to let the snake crawl through, it didn't work in getting it off, and the herp vet said to just leave it be and it would likely come off with the next shed. It did.

Perhaps someone else can respond about the stretched skin, as I can't quite see what you mean.
 
The stretched skin is a result of dehydration.

There are tricks for getting retained eye caps off, I'd do a search for 'retained eye caps' or 'eye caps'.

As was stated, there's nothing wrong with the snake---it's not changing colors, it's your camera over-exposing the picture.

Patterns are not perfect.

Do you have a copy of the Cornsnake Manual by Kathy Love? I think you'd benefit by picking up a copy and reading it.
 
But plz, stop with the "maybe u shoudnt get a snake" or "u should have done this or that..." advices..

Most of the time its called constructive criticism. We all need it from time to time. If there's obviously something wrong, we're going to let you know about it. However instead of coming right out with your guns pointed and THEN asking a question, you could have just asked a question. Not all questions warrant a "duck on a june-bug" response, contrary to your popular belief.

I have noticed certain things i will name.

This intrigued me considerably, especially saying it right out of the gate. If you're going to name these things you don't want to get flamed for..and all of the questions weren't flame material anyway......what things AREN'T you naming? ;)


Off-topic Rant:
People have just become way to sensitive to being corrected about their husbandry practices or lack of knowledge. Good grief, we were all beginers at some point. We all experienced that moment of ignorance. The best way of learning is to make mistakes and to have someone with more experience than us to help to rectify the situation and us to learn from it.


Back to the issue at hand...Ditto what was recommended by Wilder & Joe for the eye cap. You can either try to get it off gently with a wet rag/paper towel, or you can leave it to see if it comes off with the next shed.

I also whole-heartedly recommend "The Corn Snake Manual" by Kathy Love. It's informative, easy to read, shows pictures of common issues, and is a lifesaver at times, even for us ole fogies.

I notice that you're using Repti-bark, or whatever another brand name calls it. It's a fir bark substrate, at any rate.

In my own limited experience with using it, fir bark is really meant for those herps who require a higher ambient humidity as the bark holds quite a bit of moisture. I use it in my orchid potting mixes just for that purpose. Its generally non-molding and holds moisture. It also works great in my Ball Python tank where the humidity has to be there every day after I mist the tank down.

But in my experience with corns, it was a lousy substrate choice. Sure, it looks awesome with their colors and it smells nice too. But it was oh so dusty and ended up clogging the nostrils of my corns and after a while really discoloring them as the dust would get down in the crevices around their scales.

When I tried it with my hatchlings, it had such a drying effect, that they were experiencing the same "skin effect" you're noticing. It just dried them out faster than they could replenish themselves through drinking. With the drying effect, they had terrible sheds. Their skin just couldn't cope with the dryness.

That being said, you'd probably just say "well I'll just mist down the snake's cage everyday". That can be just as bad as being too dry in some cases. Corns come from a more temperate climate than that of tropical species and too much moisture in contact with them brings on a whole other list of problems. Unless you live in an arid desert climate, you should have enough ambient humidity in your home to suffice for the snake.

You might try switching to an aspen or paper based substrate and see how he does with that. If you don't notice any significant change, then I've no clue. If you end up sticking with the Repti-bark, I do encourage you to take it out and place it on a screen and hose it off then let it dry in the shade for an hour or so before putting it back in the freshly washed down aquarium. That washes off the majority of the dust and lets the surface dry out a little bit, but it still has some moisture in it. Just keep in mind that it will create loads more dust as it dries out and as the snake jostles it around.


Also this is just a nit-picky thing of mine...how can one be 23 years old and still type "u" for you and "n" for and? They're easy little three-letter words for goodness sakes. You do really well with capitalization at the beginning of the sentences, but forget to capitalize the I's within the sentences. But, at least you use punctuation so the whole paragraph isn't one long run-on sentence. =P

Don't be lazy with your spelling and grammar, it will come back to haunt ya! Trust me on that. ;)
 
Well 1st of all, all of us try to minimize the words on the internet, its the internet for crying out loud, aka abbreviation world, as long as ur getting ppl to understand u....

This is exactly the reason why i said DO NOT say ur critique-advices. It would be nicer for SOME of u out there to just help out the person with their question. Its funny how u start asking simple questions n people here make u feel dumb n then u end up looking like a cold hearted bitch coz u just want the answer n ur sick with all the introductions people do before giving u the answer.

As for Taceas. oh Taceas.... thank u for the info, ill try my best to do what ive been told. Believe me if i knew i was getting a snake, i would have at least researched it or looked for a breeder instead of going to stupid petco, i would be better off getting my crickets from them n thats it.
n one more time, since this pisses u :) haha
 
Cursed_Witch said:
Well 1st of all, all of us try to minimize the words on the internet, its the internet for crying out loud, aka abbreviation world, as long as ur getting ppl to understand u....

No, all of us do not do this. I find it highly annoying. If you were a thirteen-year-old, and this was a chat room, it would be one thing. But you are an adult, and this is not a chat room- it's a discussion board. When I see "ppl", I have to think about it; it's not intuitive to me. So "ppl" are not always understanding "u". Don't be surprised when experienced adult keepers ignore your queries because you write like a nine-year-old girl in a 'Hello Kitty' fan-chat room.
 
pardon me while my immature side shines through!!!!

*in my best broken english-internet lingo*

Did I ms. sumthin?
wut up w/ 'at ?
whN u ask u receive!

Cursed_Witch said:
Well 1st of all, all of us try to minimize the words on the internet, its the internet for crying out loud, aka abbreviation world, as long as ur getting ppl to understand u....
well, well, well... some of us may have completed English 101 and prefer to use proper grammar... to each their own, I always say BUT if you feel you need to come on here and critique the way others do things maybe you need to be prepared for the responces you get in return!
Cursed_Witch said:
.... This is exactly the reason why i said DO NOT say ur critique-advices. It would be nicer for SOME of u out there to just help out the person with their question. Its funny how u start asking simple questions n people here make u feel dumb n then u end up looking like a cold hearted bitch coz u just want the answer n ur sick with all the introductions people do before giving u the answer.
If you didn't want "critique-advices" maybe you should have purchased a book --- they tend not to answer questions on a question-answer bases... they are point given and then you take the info as you wish...

The only thing funny about this thread is that you think we make you feel dumb... it wasn't us making you feel dumb, it was you making yourself look dumb!

Cursed_Witch said:
.... n one more time, since this pisses u :) haha
well... touch you! :poke:

N 1 Mor Tym sinc th' P's u Off...
PS...

I noticed:
- you need a better camera
- maybe your snake is going to shed
- if you would feed him properly he wouldn't be thin
- not everyone is so perfect as yourself....

To you Cursed_Witch I will offer one bit of very important advice...
If you treat people with respect then usually they will return the favor!

BTW... :rolleyes: I would much rather be pissed off, than pissed on!
 
Cursed Witch-
I am a "noob" to this forum myself, and my best advice to you is to chill out a little, stop being so prematurely defensive, ask LOTS of questions, and take each answer with a grain of salt.
Everyone is different, everyone has different personalities, they may clash, but remember- we are all here for the same thing, the same love for corn snakes.
Ditch the substrate you have, clean the tank, try some aspen or turf, feed that thing some more, and have fun instead of getting your skivvy's in a knot! ;)
Everyone here that I've "met" for the most part in my opinion is pretty cool, except for you. Chill out and learn, and before long, you'll be smooth sailing and have a lot of peoples respect.
Dave \m/
 
Can we all just get along?

With that said, some people will just be the way they are, and by arguing with them, nothing really gets accomplished. I, like many others on this forum, do not like abbreviations--it just makes your writing harder to read, and therefore, harder to get any answers to your questions.

Many of your questions can be answered from looking through the mounds of old posts, which are indispensable sources of information.

To answer your queries: 1. Your snake may be dehydrated or under-fed from the stretched skin (as said previously). 2. Your flash/camera may be the problem with the color change. Unless your snake is actually changing colors after you take a picture of it, but I have never heard of this---then you would have some sort of chameleon cornsnake.

Question for you [Cursed Whitch]: Is the snake eating?

Anyways, it becomes a moot point where you bought your snake from when it is in your care. Petco, or not, the snake is in your care now, so proper care is the key---and this (cornsnakes.com) is the place to be! <<---hey that rhymes. Good luck.
 
Cursed_Witch said:
Well 1st of all, all of us try to minimize the words on the internet, its the internet for crying out loud, aka abbreviation world, as long as ur getting ppl to understand u....
Actually I agree with Roy here - the minimization of words on the internet is one thing for a pre-teen chat room and something else entirely for everywhere else. If you use the abbreviations like "ppl" and "u" and "n" then people won't take you as seriously or put as much effort into replying. Period. I'm 21 - I can type and not use the teenage internet lingo. It is possible. I'm not trying to be mean but I'm trying to point out that if you actually bother to TYPE out your post that you might have more answers that you are looking for.

As for your snake I'll ask the same thing as danvega: what are you feeding it?
Also, how much does it weigh and do you know the approximate length?

~Katie
 
Well to all of you out there.
It seems you are all interested in my writing more than what I ask. Therefore, to please you, I shall write in full words...

For those of you who are bothered by how I seem, please go check my other posts, I haven't asked much, But you will see in each of them I got the good people and people who obviously didn't like me for reasons unknown. I have been polite. I repeat myself, I do sound like a mean B*..ch now.

Yes I have done the mistake of getting a snake without researching it. But it doesn't mean I shouldn't be treated like anyone else. I have posted previously how I came to have a snake.
I have purchased the snake from a pet store, which is bad, I know, but this is the one I exchanged with my other snake who was not eating. This one had this skin condition when I got him on Sunday. So it is not something I have caused. I have not fed him yet, because I was advised to let the snake be for its first week.
Now, as you can see, i have tried my best. I do hope of getting the replies I need. And yes I have searched the forums, but I could not get an exact answer without posting my snake's pictures.

Thank you for all your patience,and please BE patient with me as well.
 
Cursed_Witch said:
Well to all of you out there.
It seems you are all interested in my writing more than what I ask.

I'm interested in both. I'm much more interested in your questions though, but I can't answer them if I don't know what you're saying.

Therefore, to please you, I shall write in full words...

Don't do it to please me. Do it because your snake will benefit from the responses you get when your questions are presented intelligibly, and as a result, taken more seriously.
 
Just a thought, is the loose skin from a stuck-on shed? I went by a pet shop today that had a sad looking little BP who had a stuck shed from about midway down its body down to the tail. It looked like loose skin draped over.

Maybe try to get some better pics to post?
 
Truly, if I had to hazard a guess as to what was going on the first two things that would jump out would be either dehydration or lack of food. Pet stores are not known for feeding their animals adequately - at least not adequately to survive. I have seen folds of skin (if that is indeed what it is) on the non-feeder ball pythons that we have because they were refusing to eat. Could it be that it wasn't fed nearly enough in the store and is now showing signs of severe malnutrition? If you can let us know what the pet store was feeding or what you're planning on feeding it would be helpful. Maybe also put a hide partway over the water dish if possible so if your snake wants to hide and drink it can.
people who obviously didn't like me for reasons unknown
Not true, for me it's all in how I perceive things which could be totally wrong. It's not easy being the opinionated bunch that we are, but we usually get along (well...mostly I think :shrugs: ).

~Katie
 
Well, I'm assuming that, since you seem so.."new' to this whole thing...you aren't buying crickets for another reptile...you aren't feeding them to your corn, are you?
 
And...this probably isn't the greatest holding method for hatch. corns..
56170022_edited.jpg

DSCF0088.jpg


Just an oppinion..
 
Back for another round...

now that we have all put our evil alter-ego's to bed maybe we can get down to the business of solving this problem...

first of all, I want to apologize for my harsh words before... anyone who knows me knows that I am not a mean person BUT I do believe highly in the theory -- give respect/receive respect... I understand that this is a forum and sometimes correspondence on-line like this takes the personal touch out of the conversations but we all deserve to give and receive respect. here -- this being done in the way things are written and worded... just something to remember.

Now on to the snake.... you said you returned a non-eater and received this one in exchange (is that correct?) first of all, the original snake not eating should have been a heads up... did you happen to ask the person who actually sold you the snake when the last time it was fed? and what they were feeding it? (I really hope they didn't tell you crickets... snakes should NOT be fed crickets... they don't have the proper systems to digestive their hard *skins* AND crickets are not an adequate source of vitamins)

what are the temps in the snakes aquarium? sometimes if it is too hot several things can happen --
1) they can become dehydrated (even with water present) and
2) they don't shed properly, which can cause the (the stretched skin look AND eyecaps)

I have bought from petstores before and I know that their practices are not always the best but they should at least be able to tell you "what" and "when"... even when purchasing from a breeder (if it's someone I don't know or trust) I have learned to ask for a feeding photos to show that the animal does indeed eat willingly... If they can't do that.... best practice would be "NOT TO BUY" ...

Go get "The Corn Snake Manual" by Bill & Kathy Love <---- it is a MUST HAVE! and what I would start off by doing is to add a moist hide in your viv to aid in shedding (just in case that is the problem)

try feeding him.... take him out of the big enclosure and place him in a small deli cup or Tupperware and give him a small pinky mouse (you know what a pinkie is, right?) :shrugs: sorry -- just making sure!

if he willingly takes it within the first few minutes *GREAT*, if not then you will need to leave it longer and come here and search the forum for topics such as "not eating" or "feeding hatchlings" or something to that effect.

BUt the main thing is to get him eating (the proper type food) as soon as you can... and probably for the first couple of feedings I would feed him about every 3 or 4 days... until he is beginning to look better then you can move it to once a week...

Hope this helps,
Let us know how it's going...
 
Cursed_Witch said:
Believe me if i knew i was getting a snake, i would have at least researched it or looked for a breeder instead of going to stupid petco

I have to ask. How could you have not known you were getting a snake if you went and bought it at Petco? It's not like it was dumped on you by somebody that couldn't handle keeping it.

And you've been asked a few times now but haven't answered as far as I can tell - are you or are you not feeding it crickets?
 
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