Help Help

[dragar]

OH MY GOD im scared stiff, i was holding sammy last night and noticed he had some dirt under his scales. so i got hold of him so that he didnt wiggle away ( holding his head and supporting his body) and started to clean him to get the dirt from under his scales, but as i had hold of him i felt something pop in his back, it was like when ur joints click, that kind of thing, but im absolutely scared stiff that i did some damage, but a couple of seconds later he pooped all over me and sofa but my boyfriend told me it might just have been wind but i dont want to risk it...

the first thing i have done is changed the substrate as it cant be good if it is getting under his scales, and im going to take him to the vets at weekend, does anyone think that i might have broken his back or anything like that? i dont know what i would do if i found out he is in pain, his back isnt straight or anything out of the ordinay and he seemed rather jumpy afterwards as if he was nervous but that is all i couldnt see any signs of pain... but then snakes arent really well known for being the best at expressions lol

if anyone can give me some hints as to what to look out for and what they think i should do then please do im absolutely distraught, i didnt sleep at all last night from worrying for him... im taking him to the vet this weekend but then again i dont know if ishould wait till then to tak him? :shrugs: :shrugs: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[dragar]

ps i feel so bad .... i really hope i didnt hurt him

[TWGarland]

hmmm, i wouldn't worry too much, as long as your snake looks fine now and is moving normally then im guessing you wont have actually broke its back.

What was the dirt under the scales? what substrate are you using?

If your snake poo'd then maybe that was the pop you felt. When you say you felt its back pop, was this anywhere near the cloaca? because ive seen my corn before a poop and about a whole inch or so above the cloaca like ripples sometimes....?! dont really know if that helps!

Something to set your mind at risk might be to run a finger down the spine, and feel for irregularities (bumps, vertebrate out of line). Im sure its fine, but if your not sure then the vets visit it is the best bet, and remember corns are hardy!

[TWGarland]

oh and if you want to clean your snake in the future, try running the snake through a wet towel, giving a little pressure from your hands as it runs through it, rather than the probably more stressfull head grabbing

[dragar]

i didnt grab its hea as such, i just placed my thumb on his head and then cupped his body so that he was still, he was a god boy but i cant help but fret about him..

and the subtrate is the chippings that the pet store gives me and recommends for the snake, they use it in their vivs but i dunno....

and towel washing wouldnt have got it out coz it looked like it was really far under teh scales... i just wanted to be thorough with the cleaning.

[TWGarland]

Mostly people recommend aspen shavings as the best substrate for corns.

This dirt under the scales are you sure its dirt? did you manage to get it out?

Whats your thinking on the back popping now then?

[dragar]

i dont know what the back popping was im thinkin i might have just stretched the joints, you know like when you pop a joint and it just clicks, but im at work atm so im kinda limited, i will run my finger down his back to check for any irregularities and then let you know,

how much does aspen cost coz im seriously thinking about going to either that or astroturf, which ever is better for sammy, after all hes the one that has to live on it lol

[dragar]

i tested his back and all seems fine... although i think i am gunna go get him sexed and then just generally ask them about it whilst there so that they can check on it

but as soon as i hear anything il let you know and actually be able to tell you if he is actually a she lol

[DogStar5988]

I used to use the astro-turf stuff but I switched to aspen because I think the snakes enjoy in more because they can burrow in it so easily. As for her back I'm sure its fine, I imagine that poping was just like when someone cracks their back and didn't case any harm ( although I wouldn't suggest snake chiropractics ;)).

[Rorryy]

Sounds like you checked your snake out and it is acting normally, I am fairly certain that the snake is fine and the popping you felt is normal. I too have experienced this when handling my snakes and it doesn't appear to hurt them. Check out this thread, it may set your mind at ease.
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41175&highlight=Back+popping

After reading that thread again nobody really said that they knew what caused it but at least you know that it is not unique to your snake and doesn't appear to be a problem for anyone else's who answered that thread.

Hope that helps.
Angela

[dragar]

well thank you so much for the link, it definatley made me feel better and the vet confirmed that it was just the stretching in the back that caused the popping and there is no damage or pain for little sammy, and anyways he has had his revenge on me, since the insident he has pooped on me twice, once on my clean jeans and again on my hand... i really think he was getting revenge, but the clever way, not by biting me but my pooping on me lol

i dont mind as such but trust me its not the nicest of experiences for anyone to be pooped on by anything lol

i shall continue to ask Questions on here as i find these forums a hell of a lot more hlpfull then some of the books i have been reading lol :grin01:

[tom e]

I've felt the popping before too. I was holding my snake somewhat firmly, as he was trying to go under my bed- he had swung his neck around one of the feet of the bed and pulled against me and I felt through my hand (but did not hear) a little pop. If it's the same thing, I don't think it was anything to worry about. He didn't flinch at all and seemed to continue his normal business of attempting to explore every dark place in my room..

[dave_jaclyn]

While helping "Number 2" ... [we have got to come up with a better name for our new critter] ... I distinctly felt a series of "knuckle pops", too many to count, to tell the truth. He's been fine since, just as active as before, of not more.

Please update with your vet results.

Oh, and I didn't see an answer on price of aspen shavings ... they're dirt cheap compared to other reptile substrates ... at least the places we shop.

[dave_jaclyn]

helping "Number 2" through a lousy shed

Edited for clarity and completeness.

[TWGarland]

remember not to put your corn back straight away after its poo'd on you if its new to handling, as it could associate pooing on you with getting put back in the viv.

[dragar]

just to let you all know that i took him to the vet the other day, the vet said that he was perfectly ok, the popping noise that i heard was his back bones stretching much like ours do... i was right when i sed that i thought it was just like when we humans click our knuckles or any of our joints, he said it didnt hurt him but best off trying to avoid doing it in the future as it can cause problems when they are older and can damage the spinal joints lol he is ok now and the vet told me to just keep an eye on him and if anything comes up out of the ordinary to let him know asap. but i thought that you all would like to know and any others in future reference.

i never thought about the pooping to go home kinda thing... i dont think i put him back straight away but its still not nice lol