Low Muscle Tone

[JollieMollie]

Hello all,


I was just curious what is good for a snake with low muscle tone. He isn't very bad off at all, it's only noticable if you're looking for it or hold him for a longer period of time and pay attention. It's not like he can't function or anything like that. (-: But, he feels a little weak and has a lower muscle tone than my other two. I was just curious what's the best ways to help him out. I imaginea degree of handling would help him by providing the exercise, and it was suggested to me to use live foods here and there and not just f/t because when mice are frozen they lose some nutritional value, just like veggies. I don't know if that's accurate or not but I figure it's worth a try. (-: So far my plan is just to give him some good exercise and feed him on live maybe every other feeding or every three or four feedings.

Are there any other ideas for how to help him out? Thanks!

[he's somewhere over a year old and male if that helps any :shrug:]

[bitsy]

Someone near me takes on "problem" or rescue snakes. Any that are in need of a workout are taken to her stairs a coupole of times a week and enouraged up and down them a few times. Apparently this builds good muscle tone over a few months, but you have to make sure the snake isn't stressed by it or you do more harm than good.

You could encourage yours to move about a viv or tank by providing a taller space with some climbing branches.

Also, providing him with a selection of hides and a lot of ground cover in the form of plastic foliage, will make him feel more secure and happier to move about the viv. Corns prefer to stay hidden, so if he has to cross open spaces to reach hides, water bowl, he might just be deciding to stay put instead.

Problem is, all Corns are individual and some just don't like to move around a lot. It's unusual for a male of that age to be sedentary during the breeding season though. Even if he's the only Corn in the house, I'd expect him to be more active at this time of the year, looking for a mate.

Live food is always a bit risky - mice bite and if your Corn isn't in top muscle condition, he might be at more risk of injury if he doesn't have the strength or stamina to hold onto the critter for long enough to swallow it.

I'm not sure the difference in nutritional value between live and defrosted is significant - I have a well-toned 19 year old who has eaten nothing but defrost all his life (as have the rest of them).

I'm sure others will have some good ideas, so I'll stop yakking now!

Good luck.

[desertanimal]

Most would not recommend feeding live to give the snake exercise.

You could feed him less often, which would get him out cruising the viv searching for food more.

You could handle him more.

You could put him in a room-temperature bath for a swim. Mine get lots of exercise when they swim, both by swimming and by trying to get out of the tub. Just make sure to block the overflow.

[JollieMollie]

Ack, I'm so sorry guys. (-: Of course I don't really want to feed him live food. I say "of course" because I once gave Mara a live mouse and later discovered healing scars on her. :-/ I felt so bad. They're totally gone now though... :blows kisses to Mara:

I was going to (get my dad to) stun a live mouse. (-: Same as a thawed rodent except hopefully more nutricious.


The stairs would be an idea, as would the bath. Mara hated the bath the one time I tried it, so I haven't thought about it lately. (-: Just use a bowl or a bucket, right? I am tempted to let him try out our newly green lawn but I'm afraid he'd startle and get away from me. I've put snakes on the lawn before but it always makes me nervous. (-:

[Cuddles]

How can you tell whether a snake is a fatty or well toned? :shrugs:

[snakemom1961]

If your willing to feed stunned which won't be moving, why not feed f/t and give your snake other types of exercise as was suggested. Like running steps. Also I think letting him run the yard is a great idea. I don't think you will have to worry much about him getting away from you if it's an open area and your able to keep an eye on him at all times. Good luck with what ever you decide!

[Daeraelle]

Try decreasing his amount of light during the day. My snake tubs go into the room under the stairs with no light, and when I get home they are crawling all over the place (yeah, EVEN Isabelle has been caught above the aspen.) Also, try decreasing his feedings. Some people feed adults every week, some even as spaced out as every two weeks. If he is getting fat and not gaining muscle tone, he may not be hungry in between feedings. A hungry snake will move around and "hunt" in his viv looking for a meal when he's ready for another one. Just watch him after a feeding, wait until he gets active and starts searching around before you feed him.