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A way, way, much to thin rescue.

D

dandie

New member
I've had snakes in the past. They were always healthy, wonderful eaters, perfect shedders. But since moving years ago, we had to sell and haven't gotten any since.

But we were given a rescue corn snake and I couldn't say no because he's such a sweetie, but he's way too thin. He's five feet. We think he's around six or seven years. And, as I said, way too thin. His spine is too prominent. He leans to the side with you pick him up and he can't even lift his head properly. The only thing the vet said was "feed him slowly." He was cleared of any infections or diseases.

He doesn't have scale rot, and I can't detect any respiratory problems. He's moving around, so I know he has energy. He's drinking water. (We only found out today that the cage he was found in didn't even have water, and they think his cagemate died of starvation/dehydration.) The cage is suitable for him now. Proper temps and humidity. He ate a thawed small fuzzy two days ago, but obviously this isn't going to sustain him. I was hoping for any tips on how to safely get his weight up without causing him to suffer any physical shock or strain.

He's such a sweetheart, even after knowing him for only a few days, and I want to save him so badly and give him a proper home. I feel better asking this community rather than my vet who didn't seem to tell me anything specific. I asked how slowly I should take it, and he literally said play it by ear. Any other information I can give, please let me know. I also can't tell you how much I appreciate anyone's taking time out to read this or offer information. I cannot thank you enough.
 
Do you have a digital scale? I suggest feeding and weighing the snake weekly. I think 1 small fuzzy a week for a few weeks might be the way to start. The weight just before feeding can guide you after two or three weeks.
 
That is how Shivers was when I rescued him. He is 4'7" and only weighed about 250 grams. He made a wonderful recovery and is now kickin' it in his new home :)
 
I'm glad you took him in! I'd love to see pictures of him.

I think starting with one fuzzy every 5-7 days is a good start, but seeing a picture of how skinny he is would help. You might keep with that schedule for a month and see how he's doing by then, and if he's gaining weight and hasn't regurged anything, then move him up.

I agree that getting a scale would be immensely helpful for you with rehabilitating him. You can get a cheap kitchen scale off ebay for around 10 dollars, or you can get one from Walmart.
 
A fuzzy a week is probably a good idea, but I would also cut slits in the fuzzy. Sometimes after the frozen fuzzy is thawed out, I will tear the skin over the shoulders. This helps them digest faster.
 
Hey, guys. Thank you for the replies. They've already been helpful.
I ordered a kitchen scale and it will be here in about two days.
Alicat37, I'm so glad you shared that because it was so great to read. It's been hard to be confident about this since I learned about his cagemate.
Shiari, thank you for that tip because I never heard about it. I'll try that when I feed him again in a couple days.

These are the pictures of him. I'm sorry they aren't of better quality.
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I've included closeups (again, sorry for the quality. I washed my digital camera by accident and haven't replaced it yet) of his head, main body and tail. When I picked him up, he was practically limp when he didn't try to lift his head.
 
He doesn't actually look too bad to me! Definitely a bit on the thin side, but not at-death's-door skinny. If he hadn't had water in quite a while, that may be why he was somewhat limp. I would make sure to give him a really big bowl that he can fit into if he wants to soak.

Does his belly have checkers on it?
 
So, so relieved to hear he too far gone. Thank you for replying so quickly. I appreciate it so much.

There is a soaking bowl in the cage, but he hasn't approached it so far. The first day and night he drank a ton though. I haven't seen him drink anything today. He's been in his hideaway mostly.

This brings me to another question actually. I know corn snakes love to hide, but I've been hesitant about providing any other ones because I'm keeping an eye on him. Would it be preferable to him that I provide more? Or at this point, until he's a bit more stable, and not as shaky, would it be completely fine to keep it at one?
 
The camera kinda softens up the edges a bit, but I'm still happy to hear he isn't as bad as I thought.

And also the title should say "too thin." Whoops.
"So, so relieved to hear he too far gone." And that should definitely say that I'm relieved to hear he ISN'T too far gone.
 
Alright. That'll be done. Thank you.
And I said he had checkers. But then I got to thinking about it, and it didn't seem right, so I checked again. He has three. Most of his belly is white, but there's a lot of pigment on the lower half.

It's easier to show you, so I've included a picture. Sorry for the mistake before.

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He sort of looks like a motley, which is why I asked about the belly checkers. I'm not sure what just a few checkers means, so maybe someone else can chime in on that. He's a pretty guy though. Did the vet sex him for you?
 
Motleys can sometimes throw a few checkers like that. I'd say it's fairly safe to call that snake a motley.
 
Poor little dude, so good that you rescued him! Kaa was also a rescue, from a university student whose heart was in the right place but had no idea how to care for him. I'm sure your guy will flourish now that he's in your care! :) what is his name?
 
Good job with the rescue! I do rescues too, so it is always good to see others doing the same.

I agree to more hides, you need one at each end over the warm side and the cool side, and more in between if you have the room. Lots of ground cover helps too, they like to hide.

Another reason he might be skinny is stress, corns shouldn't have roommates. One corn per viv, otherwise it stresses them out and can cause a plethora of problems, the least of which is eating, the worst being they can be cannibals.
 
He is not alarmingly thin i think ;)
I bought a snake 2 months back who was not fat but very long. I like/see that rather than to fat snakes!
 
Thanks to everyone for the help. I put in some more hiding spots, and he definitely liked it.
I do have another question though. I haven't seen him drink at all today. His water in both bowls has been replaced consistently. The temps are fine. Is this something to get concerned about yet, or am I just paranoid?

He was sexed at the vet, yes. We aren't creative and just named him Sarpe. It means snake in Romanian and it's just pronounced Sharpay. No points for creativity here.
 
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