Check ups?

[Pet Corn Snake]

well, I rang my local vet just encase anything ever happend to Damien as I heard this would be a good thing to do so i would know were to go, anyways, they have a vet that goes up to the zoo and does the zoo snakes, so they said that they do local snakes too, however, everyone knows vets can be a little bit expensive, i have heard some charge about £10 per min, witch for me is just a stupid price, especially since my vets in generally empty and not used that much by the public, so they cant exactly use the excuse of being over busy, anyways, I was thinking, unless Damien ever needs treating for a illness then i could do general check ups myself, for mites, and worms etc, but I need some tips, I would be doing these checkups about each month, so far i have not seen any sign of mites, and Damien is eating great, so worms and mites are not there, but a check up everynow and then wont hurt, but it will if i have to pay about £50 for it

so any tips will be more then great : ) thanks : )

 

[Tula_Montage]

Snakes generally don't get ill in captivity if provided with an optimum environment (excluding eggbound females, prolapses etc). I think the only things you would have to worry about are mites, regurges and internal parasites. However since it seems you make sure Damiens environment is quite sterile and perfectly maintained I doubt these would be an issue.

If he started to chronically regurge, had runny/off colour stools or behaved strangley in any other way, then yes a checkup would be wise. Often, a bad batch of mice can cause an upset stomach and may cause the snake to regurge. Only if it continues should you be concerned. So make sure you check over your mice before you buy them OR buy from a reptutable source.

 

[Pet Corn Snake]

Snakes generally don't get ill in captivity if provided with an optimum environment (excluding eggbound females, prolapses etc). I think the only things you would have to worry about are mites, regurges and internal parasites. However since it seems you make sure Damiens environment is quite sterile and perfectly maintained I doubt these would be an issue.

If he started to chronically regurge, had runny/off colour stools or behaved strangley in any other way, then yes a checkup would be wise. Often, a bad batch of mice can cause an upset stomach and may cause the snake to regurge. Only if it continues should you be concerned. So make sure you check over your mice before you buy them OR buy from a reptutable source.

Thanks tula : )

 

[kathylove]

If your snake eats and digests well, has good muscle tone, has not been in contact with other reptiles, and just seems healthy to you, then it is very unlikely that he has a problem.

Most often, the first sign of illness in a corn will be regurge or refusal to feed, although refusing to feed can mean a number of things other than illness, such as shedding, seasonal changes, etc. OTOH, eating and digesting well is USUALLY a sign of good health.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it", lol!

 

[TWGarland]

Tula montage: a bad batch of mice can cause an upset stomach and may cause the snake to regurge. Only if it continues should you be concerned. So make sure you check over your mice before you buy them OR buy from a reptutable source

I was wondering if you (or anyone hehe) could tell me what these mouse checks are? ie. what i should look out for.

To be honest most of the mice i feed look pretty haggard! They all have a 'skin too big for their bones look', not much meat on em, and are generally not in the best of health. Also i cant find a healthier looking feeder mouse in any petshop in my area.
Hell!, the mice we have invading our student house at the moment look healthier!

Kathy Love: If your snake eats and digests well, has good muscle tone, has not been in contact with other reptiles, and just seems healthy to you, then it is very unlikely that he has a problem

I was also wondering if anyone could tell me if theres anyways to improve muscle tone?

Hope you dont mind me asking these questions in your post Pet Corn Snake. Thks.

Cheers
Tom

 

[bitsy]

Definitely agree with the above. By far the majority of my Corns' health problems over the years have been related to breeding (in males as well as females!) so that's a hot spot for trouble if you ever try it.

But generally, a Corn will get a bit stressed by a trip to the vets - unless you think there's something wrong, a check-up might be counter-productive.

tell me what these mouse checks are? ie. what i should look out for.

For me, it's as much about smell as how they look. When you defrost them, make sure they just smell "mousey" and not bad. Any sign that they might have been defrosted and then refrozen is a concern.

I was also wondering if anyone could tell me if theres anyways to improve muscle tone?

Improved muscle tone comes with activity. If you have room in the tank, provide branches for climbing and plenty of ground cover to encourage the Corn to move around. If they're naturally sedentary, then regular handling will help them stay active. as long as they're not stressed by it.

If you end up with a total bunter on your hands, letting them go up and down a staircase under supervision is one way to work off the flab. A friend of mine takes in occasional waifs and strays, and swears by the "Stairmaster Method" for the Mr Blobbys.

 

[TWGarland]

:cheers: cheers for that post bitsy, sorted out those questions and brought a giggle.

 

[TrpnBils]

if you feed f/t then this isn't as much of a concern, but it couldn't hurt to get a fecal done yearly or so. They do that as a quick test, so you don't have to take the snake and you don't have to wait around