Have questions concerning the health of my new snake

Debbie45 · Sep 16, 2007

So I bought my first corn snake (first snake ever actually) a couple days ago. He's a cute little guy... just a baby. I named him Jack- Vodka... or just Jack haha. Well when I brought him home... I think he was either sick or I made him sick. =(

Well day one I let the temp drop too low in his cage the first night. I think it got near around 72 or so. So the next morning when I picked him up, he regurgitated his food. He was last fed Wedesday, so I don't think I messed with him too soon after eating for him to regurgitate for that reason. I think it was because it got too cold.

Then he started shedding this morning. It didn't come off in one peice. About half of it came off... the top half, but there are some random flakes of skin hanging off his top half. The bottom half of his old skin is still there. I read that snakes generally shed off in one piece, but Jack isn't. Is it bad for him if he dosen't shed off all of the skin soon? How do I help him?

There is also the question of the heating pad I have for him. He tends to spend his time in the colder half of the tank. I have it on the bottom of the cage on one side. The glass over it gets really hot. I put my hand in to touch the glass and it probably would have burned me if I let my hand rest there. Jack likes to burrow into the bedding... so is he avoiding it because its too hot? If he borrows down, will he get burned? The bedding on top of the glass is ok... but the glass is just really hot. Can he stand higher temps than I can... or is it too hot for him too?

There is also the question of the humidity. I have a humdity gauge in there now... but I don't know how reliable it is. The needle generally hovers around 50 sometimes going down to 40. I spray the cage with water from a mister like the pet guy told me to and the guage will jump up to like 80, then back down. How do I keep the humidity high enough, and how high is high enough?

I'm a bit worried about him, because he dosen't seem like a healthy snake. I will do what I can for him... but I'm not sure what I can do. I've heard that regurgitation is a bad sign... and with this not shedding in one piece, Jack has me rather worried. I'm not sure how bad he is as I don't really know how serious his symptoms are. Is it something fatal he has, or will he recover with some good care? Any help would be greatly appriciated.

And as a quick question... I've heard a few things about the handling of snakes. I heard that after I mess with a snake, I should drop him in water because the oils humans have on their hands can be bad for them. And that after I mess with a snake, I should wash my own hands because I could get salmonella. How true is that? Thanks to all of you who read that novel and answered my questions haha.

And just because I think he is the cutest thing ever... I may as well throw in some pictures of the little guy =D

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

First Fix The Bad Shed

http://tinyurl.com/2uco2o

40-50% humidity should be fine.

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

Second, take the regurge very seriously. Do not feed your snake for 10 days. Then feed a meal half the size of what was regurged. Then resume normal feedings, but slowly increase the prey size back to normal. Cut slits in the back of the mouse to make digestion easier.

You may wish to order Nutribac from kathy Love now. Probiotics that help normal stomach flora return. http://www.cornutopia.com

Nanci

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

How to prevent bad sheds in the future

http://tinyurl.com/2h77qy

Rich in KY · Sep 16, 2007

OK, first thing. The temp of the pad sounds way too hot. The warm side should be somewhere between 80-85*. Anything warmer can be harmful. This could be what caused him to regurge. You need to get something to regulate the temp of the heater, such as a thermostat. You should also get a thermometer to be able to know what the temps of both sides are.

Next, his shed. One thing to try is to get a kritter keeper. You can also use it as his feeding container. Put about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of warm water (about 80-85) in it. Then put him in it for about 15 minutes. After this take him out and use a soft towel to dry him off. Let him do all the work but crawling around the towel. Some of the shed should come off on the towel.

Then stop spraying! That is not needed. It sounds like your humidity levels are within range most of the time.

The only true part about handling him is you can give you salmonella. So be sure to wash your hands any time you handle him.

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

Handling. Now that you've had a problem, here's what to do. Do not handle jack at all till two days after he has his next successful meal. Except I would take care of the bad shed ASAP. If oils on hands harmed snakes, mine would all be dead. Don't worry about that- just make sure your hands are clean when you pick him up. Some people set babies back into their water bowl just so they know the baby knows where it is. You can do that if you want to.

Heat. You need to accurately measure the heat on top of the heating pad, right on the glass. The snake can go there and get burned. It needs to be 85F. 90F is to hot. 80F is too cold. If it is too hot, you need to buy a thermostat or rheostat to control the temp. We have pretty much all had to do that- it's rare to have a UTH that isn't too hot. For now, you can put a ceramic tile over the heat mat, inside the cage, and see if that helps. But you don't want to burn or kill Jack.

He needs a hide in both the cool and warm sides.

Nanci

Debbie45 · Sep 16, 2007

Thanks. After I type out this message, I'm going to go get the rest of his skin off him.

As for the UTH... what can I do about that? Should I get a new UTH that has a regulator, or can I get a regulator that attaches to my current heating pad?

He does have a hide on both sides of the cage... I just took one out to get those pics of him. =P

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

No, you just buy a thermostat like the ZooMed 500R. About $40 at Petsmart, about $20 on line.

Nanci

Motley07 · Sep 16, 2007

I had the same problem with my heat pad. The glass would have burned me had I kept my hand on it too long. The manufacturer (Zoomed) said that if the UTH was going on the bottom of the tank (outside) than to place a piece of repticarpet over the same spot on the INSIDE of the tank. THEN you place the substrate over that. That way, if a burrowing reptile goes under the substate, they won't come in contact with the hot glass. I did that and it has worked like a charm. Then if you wish, you can get a thermostat to control the temp of the UTH. I think Zoomed knows it is too hot (maybe that is normal for that brand) and that is why they said you MUST put a repticarpet piece down before you lay the substrate.

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

Every single snake I've had on repticarpet has loved burrowing under it.

Nanci

zwyatt · Sep 16, 2007

Debbie45 said:
As for the UTH... what can I do about that? Should I get a new UTH that has a regulator, or can I get a regulator that attaches to my current heating pad?

Rather than a thermostat, you can also try a rheostat, which you can even make yourself. Do a search for "rheostat" on this forum for more information, if you need it. Rheostats are generally cheaper, but they won't give you the same level of control over the temperatures that a thermostat will.

Motley07 · Sep 16, 2007

Nanci said:
Every single snake I've had on repticarpet has loved burrowing under it.

Nanci

Really?? are we talking about the same thing here?? My pieces are not reticarpet by name, but a similar product made by Zilla. I cut a rectangle piece that fit slightly over the dimensions of the UTH and put it on the bottom of the tank. three sides reach all the way to the walls of the tank. I haven't had an issue with either snake trying to get under the astro turf pieces. If they were smart enough to avoid the hot spot directly on the glass in the first place, then I would guess they wouldn't purposely try and go under the carpet and go on the hot glass. They now go into their caves (over the astro-turf and aspen)and lay in the substrate to digest their foods.

Motley07 · Sep 16, 2007

That would be 'food' not foods.

Debbie45 · Sep 16, 2007

If I just head into PetCo (where I got Jack in the first place) would they know what I need?

For the regurgitation thing... I"ve heard that next time he eats I have to be careful or else it will happen again. I got the advice to feed him just the head of a pinkie and from a seperate source I heard that soaking him in warm water would help him digest the food. How and when do I soak him? Before or after feeding him?

I also heard that I shouldn't mess with him for like 48 hrs or until the buldge dissapears. If I move him to a seperate tank to feed him... is it ok to mess with him just to move him back to his original tank, or to warm water and then back to his cage?

Lennycorn · Sep 16, 2007

susang · Sep 16, 2007

Lenny I'm so glad to see you back and posting, your links are so much help, although I have them all saved I never felt right posting them for others. Thanks so much, susan

zwyatt · Sep 16, 2007

Debbie45 said:
If I just head into PetCo (where I got Jack in the first place) would they know what I need?

Don't count on it. There are some folks that work at larger chain stores that know their stuff pretty well. However, plenty of them don't know nearly enough to give other people advice when it comes to herps. You are far better off doing your own research first and knowing exactly what you need when you go in. With a forum like this, there is no reason that you should have to go into the store not knowing what to look for and/or buy.

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

Motley07 said:
Really?? are we talking about the same thing here??

Green or tan carpet stuff. Yeah, they go under there and make permanent tunnels. I think I have it out of all my vivs now. When I had a tort on it, he ate it and it came out in his poo. Gross.

Nanci

Nanci · Sep 16, 2007

Soaking him would help him poo, not digest. Yes, it's ok to handle him enough to move him back to his viv. For his first post-regurge meal, I'd even leave him 72 hours, jut to be sure.

Nanci

Lennycorn · Sep 16, 2007

susang said:
Lenny I'm so glad to see you back and posting, your links are so much help, although I have them all saved I never felt right posting them for others. Thanks so much, susan

Susan, Thank you but the links are not mine, I just collected them. They are own (I guess) my the members of this site, so if you feel the need to post them yourself. By all means, post away with my blessing.
Lennycorn.

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