Help! Health Question

[Blizzard Spawn]

I have a baby albino blizzard. I have had him for about 2 months. He has eaten twice. The first two weeks he ate fine. The third week he would not eat, I noticed he was starting to shed. He had alot of problems shedding, so I helped him by soaking him and allowing him to move through a towel and shed. All went well. Afterwards he still would not eat. I took him to the pet store and they looked him over and noticed that the substrate i kept him in was impacting him. I was told to soak him in a big bowl and try to get him to drink to losen up the sand. Today I put him in a container with a toy rock thingy he has with holes for him to slide in and out of . About 30 seconds later I noticed i couldn't see his head I looked inside and it seemed his head was stuck. I grabbed him and he looked totally frozen with his mouth open. I thought he had drowned. I was so nervous I started messaging him and blowing on him. He started to move around and now is somewhat back to his normal self. But, my girlfriend noticed he isn't flicking his tongue like he use to and when All of this happened he seemed like his head was stiff and stuck in one direction.

I know this is a lot and I went on for soo long but I did not want to leave anything out that might be useful. I am taking him to the vet but where I live there aren't many that handle snakes and I can't get there till monday.I would appreciate any feedback, if any to ease my mind for now.
Thanks

 

[norbert03]

very odd...

my first bit of advice...don't listen to what someone in a pet shop tells you. i have been told some really stupid crap in the past before finding this website and purchasing a snake through a very good breeder who knows her sh*t.

i am not sure what sliding in and out of a "toy"rock would do to assist with remedying compaction, except nothing but get him stuck and injured.

it's good that you are seeking assistance from a qualified veterinarian, i hope you are able to find one in your area. the paper towel trick works very well, but another way that i have found to be less stressful on the snake is moss. if you put wet moss in a deli cup or small plastic cage and then put the snake in it for a while the skin will come off as he slithers through the moss...it works like a miracle! i did it last night and this morning my snake was completely clean of old skin.

i hope everything works out for you.

 

[Spirit]

If you're keeping him in sand, you might concider changing it immediately. Do some searches or ask around for what substrates are "safe" (and I use that word loosely) for snakes. Also, avoid feeding on any substrate (if possible)... I feed mine in a plastic tupperware box lined with paper towels (but some prefer just washing the tupperware after every feed).

I've never heard of this "under water, open mouthed" behavior before so I'm praying that your snake is okay... The fact that he seems to be "back to his old self" is a good sign, but again the feeding (or lack of) could definitely be a problem. A vet visit is definitely a good idea though.

And for future baths, a small container with a couple inches of water is more than enough (no need to cover it, just watch him, or handle him in the water). Water helps in shed and pooping (though I'm unsure how it would effect impaction), but you don't need to cover it or let the snake soak for more than a couple minutes. Even at that, I would avoid water if possible. If you need assistance in a shed, damp moss (or a humid hide) works like a charm.

Glad to hear he appears okay now, but he's probably feeling high stress from being trapped underwater like that. I hope all turns out okay... Keep us posted.

 

[princess]

Sand's not a great idea....

I keep my hatchlings on plain brown butcher paper/packaging paper Under it is a 3-4 sheet thickness of newspaper to absorb any excreta and what-not and to insulate a little from the UTH. It's not nearly as pretty as bark chips or shavings and all that deccorative stuff but it works like a charm for me.

On the rare occasion that I give my snakes a 'bath', I use a smallish container with a lid in a warm, non-drafty place and like you did, I put a large pebble/small stone in it to give the little one something to grip onto. NB -I find the snake gets a lot less worked up and freaked out if it has something to grip onto and isn't just slopping around in the water. I only use an inch of water or so (for a small size snake).

ALSO- On occasion, I've noticed my snakes not just dip their lips in the water to drink, but fully submerge their heads; nostrils, eyes and all, so I don't think it's anything to be worried about. My male snow sometimes has a soak in his waterbowl and when I open the viv, he retreats his head back under the water and keeps it there untill well after I've closed the door again.

Good luck with your little snakie, keep us posted on his progress....

 

[WhiteLips]

Hello Fellow Blizzard Owner! Sorry to hear of your experience! I too on occasion have difficulty with my Blizzard shedding it's usually the tail (it originally got a bad start) You got some good advice regarding assissting the shed- my preference with my Blizzard is the soaking (I soak him while holding his head above water)- and for him it seems to work the best, if you live in a dry environment the moss box is an excellent choice (I use it for one of my pythons that requires a much higher humidity than corns). I use paper towels as a substrate for all my new (or not feeling well) snakes this gives you an opportunity to make sure they are healthy. Another thing you mention was your blizzard with his mouth open wide- snakes do this to get more air in (you might also see excessive yawning or breathing with the mouth slightly open) he took in some water? this can also occur if they are shedding in pieces and a small piece is covering the nose area. Another reason could be a respiratory infection (RI). Spirit makes a good suggestion regarding researching the substrate you are going to use, I prefer aspen (but then I feed in another enclosure) or paper towel/ newspaper (then I leave them in their cage for feeding) Good Luck!