Floofy!! That's so cute! Congrats on the eggs!! I bet your super psyched. I would be.:crazy01: I've never seen/heard of a sand boa. Got a pic lurking around?
Really? They're GREAT snakes! Tiny little fat worm-things. I don't have many (if any) good pics of my Kenyan sand boa, though.
Here's a link to the best one, taken a few months ago. Kinda big, or I would've just put it directly into my post. =) And, yeah, I am excited about the eggs. Can't wait for them to hatch... In the meantime, I'm trying to convince my friends to become snake-keepers so I can pawn a couple of the corns off on them.. Lol!
(And lol @ the "Floofy" thing!)
I couldn't believe Simbi freaked out!! It was SOOOO cute!! Even when he came after me... sort of. I actually wanted to people to focus on the reflection part. If I knew it would cause such controversy I wouldn't have mentioned the feeding. I wasn't sure if he could even see himself or he was just going crazy!! LOL
I'm glad you mentioned the feeding thing. The reflection deal is pretty simple, but the feeding thing is actually vital to your snake's health (too often=fat, possibly constipated snake).
I don't mean to sound annoyed (I'm just an arguer by nature). I guess I should use more smileys!!
I believe in my vet. She seems to know her stuff. She sees more snakes than you would think. I made sure to ask. The times I've been in there she has seen snakes before me. One was a 40 pound ball python whose eye she had operated on. I want nothing but the best for Simbi (who is actually a January '09 baby). Right now, I think I'm doing the best for him. If only he could talk.... He means a lot to me, as I'm sure everybody's snake(s) does. Also, the 3-4 day feeding isn't just coming from her. I've read several books, internet sites, other threads that say 3-4 days. I've read others that say 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, etc. For the time being, he is doing just fine, so I'll keep him on his regular schedule. I think it's more up to the owner and how the snake reacts to the feedings. He's never missed a feeding and poops regularly (sometimes on me
uke02
. I'm not worried about his feeding schedule. Hence why I have not made a thread about it. I will discuss everyone's opinion with my vet and see what she has to say. For now, he's happy, healthy, fiesty, and active. :cheers:
It's good to hear he's doing well, but I'd still stretch out his feedings a little more. Especially if he's just an '09 hatchling... 7 or 8 grams is perfectly normal. Actually, it's usual for a corn snake to hatch somewhere between 6 and 8 grams... He certainly doesn't need such an aggressive feeding schedule at his age. Like I said, I have an '08 who's only around 10 grams right now (would weigh him now, but I'm lazy..). He hatched some time in June of last year, and still weighs barely more than your 4-month-old Simbi. He's an active, happy snake who sheds regularly and still only eats one pink every 5-7 days. Besides. I can't imagine you're able to handle him often when he's digesting all the time...
I doubt any one here is really "anti-vet". In fact, it's great that you're taking Simbi for vet check-ups! The thing is, your vet doesn't automatically know everything about your snake's species, specifically. Actually, my vet is always telling me "the internet is the best place to get information because it's so up-to-date." And a big forum like this with so many experienced members to check each others' advice is the best of all. It's hard to get duped on info when you have so many different sources and people constantly at the ready to correct any bad advice.
I have to take a stab at your neurosurgeon comparison... Though I'm too lazy to go back and quote that post, too. You would be going to a neurosurgeon for a medical procedure. Just like you would with a vet. When it comes to husbandry information, though, I'm with Elrojo--hands down, a handful of people who breed and care for hundreds of your specific snake species is going to be more reliable than any vet. Husbandry and medical procedure are two different things. Sorry to use the neurosurgeon bit against you, but I'd rather go to the neurosurgeon to get brain surgery than the catch-all surgeon who happens to be on call (forgive me if that makes little sense, I don't know a whole lot about practical medicine... lol). In other words, I'd rather go to the specialist than the generalist. In this case, the specialist is the corn snake breeder (worked with corn snakes for several years, produced and raised thousands) and the generalist is the veterinarian (cares for hundreds of diverse reptile species, doesn't necessarily know much beyond the basics about your species). Yikes. I think I took an unnecessarily long time to really get to the point there... Sorry if it's a tad confusing.
Anyway. I've learned to take my own vet's information with a grain of salt--at least, with lizards. After finding out my beardie was emaciated, dehydrated, and had Metabolic Bone Disorder, she declared the silkworms I was feeding him were an unnecessary waste of money, and crickets and mealworms (which leave bits of exoskeleton in his poop for days on end when he does get them) were just as good. She would probably have a cow if I bothered to inform her I spent the extra money to feed him calcium-rich butterworms as opposed to the waxworms she suggested to get his weight back up... Lol. My point is, the vet doesn't always know best when it comes to feeding...
And thanks for giving our suggestions a chance. A hungry corn snake is certainly better than a fat one.
It's like dogs... It's been proven that a half-starved dog lives longer than an obese one. Can't remember where exactly I heard that, though...
Hey, just out of curiosity: what's the injection and spray for? Mites, infection? :shrugs: Whatever it is, best of luck helping Simbi get over it. Love the name, by the way... =)
