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Vet questions/experiences

L

Lindseylollygag

New member
Im debating whether to bring my snow corn in to the vet to get her first checkup. I went back to January in this thread to look for experiences but I didn't find any yet! Will my snake be stressed out after? I've only had her three weeks and have fed we fine three times. I made an appointment for friday, just to have peace of mind that she's got everything alright with her and to educate myself in the exam. Is this a good idea? Will she hate me after?? lol. no matter how much I read on these forums, of course I'm learning so much, but I'm also freaking myself out over probably little things, or things i'm afraid will happen!
 
Personally, I've never taken any of my snakes to the vet at all. As long as they eat, shed, poop and grow I'm happy that they are healthy and don't feel the need to stress them out by taking them anywhere.
 
Must admit I'd be wary of disturbing her after only having her for three weeks. They can take weeks or months to settle in and you could find yourself having to start the entire process again.

I've never taken any of mine to the vet for a precautionary checkup. I'm not honestly sure what they could tell you, other than point out obvious things like stuck bits of shed which you would already have seen for yourself.
 
On the other hand, it certainly doesn't hurt to establish a relationship with a reptile vet under non-stressful circumstances, not in an emergency. If you don't already know the vet, it would give you a chance to see how s/he handles snakes, and if s/he seems knowledgeable and comfortable with one. It's always interesting to see a physical exam of a snake if you haven't seen that done before. My vet likes to let the owner listen to the heart and lung, and points out anatomical differences between a snake and your typical pet dog or cat.

It might be best to wait a month or two and let your little one settle in with you, though.
 
Having a good reptile vet is a great thing. Snakes cant go to just ANY veterinarian, has to be a specialist. Having said that, as long as the snake is eating, shedding nicely and growing and seems healthy, there is no reason for the SNAKE to go; why stress the animal? I agree with the "no" posters above. But you may wish to take in a stool sample (has to be fresh) and have that checked for worms and parasites, as they can be present, silently, doing their damage for a while before they show symptoms in the snake.
 
I think the stool sample is a great idea. I took Mango to the vet when he went through his skin troubles. The vet was great, but it was ironic that the care sheet he gave me had pretty inaccurate info on it. When I pointed that out, he said he agreed with me personally but that this was the sheet the company gave out. He asked me why I knew so much about corns and I told him about you guys here and the books I had read.
 
I have only taken in snakes that were in need of vet care. I have taken in our spotted python and our adult ball python and our adult ghost corn. Our adult bp was really stressed and stopped eating after the visit. Took a good two months to get her eating again and help from a wonderful member on here.

Most vets will do stool samples to check for parasites or worms etc without seeing the animal and only if there is a problem with it will they ask for you to bring the animal in for an exam.
 
On the other hand, it certainly doesn't hurt to establish a relationship with a reptile vet under non-stressful circumstances, not in an emergency.
Click to expand...

Love this advice Nanci!!! :) But then, again I might just be prejudiced.

That being said, if the snake is eating normally, passing "normal" looking stools, shedding without problem and has no evidence of parasites it wouldn't be a bad idea to let him/her settle a little in their new environment.
 
my only experience with attempting to take a snake to a vet ended poorly...i live in idaho, and there is maybe 1 vet in town that will willingly SEE reptiles of any sort that i am aware of...my bp was ill so i called said vet (who works out of the Humane Society) and was told that there would be a 2 week wait at least...my snake was having respiratory issues and couldn't wait 2 weeks which i informed them but they told me they were sorry, they couldn't get me in sooner"...sadly i found him deceased the next day...i feel responsible for his death...the REAL bummer is...i work for a vet...but we don't see reptiles...he gets squeamish when i bring my bearded dragons in for weight checks/etc *sighs*
 
Sadly if your BP was a day from death, even an experienced vet probably couldn't have saved him. A trip to the vet would just have distressed him unnecessarily.
 
that's what i figured...i was heartbroken...i should've done something else...but...after doing some digging i did find out that there is a vet TECH at a clinic near by that deals with reptiles and really knows his stuff...he helps teach the reptile section of the vet tech classes here in town...so *if* i ever need reptile care again, ill be calling him first...
 
I'm a big advocate for finding a reptile vet in your area. You want to know what vets are in your area and have a plan/numbers in case of emergency. Not necessarily taking the snake in, just go check them out for yourself.

When I found a vet that seemed good, I rode by the clinic and walked in just to check the place out. The staff was awesome and gave me information about the clinic offerings and hours, they also gave info on after hours emergency contacts.

For ZombieGirl: http://local.reptilechannel.com/Reptile_Veterinarians_Boise_ID-p1591920-Boise_ID.html There are a few on this list. Maybe give them a call and make sure they are still open (for future reptile visits), but it seems like there are a fair few around.

The Reptile Channel search page is awesome to search for local reptile vets.
 
ha...my clinic is listed on that list and we do not see reptiles...neither do the cat clinics...HOWEVER...i appreciate the link and i will call some of the others to see if they see reptiles but i have a feeling they don't as i've dealt with them on a professional basis. we'll see what i can find out. thank you BloodyBaroness, it's greatly appreciated.
 
that gives me an idea though...maybe i'll call to the clinics in the area and put together a list! probably won't be a big one though...lol
 
I guess one good thing that comes from me living in a well-populated area is that I have a choice of several vets who see reptiles. I know they can be hard to find in less-populated areas.
 
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