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What to Look For?

E

Elsa

New member
Hi All,

Well Stanley my Milk who we thought was a Corn, is back where he belongs- in the wild!
I am definitely going to be getting a Corn, after handling Stan and watching him I definitely want to add a hopefully calm beautiful corn to the house. (plus we have a great set up for one that will be ready to go)
There is an expo in a few weeks and I would like any words of advice as to what to look for in a healthy snake. I would love Blizzard, but some of the other morphs are also beautiful. Any help in what to look for would be appreciated.
Thanks
 
I would look for a bright alert and active snake with no obvious signs of issues or neglect like thin or stuck sheds. I would talk to the breeder about feeding. How often? What? Such as frozen/thawed or live. Make sure you get the breeders info just in case concerns or questions arise later.
 
Other visual signs of health:

1) No sign of poop around the cloaca (also no swellings in that area)
2) Feel gently along the spine to look for kinks - these may not be visually distinct if small, but your fingers can often pick them up
3) Inspect for surface parasites - tiny black "pepper flakes" are mites, larger dark blotches between the scales may be ticks
4) Look for a curious, alert snake that tongue flicks
 
Also check to make sure the eyes are bright (unless in blue, then they would be hazy and, well... blue) and that the mouth and nasal area are clean and dry. The mouth should also be closed and not slightly agape.
You can always ask to hold any snakes you're interested in :) most breeders have no problem with that. They usually have hand sanitizer to use afterwards as well, to keep the spread of mites and whatnot to a minimum at these expos - because that can happen, unfortunately.
Defenitely just ask a bunch of questions :)
Good luck!
 
Thank you for the tips! I can't wait until the 27th when I should be bringing a new scaled family member home! I have fully sanitized the tank Stanley was in and the hides and vines, so the new home is ready to go. Now just the wait.... :)
 
Good luck! Post pics :)

Pick the one that you can't stop looking at, even if its not the morph you originally had in your mind to get.
 
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