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Wierd lines that look like fins...?

ARiley144

ARiley144

New member
We bought our babies from Petco in April and they refused to eat which I found out was normal, they finally ate about a week ago. However right before they ate one of them sprouted wierd lines all over his body that look like fins or like someone pinched his skin. I was hoping after he ate they would go away. But they have not and now he's super lethargic and just lays around (he's already completely digested so it's not that). Oh and in the time that I've had him he hasn't shed, but his brother has. And his brother is just fine no lines and really active. Any explanations or suggestions would be much obliged. Thanks!
 
I would have suggested shed related as well. Perhaps try a moist hide? Our one boy got horribly wrinkly looking over the winter when he went into shed because it was a little too dry. A moist hide sorted him

(we just use a tupperware bowl with an entrance cut into it and bunched up, damp paper towels)
 
I would say it could be shed-related or maybe dehydration. Lethargy in a snake is never a good thing in a snake and often happens if they are about to die. I hope that's not the case for your snake, though.
 
It seems like it almost has to be either dehydration or shed related - so if it was my snake I would give him a bath. Fill a container with an inch or two of water and toss a cloth in thick enough so they can climb out of the water if they want. Let him slither around for a while and see if that improves things. It has done wonders for shed in our house and the snakes seem to love to drink bathwater.

Good luck!
 
He is drinking, and I have been giving him a bath almost every day for the last week. And he hates water but the past day or so he has been getting in his dish by himself. He is my baby (we have two and he picked me) and I really hope he pulls out of this slump. We got him some emergency supplement stuff that is supposed to help dehydration.
 
So if it is shed related is there anything else that can be done other than what I'm doing (the baths and moist hides and supplements for his health)?
 
My only experience with this was on a non-feeder hatchling that eventually had to be euthanized. Keep trying to get food in him and keep the fluids coming. Good luck!
 
Very sad to say that when I took my baby out to give it a bath today it loved on me for a bit then passed away...very upset had an appt with the exotic vet for it tm to be sexed and diagnosed/fixed. Now I'll never know....it ate, drank, and was generally social till this last 3-5 days. Very very sad. :-(
 
ARiley144 said:
We bought our babies from Petco in April and they refused to eat which I found out was normal, they finally ate about a week ago. However right before they ate one of them sprouted wierd lines all over his body that look like fins or like someone pinched his skin. I was hoping after he ate they would go away. But they have not and now he's super lethargic and just lays around (he's already completely digested so it's not that). Oh and in the time that I've had him he hasn't shed, but his brother has. And his brother is just fine no lines and really active. Any explanations or suggestions would be much obliged. Thanks!
Click to expand...

ARiley144 said:
Very sad to say that when I took my baby out to give it a bath today it loved on me for a bit then passed away...very upset had an appt with the exotic vet for it tm to be sexed and diagnosed/fixed. Now I'll never know....it ate, drank, and was generally social till this last 3-5 days. Very very sad. :-(
Click to expand...

Very sorry for your loss.
I am a bit confused you say you got them in April and they didn't eat until a week ago and then you say they ate until 3-5 days ago. You should keep the vet appt. for the other snake since they were co-habbed if it was contagious the other snake may also get sick.
It is normal for juvenile- adult snakes to go off feed in spring, hatchlings should be healthy eaters. A hatchling not eating for 5+ weeks not normal.
 
Sorry he ate a week ago and then digested within 2days but was still drinking and being social and active till the last 3-5 days. The activity level went first, then his being social, and very last he stopped doing anything the last day or two. I got them Apr 16th and have recently found out that they were in Petco for 3wks before we purchased them and had not eaten the entire time they were there. Their other cage mate is still at the store and has the same exact 'lines' that mine did and according to the associates it ate May 29th (same day my 2 ate). Yesterday my one baby ate and the one that died this am did not. The only thing that seemed oddly different about mine is the one that is still alive shed a few wks ago and doesn't have the wierd looking 'lines' and the one that died had not shed and according to Petco the other cagemate that looks as bad as the one that just past away hasn't shed either...I'm really hoping that we didn't buy them from Petco sick. However this one looks perfectly healthy and happy. I will still keep the appt for tm. it just sucks that i won't know what was wrong with the one that died...and it was the one that i was quite attatched to and was attatched to me :-(
 
Again I am sorry, I do feel the fact they were co-habbed at Petco (not eating) and wtih you not eating, are definate signs of stress. It may be your remaining baby will thrive now that it is not under stress. I bought my first two corns from Petco and co-habbed, as Petco said it was OK. I lost one never ate and just died. The other snake did just fine and grew to be a big healthy boy.
 
I hope he does well...it was rough on my kid. And its really sad to watch them diminish like that and feel helpless.
 
Vet was not helpful and on verge of waste of money...the other snake is completely fine according to vet...has no idea what could have caused the issues with the baby that died and for some reason said that the living baby is too young to sex. I'm slightly confused as to my knowlege it can be done by a professional and baby should be 3-6mo old. And I don't want to injure the critter so I'm not gonna try myself so I will just keep assuming for now that it's a him.
Quick question about feeding....I know that most suggest to take them out and put them in a 'feeding bin' to eat, but he refuses to eat in a feeding bin...he thinks I'm out of my tank that means time to try and escape...then when you introduce the mouse he acts as if he's scared. So both times he's fed i've tried the feeding bin and after 2hrs of it not working I put him back in his regular tank and used the really long feeding tongs to make sure my scent isn't associated with food and he's eaten. Is this a horrible idea? I can't seem to get him to eat any other way (have even tried just leaving him with the mouse but he likes it dangled) and he doesn't try to strike at us when it's just our hand in the tank.
 
I've fed mine in their homes before...I generally put a piece of paper towel down and the few that enjoy the zombie dance get their dangled over the paper. (I started using feeding bins for all simply because it was easier to clean tanks/replace water with the snakes out)

By all means, use the method that works for your snake. I've also seen some mention putting a deli bowl containing the warm mousicle directly in the tank, or the mouse and snake together in a loosely closed paper bag in the tank.
 
My (so far) most effective way of getting my corns to eat when they are being picky (when they are small) is to put them in a disposable coffee cup with a bit of paper towel and the mouse and leave it with the lid on inside the tank for about 30 minutes. It has never failed for me. Just be sure to plug up the drinking slit in the lid - sometimes they can squeeze their little heads through it.
 
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