| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 24/06/2010 : 21:20:35
Hi there, I have recently purchased a corn snake (ie 2 weeks ago). I believe the snake to be approx 2 years old - he (because I don't know what sex it is!!) is approx 3.5 ft in length. When I obtained "Sammy" he was due a feed - he duly fed on 2 mice (as instructed), he had also recently shed as the skin was still in viv. I cleaned viv and water bowl, changed his substrate from bark chippings to Aspen Snake Bedding. He was inquisitive for the 1st day or so and since then has taken to hiding for the majority of the time. He is not interested in food at all - I have tried teasing, leaving and nothing happens. I have purchased a temperature guage which during the heating time is on average 85 and the heating light is off at night therefore the temperature lowers. Sammy is now showing absolutely no interest in food (according to previous owner was feeding on a weekly basis). His skin has gone considerably ligher (milky) and he constantly hides. I have handled this evening and on placement back into viv he struck at me. Then he became inquisitive and when I had a look he had his mouth open (only briefly) then went back into hiding. I have misted the viv on a regular basis. Previously he was kept in a bedroom now he is in a lively room - ie other pets around, tv switched on, conversation happening etc. Could he be ill, shedding or just adapting to his new environment? Should he be active? There are no wheezes or sneezes, no rattling etc. I am concerned -he is my first snake!! What should I do? |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kellog |
Posted - 01/07/2010 : 04:48:42
quote:
Originally posted by Lenny01
Hi again
Yes all seems to be well - checked the shed skin and it all seemed to be intact. Still no real interest in food........I guess last night he was too busy checking out his new pad........Will keep trying him with food over the next few days and hopefully hunger will overrule hormones!! Will keep you updated.
Lenny
I am glad that it was a good shed Lenny and everything came away clean  .
I know he hasnt been moved in the same sense as when you first got him, so he probably doesnt need to be left for a week with no handling or feeding....but can I suggest that you leave him alone for a few days as everything is new to him, he has probably found the change a bit stressful and just needs time to settle in to his new home.
I would certainly not try feeding him over the next few days. When is he next due a feed? If it is in the next few days then leave him alone....and try a few days later, but stick to his normal feeding schedule rather than offering him food more often, even though it is tempting as you are so desperate to get them to eat (I know, I have been there).
Do you weigh him? If not then it may be a good idea to start as that way you can monitor his weight. If he is losing weight fast then you know that he is not eating because of a reason other than him being horny....when they fast during breeding season they do lose weight but not very much considering how long they go without food.
Give him time and see if his behaviour calms down. Offer him food when you normally would and leave it in overnight if he doesnt take it....removing it in the morning if it is still there. Then wait until his next feeding day before doing it again. Hopefully he will settle down and start eating soon.
xxx
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| n/a |
Posted - 30/06/2010 : 21:43:45
Hi again
Yes all seems to be well - checked the shed skin and it all seemed to be intact. Still no real interest in food (I even tried braining and left the mouse in all night only to remove it again this morning) although he is drinking. I guess last night he was too busy checking out his new pad - he was active all night and even seemed to be dancing in front of the glass!! I know this is breeding season so he was probably looking for an escape route to find a nice lady!! He seems to have been pretty dormant today but has put in an appearance tonight and is investigating again. Will keep trying him with food over the next few days and hopefully hunger will overrule hormones!! Will keep you updated.
Lenny |
| Kellog |
Posted - 30/06/2010 : 06:02:48
That is fantastic news Lenny , I am so pleased to hear that you have sorted out Sammy's housing requirements and he will be so much happier. Thank you so much for listening and taking the advice given to you - so often that doesnt happen  .
And you missed the shed!! Why doesnt that surprise me  ....but Sammy has shed and is ok, that is all that matters and you have years ahead of you to watch him shed. Was it a clean shed with the eye-caps and tail tip visible on the old skin?
One point about his new set-up....he doesnt need both a bathing bowl and a drinking bowl, that may add too much humidity into his viv. I am sure he will just be fine with the one, if he uses the bathing bowl then keep that....if he doesnt then just have the drinking bowl as that then frees up more space in the viv for him.
Thanks again for doing what you have done for Sammy, and I really do hope he eats next feeding time. So glad you are going to keep us updated - we worry, you know  !!
xxx
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| n/a |
Posted - 29/06/2010 : 21:44:38
Hi all,
Good news all round!! Got Sammy his/her new viv - now in a nice 4ft shiny new pad - all singing all dancing - lovely new substrate, foliage, 2 new hides, a bowl for bathing and a lovely new drinking bowl!! Temperature is as it should be. My he's a happy chappy!! Been investigating it all night. We were having a wee nosy periodically and watching him while he watched us - then we go off to have a bite to eat and (guess what) he does a sneaky and loses the old skin!! Perhaps now he'll feel like a nice mousey meal - worth a try anyway!! Will keep you updated on progress. Thanks for all the advice. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 06:51:08
I am sorry your introduction to corns has been rather stressful Lenny, mine was the same but for different reasons. At least now you know why Sammy is behaving like he is, with his being 'blue' and due to shed.
Lee has made a good suggestion about putting a waterbowl on the heatmat to raise the humidity slightly, but can I suggest that you actually add an extra water bowl so that he has one in the cool side - you dont really want him drinking warm water. I also mist my corns vivs when they are blue, just once in the morning.
It is a personal choice I think about feeding during the period of them going blue and shedding. To my thinking they are very vulnerable at this time as their eyesight is compromised, so in the wild they would be hidden away....not out looking for food. I also know that missing one meal isnt going to make any difference. BUT this is only my personal choice and I know lots of members do feed their snakes during this time - and some snakes will feed while blue but others wont. I also don’t handle during this time, even once their eyes have cleared (probably the hardest time for me as I get withdrawal symptoms from not having my snake time !!). Even once their eyes have cleared they are partially blind and I want to avoid as much stress for them as possible.
What you need to look out for now is him being a bit more active, then rubbing his head along the sides of his viv, hide, any branches, etc. This happens because he is trying to loosen the shed from around his jaw....and once that has loosened then it can happen very quickly! But be warned....I am convinced there is a corn-conspiracy ! They seem to wait until their owners leave the room and then slip out of their old skin and slither round quite happily in their new bright colours showing them off when their owners return to the room....with their old skin lying forlorn in the corner . Seriously though, a lot of corns shed at night and I know a number of members havent had the chance to see their corns shed....despite keeping them for a number of years. So I really do hope you get lucky and get to see Sammy shed.
What is vital once he has shed is checking the shed skin for the eye caps and tail tip....as if these are retained they can cause problems. If the shed is not a clean one then you know where you can come for help.
The advice about the light guard is vital, not only can Sammy burn himself (as he doesnt feel heat like we do), but he can also crush it if he decides to climb up and wrap himself around it. He also does need the bigger viv.
A digital thermometer that a lot of us use is this one - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230467620317#ht_2935wt_946. It is cheap, comes quickly and it is so reassuring knowing what the exact temps are in the viv.
I am not great on Fahrenheit but from my bad calculations 85oF is approx 29.5oC and 90oC is approx 32oC....the 29.5oC is bordering on too high and the 32oC is much too high. As has been said you want a constant temp of approx 28oC in with warm end 24hrs a day....and the best way to get that is with a heatmat controlled by a stat and monitored with the digital thermometer. You are creating quite a temperature variable with the viv temp being about 60oF (approx 15oC) in the morning and then rising to 90oF. It would be great if you could get better control of it.
Sorry I have rambled on so much  ....I didnt mean to but have a bad habit of doing it! Hope some of it, at least, has been of some help!
xxx
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| mikerichards |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 20:50:32
Looks good mate, the dial type thermometers are quite well known for being total crap, one shop i know that used to sell these did a test, he put it in the freezer and it took 2 hours to react to the temp drop properly. He doesnt sell them anymore!
Get yourself on ebay and find some nice digi therms, they are a couple of quid and the best couple of quid you can spend really. those dial types only measure the air temps, so if you are hitting 30+ air temps, its a touch warm!
To be honest, i would get shot of the light completely, and just use a heatmat running off a mat or dimmer stat. I say this because, corns dont rely on hot air temps to regulate their own temps, they prefer to absorb the heat through their bellies. Big Boas and pythons, generally the more tropical species like to have a heat bulb, but they need almost superheating!
I think you will find the temps much easier to control and setup, as danny says, you want a temp of about 28 degrees, much higher than that is not ideal really.
He is in shed also, so you got nothing to worry about. |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 20:37:15
Thank you all for your responses - it is much appreciated. It is a relief to know that he isn't ill!! Will look at getting a new viv and a guard for the light. How soon after shedding should I be feeding him? |
| lee2308 |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 19:54:45
Oh just to add,try moving the water bowl over to the warm side and it will higher the humidity while shedding,then move it back once he has shed. |
| lee2308 |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 19:39:07
tidied the links for you lenny,like danny said use the link that starts with [img].
H e is definitely going into shed looking at his eyes,they can be aggressive while their like this as they cant see and feel very vulnerable and can strike out at you,He just needs a good settling period with no contact as already mentioned.
As long as that infra red bulb is being used on a dimming thermostat that light can stay on 24/7 as they dont really notice the colour red,i would strongly advise getting a guard for the bulb as snakey would seriously burn itself without one,he could also do with a hide of some sort on the warm side aswell as the cool.
At the length he is now he will also be needing a bigger viv soon,the size of the viv should be no smaller then length + width = length of snake.
. |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 18:43:54
You want the link which says img, rather than URL, then it will display the pictures full size and without all the text. |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 18:30:20
Managed to figure it out!!
photo links edited |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 18:18:57
Ideally the heat light needs to be on of a night aswell and temps monitored with a digital thermometer as the dial ones are useless. Is the light controlled with a thermostat?
Im not sure on the temps as im useless with faranheit but i think that may be a little high, temps should be around 27-30 celsius if that helps. |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/06/2010 : 18:06:53
Hi again,
The viv is set up with aspen snake bedding, two hides (one on either side of the viv), water bowl with fresh water daily. the temperature guage is a reptile guage purchased from a pet store.
The temperature in the viv in the morning is around 60 and then once the heating light is switched on the temperature rises to approx 85-90. the light is kept on for approx 12-14 hours per day. I have managed to get some photos of Sammy but don't know how to attach them!! I have noticed his eyes today are indeed milky too. |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 24/06/2010 : 22:44:51
The main thing is to tell us about your setup, every detail, temps, what you are using to measure temps, what you are using to control the temps, all the good stuff.
Take a pic for me too please, especially of his head, including the eyes. It sounds to me like e is going blue, coming into shed. If you are an sure as to what this is, please please do some research, find out what you are getting into. if this is the case, expect the eyes to go clear BEFORE he sheds.
Anyways, welcome to the site, get yourself over to the introductions page and say hi in there properly! |
| kdlang |
Posted - 24/06/2010 : 21:59:42
Hi Lenny, Sorry to hear that your introduction to snake keeping has been so stressful. Someone with more experience than me will be along shortly but I just wanted to say hi and welcome and let you know we are here to help.
I wouldn't worry too much about your snake hiding as that is perfectly normal. He has just gone through the stress of being moved to a new house with lots of new smells and noises so he needs some time to settle in. The general advice is to leave a snake alone for a week to allow it to de-stress. This means no handling or feeding for a week. Just put your hand in once a day to change the water, spot check for poos and just fiddle with the substrate and decorations to put your smell on them. I have had my first corn since christmas and i still rarely see him out and about but i know he comes out during the night while the house is dark and quiet. if you straighten his aspen each day you should be able to see tracks if he has been out exploring while you haven't been looking.
Have a good read through of the care sheet on this site http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/corn_snake_care_sheet.htm
and this topic will help http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4133
You shouldn't need to mist the viv regularly as cornsnakes don't need high humidity. The only time misting is advised is if your snake has bad sheds and only during the shedding period.
If you can tell us about your set-up, temps, equipment etc then i'm sure people will be able to help more |
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