| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 18:34:50
HI, i am new to this forum so i am really sorry if this has been mentioned anywhere else... i did look but couldnt find anything.
So i have a 2 1/2 year old corn, he is really active and very tame usually, but for the past year he has made wheezing noises and quite loudly he will expell air.and he has no not eaten for over a month, nearly 2.i have tried everything from braining to leaving a smaller bit of food in a darkened tub.
i took him to the vets and they said he was fine, it was probably just a sinus defect from birth!?!? and he probs wasnt eating beacuse of mating season, they told me to up the temp and see if it made a difference.
anyhow, his scales then started to get flaky, it didnt have anything to do with a shed because he shed just last week and it was complete and had eye caps, tail etc so it was a good shed. i put him a tub of cool water whilst i discefected and cleaned the viv.
As i got him out he started to go really starnge.. like he was having a fit?!  i put him back in his viv, and he just went very limp like he has got no energy, i touched him and he moved a tiny bit, theres no flicking of his tounge or no vibrating, he has since moved out of his cool hide and into the warm one so i know he is alive.
i was wondering if maybe having a bath has stressed him out?! the temps in his viv are between 82-86 degrees, this is what it has been for the 2 years i have had him.he has freash water everyday and he has been drinking it so i know he isnt dehydrated.he has always had aspen substrate, has 2 hides on either side and some wood to climb, like i said he is very tame and has been handled everyday, i usually leave the door open and he comes right out and crawls onto me.
please can someone help me... am i doing something wrong?
sorry its so long but i really dont want him to get so ill and die.
thanks for any help given. |
| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 23:34:35
I've managed to get an appointment with a vet from Bristol zoo on Monday, so hopefully he will find out what's wrong.
' rocky' is better today, he's moving around between hot and cool side. Just need to get him feeding now. :)
Thanks everyone for your help
|
| smart bunny |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 20:23:29
Shops are the absolute worst!! You can rarely trust what a shop tells you unless it's an exceptionally good one lol! Hope he is OK, glad to hear he seems a bit better today :) |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 13:31:25
Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm in the process of looking. For a good reptile vet now.
I can't believe this has happened, so many people in reptile shops tell you different things and its hard to know what's right! I've got a ton of books about corn snakes and I fllowed them to the word but then I get supposdley reptile specialists in shops telling me I'm doing things wrong!!
So thank you everyone for your replies, ill keep you updated. |
| QueenVic |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 13:08:38
There is a list of reptile vets on the forum somewhere, you'll probably be better off taking him to someone who knows what they are doing...
Hope he's better soon!! |
| Georgina |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 09:51:16
It should never feel warm in there, and he probs did use it because it was already humid in there x |
| Spreebok |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 09:32:01
Yeah, misting is a big nono with corns, they don't need the humidity, and you're only encouraging Respiratory Infections by misting. |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 09:16:32
Well I haven't misted for a week now so I won't bother with that,I usually did it wen it got real warm in there and only on the walls of the viv, never on the substrate.The moss box I usually put in until he Sheds so it's in there for about a week, I do change the moss daily when it's in there though, although he never touches it.
Thanks. |
| Georgina |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 09:02:57
I live by the sea and all my animals are fine. The issue is that you are misting his viv. This is a big no no. They live in a climate similar to ours and defo do not need ectra humidity. And usually you do not need a moss box throughout the shedding process but if he struggles without then it won't hurt for the few days it will be inthere. |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 08:55:53
Again I forgot to mention that I always clean out his poo as soon as its done, so it's not left for him to roll into!
I am at work right now so can't post any pictures,
This may sound stupid but I was wondering if it may be the water that's affecting him?
As I live by the sea, we have really hard water , today I have given him bottled water instead just incase? |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 08:44:03
Thanks for getting back to me guys!
This morning he seems a lot better! He's moving around, drinking and exploring like normal,
I'm still going to get in touch with a vet though, just to be safe,
A few answers to questions.
I'm using aspen bedding- always have
I have a heat mat on a thermostat. But also a heat lamp which on in the day it was recommended at the reptile shop! I have since removed the lamp because I suspect it was getting hot in there and maybe that was a partial reason he was getting stressed.
I lightly mist his viv about twice a week, he has a big enough water bowl to soak in as well , obviously if shedding I add a moss hide as well . There is no mucus, bubbles or mouth gaping, jus like a wheezing/sneezing sound.
The temp on his mat is set between 26-28, my digi therm has recently died and I'm now awaiting a new one.
I don't think his scales are scale rot? They are just clear shavings, and his actual scales on his body are fine, not brown or raised. Could it be dry skin caused by heat?
I clean and replace his substrate/viv every 2 weeks.
Thanks again for the replys. |
| Georgina |
Posted - 08/05/2012 : 00:14:01
defo need to get him to a different vets, as lotabob said. strip the viv, dry it out as much as poss. i think when they have a ri you can raise the temp over 30 for a short period of time (but DO NOT do this unless the vet tells you to)
i think there are a couple of vets in bridgwater that have been mentioned on the darkside.
when you ring before you go i would ask if you could speak to the vet, the vet will tell you who is the best in the area as most vets care about the animals welfare and if he says oh i will look at him anywhere find someone that knows what they are talking about. x |
| lotabob |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 23:59:08
Sinus defect??? This may come as a massive shock but snakes dont have sinuses. So you can pretty much throw out anything he said as worthless.
From the limited information it sounds like 2 issues you have, if their was something wrong with what you call the sinuses and what we call the coanal slit then you are looking at a respiratory disease/infection and flakey scales with no shed sounds like scale rot, common cause of both, high humidity and unclean environment.
SO whats the humidity like in your setup, I recommend immediately stripping everything thats damp out of the setup, using kitchen roll for substrate, temps upto 30oC (no higher, its a corn snake max temp).
Few questions for you:
Does the snakes mouth have a lot of mucus?
Blowing bubbles from the nostrils and corner of the mouth?
How many times a week do you spray your enclosure?
How do you regulate temperature and what heat source are you using?
What substrate do you use?
Can you post a picture of the scale damage?
Oh this forum is not a suitable substitute for a proper exotics vet as its likely that if its got to the stage its showing signs of fatigue etc it will need medicinal intervention ASAP. |
| Lozzy |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 23:07:20
Certainly sounds like you got a poorly snake i would agree with the others and suggest trying to find a reptile specialist vet, hope it all works out and he is ok:) x *sending hugs* |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 21:30:41
Personally I'd find a different vet, a reptile specialist, ASAP. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, he certainly sounds very ill, I hope he is OK :( |
| sammicat300 |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 20:35:53
I'd advise going to a vet ASAP, hope everything turns out OK x |
| a33272 |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 20:07:38
Was the vet a reptile specialist? |
| vikhigi13 |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 18:42:09
i forgot to mention that he has looked quite constipated aswell.. he has passed stool but one was really green and runny and the other was hard and very dark brown.. i inspected both of these for worms but there was nothing in them,
Whilst he was bathing in the cool water, i noticed a little bit of white mucus floating around, im not sire if this was sick or he had tried to have a poo?
He was checked by the vet for a RI... well basically he just opened his mouth and said it looks fine in there! so he doesnt have mouth rot... he also doesnt have any mucus, bubbles or leave his mouth hanging open.
At one point after i took him out of the water.. he sat with his mouth wide open, the little breathing tube in his mouth waqs open for a second and then he shut it, but left his mouth open.. and i mean like he would if he yawned.. only he didnt shut his mouth?! i touched him after about 5 minutes and then he shut it? what is going on? im really worried and as its a bank holiday i cant get to a vet.. im also working tomorow for a full 24hr shift so i wont be able to take him tomorow, i really dont want to come home and find him dead. |
