| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| elament |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 13:17:06
Some of you that have been following my posts will know the candy story but for those of you that havent i will reiterate...
Candy is a 9 month old corn that was rescued from a pet shop on the 4th of december. She hadnt eaten her whole life and as a result was underweight and her skin had dried out and gone all wrinly. A freind of mine was given the snake by the pet shop owner as they couldnt get it to eat and it had been labelled a problem snake and left to one side basically to die.
On the 5th of december the day after he got her my freind, fearing she would not make it without eating, assist fed her. She seemed to have a lot of difficulty getting the pinky past her throat but after a good long while got it down and digested it without regurging. A week later he attempted again this time she took the pinky herself and after some who har got it past her throat. A week later the same and this progressed onto around the 4th of jan when she took two pinkys in a single sitting.
It is here i got involved and told my freind that it sounded to me like she was still massivly dehydrated and going through a difficult shed and I advised him to bath her every day. A few days after that during a bath one skin came off (in bits) and she looked a bit better. The following day she shed yet again and another skin came off (this time in just a few pieces) and the result was a beatiful looking snake with lovely smooth skin and markings. That was around the 9th of January since when she has discovered eating with earnest and taken two pinkies in one sitting (gobbled them down with no trouble at all)and another about 6 days later.
Getting her out yesterday my freind noticed she has gone dull again and is looking a bit "dry" round the head area (his words)
I am assuming she has gone into blue in preperation for a shed in a couple of weeks which would make it about a month between sheds.
My question for you guys is..is that about right for a corn that is about 13" long and nine months old.
I got Colin as a yearling and he sheds roughly about every two months with no worries at all and I know little corns shed more often.
SO is about once a month about right for this size of corn or has her metabolism gone into overdrive due to the sudden eating after such a long time of not.
Its worth adding that since my freind got her she has put on quite a bit of weight and length so a shed is not suprising so I am not worried I would just like to hear your experiences shed wise with similar sized corns so I got something to go by.
Candy is coming to me this weekend. She is currently living in a rub with two other corns but here has her own viv set specifically for her needs so I can assist her recovery on a one to one basis and keep a closer eye on her.
Your views would be greatly appreciated
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| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| elament |
Posted - 22/01/2010 : 10:23:47
She has been with my freind for six weeks now during which time she has been bathed daily and the RUB disinfected daily and my freind says since he see that one mite the day he got her he hasnt seen any so with a bit of luck they should have gone but like i said i will keep an eye out for them and if i do spot one I know what to do
cheers
steve
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| Kellog |
Posted - 22/01/2010 : 09:57:26
quote:
Originally posted by SexyBear77
quote:
Originally posted by elament
Thanks SB I cant wait to take up the challenge. Incidently you was right about the mites.
Well at least you have a reason for her skin problems. Bear in minds that mites can take weeks and weeks to get rid of properly so I would keep up with the bathing and disinfecting of the faun just to be on the safe side.
SB is right about the mites hanging around Stephen. The problem is the eggs that you cant see and then by the time they hatch and you see them they could well have laid more. We waited 6 weeks before returning Kellog's viv back to normal and were able to relax.
Am so glad you are getting Candy today, I bet you cant wait and it will certainly be a relief once she is under your care.
xxx |
| kdlang |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 16:15:35
Best of luck with candy elament. She is very lucky to have 2 people who have room in their hearts and lives to help her. |
| elament |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 14:44:52
Oh dont worry SB I expecting the worst that way I can only be confirmed right or happily suprised |
| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 14:13:05
quote:
Originally posted by elament
Thanks SB I cant wait to take up the challenge. Incidently you was right about the mites.
Well at least you have a reason for her skin problems. Bear in minds that mites can take weeks and weeks to get rid of properly so I would keep up with the bathing and disinfecting of the faun just to be on the safe side. |
| elament |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 13:45:25
Thanks SB I cant wait to take up the challenge. Incidently you was right about the mites. My freind said when he got her he bathed her and found one mite. At the time they were on kitchen roll substrate and he daily cleansed the rub with antibac and bathed candy daily till he couldnt see any sign of mites. I asked him today and he said he has checked her daily and checked the kitchen roll daily but has not seen any sign of mites since then so I am assuming she has got rid of them but I will keep a close eye on her just to be on the safe side and if the worst comes to the worst I know what to do and if i get stuck i will lean on you guys for advice.
Thanks everyone this group is a life saver (literally) |
| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 12:24:24
quote:
Originally posted by elament
Tis okay the dealer came round with a new stat last night colins viv is fine again. Thanks for all the words of encouragement I may well be leaning on you guys the next few weeks.
Incidently I have had a word with my freind and he is bringing her tomorrow now so its only another 24 hours and she will be with me and on her own at last
You must be excited!! Best of luck with her x |
| elament |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 09:57:34
Tis okay the dealer came round with a new stat last night colins viv is fine again. Thanks for all the words of encouragement I may well be leaning on you guys the next few weeks.
Incidently I have had a word with my freind and he is bringing her tomorrow now so its only another 24 hours and she will be with me and on her own at last
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| Kellog |
Posted - 21/01/2010 : 05:51:19
SB has really answered all your questions Stephen regarding her going into a shed and it being the right time cos of her feeding up. I have referred to things you can do to aid her shed in another of your posts....
quote:
Originally posted by elament
I guess the next telling time will be the next shed. Up till now all her sheds have come of in pieces so I cant wait for the day I get a full skin off her.
You can do things to assist with her shed by increasing the humidity, especially if she is a known problem shedder. Just moving the water bowl to the warm side will help and I also mist the viv once every morning while my corns are blue. If she needs more help than that you can put in a 'damp' hide filled with moss to raise the humidity more.....but wait and see how her first shed with you goes and take it from there.
...or use the search button and put in shed, you should find lots of advice there.
I am sure she will definitely improve once she is out of the shared viv. It is great what your friend has done and even more amazing that she has started feeding the way she has, but it is just a shame that she has had added stress with sharing a viv when she is in such a weakened state. I cant wait until she is with you....!!!
I know it feels as though you are dealing with every problem going, but then you are taking on a corn that has been so badly treated and had been allowed to get into such an awful state that it was to be expected really. Hopefully once she is with you, in her own viv, feeding well...her problems will end. And if they dont then you know you are not alone in dealing with them as the forum is always here for you!
As for Colin's heatmat....turn it off if you cannot trust the stat!!! It just isnt worth the risk of him getting burnt. Surely it is better he goes without heat for the period it takes you to get a new one (which he will handle fine I am sure). It is definitely better to be safe than sorry.
xxx |
| elament |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 15:58:17
Bloody thing has lost the plot. When I got it it was hard to adjust but i persevered and got it sorted. Last night i sat down beside the viv and noticed the thermo was reading 35! and the mat was still on. I checked the stat and it was set to 30 which is how i usually have it. I turned the stat down 28 to let the viv cool and it turned off then a while later when the temp dropped to 33 it came on again! Basically I been up all night manually controlling the temprature with a screwdriver till today when the lamp went on. This on its own keeps the viv at the warm end a steady 30 until tonight when my rep dealer is dropping off aother stat.
Funny thing is I have had no trouble with the stat on candys viv and its exactly the same and took no trouble sorting it keeps the viv at exactly what it says on the dial. I guess with Colins one i just got a wrongun.
Incidently in case you are wondering i got the probe bout an inch of the substrate at the warm end over the mat and the thermo (digital) right in front of that |
| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 14:25:30
Sorry to hear that. Candy is lucky you are so determined to nurse her back to full health, any problems she might have weren't caused by you. Its a brave thing taking on such a poorly animal.
Whats up with Colin's stat? |
| elament |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 14:23:17
Would be about right though she seems to have every other problem known to herps spose I may as well have the full set of ailments to deal with. All i need now is an RI as well lol. (sighs) this really is gonna be an uphill climb and to add fuel to the fire colins stat is on the blink lol
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| elament |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 13:55:31
cheers for that i will ask my rep dealer if he has some. I dont think its mites as my freind surely would have noticed but i will give her a good once over when i get her.
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| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 13:31:30
Ok, well when you get her check her all over for small black "dots" especially around her vent and under her belly scales. Also look to see if there are any black specks in her water bowl after a day or so, as they will often soak to relieve the irritation.
I am currently dealing with mites, and Kellog also has experience with them and was able to help me a lot (thanks Ju  ) so if Candy does have mites I'm sure we can be of some assistance. What substrate are you keeping her on? I would advise keeping her on white kitchen towel for a few weeks just to be on the safe side.
Also, people on here swear by a product called ReptiBoost which you add to your animals water, it is supposed to be very good for poorly or weak snakes. Might be worth picking some up. |
| elament |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 13:26:03
No fraid not but its only a couple of days till she comes to live here and I can tend to her needs on a one to one basis. I dont think she has mites but tbh I aint there so I cant tell
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| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 20/01/2010 : 13:23:05
Poor old Candy, eh??
I would say it is down to the fact she is now eating so well, and will be growing at a faster rate. By the sounds of it her overall condition isnt very good, so by shedding her skin she is basically starting afresh. Is there any chance she could have mites? Mites can cause problems with skin condition and dehydration, aswell as reduced eye condition and possibly a scruffy looking head as a result.
As a side note, is there any way Candy could be separated from the other 2 corns until you get her? If she is that skinny, and in a poor condition then most likely the stress of living with 2 other corns will also be exacerbating her problems. |
