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37 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 18:14:59

Hope someone can help or advise with this. I had a call from my wife today to say that my son's snake (female, one year old) was ill, perhaps dead. When I got home I found her breathing, but unresponsive. Her body moves slightly but is flaccid, and does not coil, but her head and 'neck' (the top couple of inches of her), seems to be fixed and stiff. Her eyes are fixed and the pupils small. Her scales on her underside seem to be sticking out also. My son says that he had put her in the bath, as he has done many times, then she went like this. He says she opened her mouth wide when she was in the bath, then crawled up the side, then went stiff. They put her back in her tank, then called me.

I have made sure that she is over her mat, and placed her cave half over her (as she won't coil up herself). Up until now she has been feeding and growing well.

Now I think this is definately something to do with the bath. Either my son used the wrong temperature, or it could be cleaning chemicals. My son says that he used cold water with a bit of warm, so it was unlikely to be too hot. I suspect the problem may be chemicals, as the bathroom was cleaned earlier today, with ordinary bathroom cleaner spray. I don't know how much of that needs to get into a couple of inches of water for it to be toxic.

My guess is that although she is breathing now, she will either expire overnight, or will perk up by the morning, but is there anything I could do?

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433 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 19:42:34

Call a vet out or take her first thing in the morning, that might seem obvious advice but that does seem pretty severe and a lot of vets now do 24 hour call out. Fingers crossed for you.

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37 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 20:11:10

Thanks for the reply. I will see about a vet, but I don't think the local one does reptiles. We live in a pretty rural area.

I've checked on Sophie a couple of times and found that she has moved a little each time, and her neck is less hunched up. Her eyes also seem to be returning to normal. She is still floppy and does not respond though.

saddleninja
Sub Adult

United Kingdom
1400 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 20:42:10

not sure what caused that, vet would be best, hope she will be ok

1 amel
1 okeette
2 normals
1 rosy rat x
3 royals

1 cali king
1 publean milk
1 yemen chameleon
2 orange spotted agamas
1 colombian rainbow boa

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 21:44:09

i'm sorry kaz and lewy, i know this is a link to the dark side but SeriousCallersOnly this may be of use? http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/general-herp-chat/3730-good-herp-vets-near.html

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area

Blackecho
The Corn Snake Admin

United Kingdom
4379 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 22:01:09

Ouch, I would say that it does sound like the bath. Had it been cleaned recently?

As above, get it to a vet asap.

www.theroyalpython.co.uk/forum

Location: Rotherham

Kazerella
The Corn Snake Admin

United Kingdom
3093 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 22:07:29

Poor snakey- hope she recovers.

Vets ASAP!

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37 Posts

Posted - 15/10/2008 : 23:11:48

OK, she is now moving more, and responds when touched. Still floppy when I pick her up and doesn't coil around my hand. No interest in dashing off to her cave like she normally does whenever she sees me. The main symptom now seems to be listlessness, and that her mouth is slack and she is not flicking her tongue.

I think it must be residual cleaning chemicals on the bath causing poisoning. It wasn't harsh bleach, but antibacterial spray. Doubt if a vet can do anything about that, but I'll give them a call in the morning. If they don't do reptiles, they may know someone who does. Plus I know a few other reptile owners. I'll ask around. We're in North Devon, if anyone has any recommendations.

Lewy
The Corn Snake Admin

United Kingdom
2874 Posts

Posted - 16/10/2008 : 11:12:51

quote:
Originally posted by gingerpony

i'm sorry kaz and lewy, i know this is a link to the dark side but SeriousCallersOnly this may be of use? http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/general-herp-chat/3730-good-herp-vets-near.html

Not a problem GP Don't mind where anyone links to as long as it is useful!

SeriousCallersOnly I'd take it to the the vet anyway, even if you think they won't be able to do much. Use the Link GP put up If you can't find a rep vet in your area.

I wouldn't leave it too long - The quicker you take her the more they can do, especially if it's poisoning from chemicals. If she can't get to water herself she may dehydrate so the vet could stop this too. Good Luck! Hope she gets better!

Lewy

THE CORN SNAKE.co.uk Team

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37 Posts

Posted - 16/10/2008 : 16:40:13

Spoke to the vet today, he wasn't able to see us, but spoke on the phone and he thought it far more likely that it was cold water shock. He thought the reaction was very sudden for an ordinary cleaning chemical. I'll see her (the snake) tonight and see if she is perking up, and if not try to book her in.

I also spoke to my local reptile expert (a 15 year old kid, but he knows his stuff), and he said it sounds exactly like what happened to his once, cold water again. Anyone else had this happen with cold water? Like I said, we have bathed her before, in a couple of inches of lukewarm, but my son did this on his own and may have got it too cold.

I've dipped her mouth a couple of times in her water bowl to keep her hydrated, and rearranged things so she can get into it easier. I'll try feeding her tomorrow, as that will help whether its poisoning or the cold water

gingerpony
Queen Bee

United Kingdom
10455 Posts

Posted - 16/10/2008 : 20:36:28

can you get hold of some 'Critical Care'? I've heard that's good stuff to rehydrate them. if she's not feeling great it would be best to try and keep her as quiet and unstressed as possible ie. keep handling to a neccessary minimum. keep us posted on how she's going though

cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos

Location:Leeds/York/Selby area

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37 Posts

Posted - 16/10/2008 : 23:49:54

Seems almost completely back to normal now. A little sluggish, but moving normally, tongue flicking, eyes alert. I suppose she must have just been in shock. Scary though, apart from the (slight) breathing, she seemed almost dead yesterday. My son was ever so upset. He won't be bathing her again. We'll give her a mouse, hopefully she'll feed OK.

Ell
Sub Adult

United Kingdom
1640 Posts

Posted - 17/10/2008 : 11:57:25

Cold water would certainly shock a snake, the shock would also account for the pupils and sluggish behaviour.
However if it was cold water shock, the initial danger would be soon after the incident so if she's pulled through so far, she should make a full recovery soon ^^.

1.0.0 Normal corn snake - Dusk
0.1.0 Strawberry Snow Stripe corn snake - Dawn
0.1.0 Harlequin Crested Gecko - Stickles
1.0.0 Sable Syrian Hamster - CoCo
0.1.0 Hognose snake - Truffles

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259 Posts

Posted - 17/10/2008 : 14:38:39

Yay! I'm glad she's recovering. Poor thing, and your poor soon must have been so freaked out! Keep us posted

1.0.0 miami x crimson corn snake (sirius)
0.2.0 leopard geckos (esma and gytha)
2.0.0 emperor scorpions (bebe and jim)
2.0.0 moggies (othello and tachikoma)

Mancunian
Hatchling

United Kingdom
384 Posts

Posted - 17/10/2008 : 20:06:24

That's good news. Hope it makes a full recovery. Poor snake.

0.1.1 Corn Snakes (Elaphe guttata) CB07 Jasper (Amelanastic) CB07 Chicomecoatl (Anerythristic Aztec)
1.0.0 Royal Python (Python regius) CB07 Tibo (Normal)
1.1.0 California Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula californiae) CB05 Luka (B&W Banded) CB06 Lucien (Albino Banded)