iHerp Answers: Sick Corn snake! Need advice.

iHerp Answers!

Problem?

Search Create an Account, It's Free!

Home > iHerp Answers > Sick Corn snake! Need advice.

Sick Corn snake! Need advice.

Posted By:

anjeanettecorns28

In Relation To:

Bindi- Amel het Anery, Motley

Yesterday my amelanistic corn snake Bindi...pooped? or regurgitated I'm not sure which one since I did not see him do it, for the first time a part of a formed mouse inside his enclosure. I haven't changed anything as far as his surroundings/caging goes. I haven't changed the size of food item he eats either. The temps all seem to be good. So I'm not sure why he suddenly did this. And I think he pooped it out because there also was a pile of poop in the enclosure as well but the mouse was seperate and in the corner of the enclosure. And it had been two days ago yesterday since the last feeding so I'm not sure if he could have regurgitated it. It just seems as though he didn't digest it all the way before pooping it out. Any suggestions on why he would do that? I haven't handled him for four days so it can't be that I held him to soon after feeding. Any ideas? He also went poop again tonight and it was a light brownish color and seemed really runny. I am very concerened about him. Should I take him to the vet when I get paid this weekend? Thanks for any help.

Attached Photos:


Points:	250
Topics:	General Health , Digestive
Tags:	Diarrhea, Poopingalmostwholemouseou, Sick
Species:	Other Colubrids > Other Colubrids > Elaphe guttata guttata
Administrative:	Show/Hide

Assisted Answer

11/24/2009 7:13:23 PM

FyreFocks

Even if your husbandry hasnt changed, im sure the ambient temps in your house have dropped due to the outside weather. I havent really met a snake who cant tell. And since this is the time they normally start to brumate, this doesnt surprise me at all. You need to wait 2 weeks before feeding again, and i would suggest a smaller prey item than normal.

Accepted Answer

11/24/2009 7:20:52 PM

aSnakeLovinBabe

It sounds like a regurgitation. if you can actually see that it's still partially a mouse, then it wasn't pooped out, it was vomited. Often a regurge will have one end that is more digested and broken down than the other end. Either way, they usually look all stretched out and it has a very different (and horrible) smell than poop. If you can, you could take him to the vet, but i personally would not panic JUST yet. Every once in a while even the healthiest snake might do this for seemingly no reason. Sometimes, they can drink too much water after a meal, or maybe they let themselves spend too much time on the cool side of the cage. If a food item is just a bit bigger than normal, but the snake's body isn't able to digest it quickly enough that will also cause them to regurgitate. Reguritation is not necessarily a death omen. The important thing is how you follow up after a regurgitation. Many people make a big mistake after regurgiation, and that is immediately trying to fill their snake up with more food since it's obviously now empty. The thing with that, is that the snake's digestive tract needs time to heal and regenerate all of the lost beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion, as well as possibly heal any corrosion or irritation caused by their extremely strong stomach acid being in the esophagus. Between that damage and all of the missing beneficial bacteria, a snake that is fed too soon after regurgitating will usually regurgitate again, and then again and again and the keeper unknowingly makes their snake 10 times sicker than it ever was to begin with. So, with that being said, try witholding any food for between 2 and 3 weeks. Then, offer a meal that's like half the size of what you would normally feed (and if you can get it, a beneficial bacteria supplement to jumpstart those germs) and wait for a poop. Once you are able to confirm a fresh healthy poop, you can wait another week and then resume the normal feeding routine. If, that first small meal or subsequent meals are regurgitated, then a vet visit with a fresh sample from the snake would be urgent, as the cause is probably something more serious, either a pathogen such as a parasite, fungal, or bacterial infection or even a husbandry issue.

Assisted Answer

11/24/2009 7:32:11 PM

FyreFocks

Damn Shannon, way to make a guy feel inadequate!

Assisted Answer

11/24/2009 7:37:43 PM

Leiren

Shannon dominates! haha

Assisted Answer

11/24/2009 8:51:05 PM

Cenobite

Give it to Shannon. I do't know her but now I want to! :-)

Assisted Answer

11/24/2009 9:00:30 PM

FyreFocks

Yeah, shes pretty cool if youre into the whole smart, attractive herp girl thing.

Assisted Answer

11/25/2009 1:07:05 AM

Lashman

No kidding, I keep seeing her post and thinking excellent. How come her post look like mine are supposed to but don't?!

Assisted Answer

11/25/2009 2:29:16 PM

flboy21283

Really nice post shannon! And excellent information.

Assisted Answer

11/26/2009 12:59:50 PM

aSnakeLovinBabe

Hahaha, thanks guys! ;)

You are not logged in. If you would like to participate (it's free!), you must log in, or Become a Member!