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Does this snake look overweight?

PurraLovesJazz

PurraLovesJazz

Poofy-Headed Snake-Addict
This is my friend's corn snake, Chester, and we were debating over whether or not he/she is overweight. I say yes, she says no. He feels very squishy... and when he turns he gets creases in his scale, like fat rolls.
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Also was wondering if this was a normal amel? He has thick white borders, so she wanted to be sure.
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I would definitely say overweight, and really pushing dangerously overweight. How much is he being fed and how often. He needs to go on a diet and get more exercise.

I'll let others more familiar with RO's respond on the other question.
 
Umm yes on the way to being very over weight, he has "hips" near his cloaca :(

IMO a nice Reverse Okeetee, which is still an Amel, but line bred for the look :)
 
is is bad for snakes ot be overweight? I mean i know it isnt great for its health-it isnt great for anybodys health but is it really serious? I have a cat and he is overweight but not severily. The vet said it wouldnt take any years off of his life or anything but is that the same with snakes?
 
I'll go with everyone else and say over weight. I would say yes, he is a Reverse Okeetee due to the wide white borders, but he does lack the bold colors around the white.
 
Even to this untrained eye, I can see that that snake is in danger of becoming grossly obese. Obesity in reptiles can be as dangerous as obesity in humans or other animals. Fat deposits around the organs which leads to decreased organ function, problems with breeding, sedentary lifestyles, etc. A wild snake gets the majority of its exercise by chasing it's prey. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to go about getting excess weight off a cb reptile, but common sense would tell me that it should be slow and steady rather than a sudden crash diet. The snake should also get much more exercise....taking him out of his viv and putting him in a place where he can move about freely and safely, decreasing his prey items slightly, things like that.
 
I handle both my corns 3-4 days a week (depending how frequently they eat according to the munson plan) for about 5-10 minutes.

Usually, I will make them exercise a little bit each time I take them out. I will let them climb from one hand to another, and then lower the first hand gradually so they need to pull their weight up to the other hand. Then I do the same thing with the other hand.

My snakes are still little one is about 13 g, the other is over 40 g (This reminds me I need to weigh them) but I want to stay in the habit of exercising them regularly because my older one especially is a lazy little thing. The younger one doesn't really get challenged much in terms of climbing because she is not as good at clinging on to me and she is still very active in her tank.

In terms of telling if it is overweight, the usual guideline that I have read is that a healthy snake will have a body shape kind of similar to a loaf of bread. If the snake is too round it may be overweight, while if the spine is prominently visible it could be underweight.

I do not, however, have any experience with older or overweight snakes.
 
i would definitely agree with Coty, it seems to be overweight.. so take it out more often and dont feed it so much.... maybe cut down for awhile and feed it every week one mouse. or put it in an empty large tank for a half an hour every three days or so.. to let it roam around and get its exercise since it doesnt have anything to hide in... hope this helps.
 
rosehairboy10199 said:
i would definitely agree with Coty, it seems to be overweight.. so take it out more often and dont feed it so much.... maybe cut down for awhile and feed it every week one mouse. or put it in an empty large tank for a half an hour every three days or so.. to let it roam around and get its exercise since it doesnt have anything to hide in... hope this helps.
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I would feed that snake every two weeks maybe even three weeks. A normal adult corn would eat once a week. It is very difficult once they are this overweight to get them to lose weight.
 
YUP, overweight for sure. Cut down on the feeding and get him moving around more. Might not work but stick with it. Very nice Reverse Okeetee, by the way.

PJ :wavey:
 
It may not take years off his life, but if it progresses any further, it is going to look really ugly. REALLY. Swimming and stair climbing should help! Also, is he a she?

I vote for RO.
 
I feel bad for him, he's definitely overweight. I'd say diet and plenty of exercise would be in good order for him. Make sure your friend knows that snake is overweight so she can do something about it.
 
Poor thing. He is on his way to gross obesity. In snake terms that is. You can tell there are fat deposits forming all down the bottom half of his body, and they will lool AWFUL if he continues to put more weight on.

The easiest thing to do is feed smaller meals twice a month and LOTS of handling/baths/ stair climbing etc.

And I REALLY would get him off that terrible sand!
 
Just to repeat this, its my friend's snake, so I cant really do anything other than suggest things. But I emailed her the link to this thread, and I was trying to tell her. I definitely thought he was overweight and I'm almost sad to find I'm right. He/she (neither of us know) is hardly ever taken out, except to eat, which he has been doing on sand. But that at least, she is changing. Her ball python has been eating on "edible sand" as well and that has been emptied out, so that is fixed. She just hasnt gotten around to dumping Chester's sand.

He eats a small-to-medium rat every week or two, but I gave her some frozen medium mice that I accidentally got and didnt need, and she gave him all four... Which just seems like WAY too much food for his size, despite being overweight. Correct me if I'm wrong about that? I dont really have experience with anything bigger than my Jazz.

I think he/she is roughly 4-5 years old?
 
Since your friend hopefully reads this thread..my Adults that aren't over weight eat an adult mouse every 7-10 days. They are healthy and active. Most everyone else does the same.
 
I gave her some frozen medium mice that I accidentally got and didnt need, and she gave him all four... Which just seems like WAY too much food for his size
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Gosh - Four mice at once? That's two months' food for one of my adults.

The thing with an overweight snake is that you should feed it according to the size you want it to get to - not according to the size it is. Like overweight humans, they won't get slim if they carry on eating the amount of food that caused them to become fat in the first place.

Less food, more exercise is the usual cure, although it can take years to reverse the trend once their metabolism gets used to holding fat reserves like that.

I wish your friend well - glad that she's taking your advice on board. If there's anything else we can do to help, let us know.
 
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