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A bunch of different questions for a new snake mom

Galataya16

Galataya16

New member
How often does a snake shed? I just got my snake on Friday and they had no idea any of it's info, when it ate last, when it shed? I got a scale so that the next time I get him out to feed in a few days I can weigh him. Is there a way to tell by weight what his age might be? But I was looking and noticed his eyes look a little cloudy? I have no idea if it's just the albino in him or if he is starting to go into blue? I have tried to look for photos and stuff about young snakes in blue to see but haven't found anything. Of course I am just going to keep an eye out and see but I was just curious if someone could shed (haha) some light on the situation and give me some more info? There are black spots in what looks like his stomach so maybe he had eaten before they got him? and his tail is quite see through and can see a red line or streak under his vent, would that indicate that he is a boy?

Thank you everyone for all of your help and allowing me to learn and grow and take the best possible care of my new baby! I appreciate it so very much!
 

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Usually I first notice that my normally active snake is hiding all day and night and that's the first indicator of an impending shed. Because your guy is new, you might not know what his normal behavior is yet. First he will start to look a bit dull, just a little bit off from his normal color. I find it's easiest to tell by looking at the belly checkers. A few days after you notice his dullness and inactivity, he'll start to look really dull and it will be very obvious that he is 'in blue'. Because your little guy has red eyes, he won't look blue, but his eyes and body will be pale pink. A few days after that, he will look almost completely normal but you won't be able to find a shed anywhere. This is called the clear phase and he will shed very shortly after. My snakes almost always shed on the middle of the night, so I rarely ever see them shedding. If you do manage to catch your guy shedding, consider it a lucky chance, but don't pick him up or disturb him. He will start by rubbing his nose and face all along the glass and hides in his tank. Once he gets the head shed peeled back, he will inch out of his skin scale by scale. It's very neat to watch.

At his age, and depending on how much you feed him, he should shed about every 4 to 6 weeks. When you notice him go dull, you can make a humid hide (a hide filled with damp sphagnum moss), but for most snakes it isn't necessary. It's also best not to feed him while he's in blue.

We can guess his age by his weight, but if he is a baby, he most likely hatched this year, sometime in the summer. Their weight is completely dependent on how much and how often he was being fed, so it can be hard to guess.

Here's an old picture of my amel in shed.

wilma_in_blue_by_icantthinkofaname_09-d5dmd9j.jpg
 
Ok, so I weighed my baby tonight and he only weighs 3g according to the kitchen scale. I checked and re-checked. I know he seemed kind of small when I got him but that just seems really small. He seemed a little more active tonight and I don't think that he is going into blue, think it may be just me being a new comer to all of this and worrying about him, but I am still going to keep an eye on him. I really want to try to feed him again but I don't want to stress him out. I really wish that they had some more info on him. I think I'm just being paranoid but I just want him to be ok.
 
and he does seem to have a little bit of loose skin, so I don't know if that means he is underweight? Or if it's just because he's a baby, possible a new baby?
 
Most babies hatch out at around 6 to 8 grams, so either your guy is extremely tiny or your scale isn't accurate. I would bet on the latter. Is your scale a digital gram scale?

Loose skin is usually a sign of dehydration, but it can also be seen on snakes that are severely underweight.
 
He hasn't eaten yet. He refused when I tried to feed him Sunday night but we had just brought him home on Friday, so was thinking he possibly just wasn't ready yet? I think I will try to give him until tomorrow but I'm just kinda freaking out and worried about him. I'd really hate to have to take him back and then worry what would happen to him from there on. I'm pretty much already attached lol.
 
Don't worry about him being hungry! Even babies can go a long time without eating and suffer no ill effects. Give him a full week from when you got him with no handling or feeding. At the end of that week, put him in a small container in the evening and put that container somewhere dark and quiet for about half an hour. Heat up a pinky really hot and drop it in the container with him. Leave him alone again for an hour in the dark and then check on him. If he still hasn't eaten, reheat the pinkie and leave it with him overnight.
 
I would also recommend that you use the smallest pinkie you can find. You can buy day old pinkies that are called reds, just in case your scale is accurate.
 
he does have black spots in his stomach. would that have meant that he has eaten sometime recently? for him to have something in there?

So wait until Friday? I did put him in the dark the last time also. I had started a thread at that time too to make sure I was doing things right and they gave some really great tips and suggestions also. Everyone on here is fantastic, including you, thank you so much! The other thread is just a few posts lower. I should have just asked these questions on that thread so there was more of a frame of reference, and just one post, with this one snake. I'm not really used to forum use.

I have weighed multiple things and they come out pretty close. going to try a few more and see just how accurate it is.
 
Yes, I would wait until Friday and just leave him completely alone until then. Have you read through Nanci's list of feeding tricks?

I looked through the pictures you have of him in the album on your profile and I think he actually does look a bit thin, judging from the size of his head compared to his body. I was comparing him to my babies, which have all eaten several times. So maybe your scale is accurate.
 
Which sorts of pet stores do you have near you? If there are any specialty reptile stores, they usually breed their own mice and they should have day old reds. I don't think Petco or Petsmart carry that size. Since you are waiting a few days anyway, you could also try posting an ad on Craigslist to see if you could find anyone who breeds feeder mice. You could also just offer him a pinky head if you can't find the right size.
 
That just makes me sad! :( I hope for his sake that I can get him to eat and eating every four days or so to get some weight on him. He does have a little bit of loose skin. The lady at the store said that they aren't supposed to send them though unless they are feeding well. Obviously if he is that small then he wasn't feeding well :(

I have read her list and a bunch of other forum posts along with all the tips and tricks that everyone has been so amazingly helpful with also. I think with the next pink I will do boiled water instead of just hot water out of my tap (it isn't really that hot) and brain it to make sure he is interested in it. I tried wiggling it and putting it nose to nose with him and just holding it in front of him. Then I put it in a dish and covered him up and left him for an hour and he didn't touch it. I didn't brain it at that point but I did squeeze a little to hard and popped the pinks stomach so there was a little blood but that didn't get him interested in it either.
 
all we have here are Petsmart and Petco. We have a couple of other small shops but none that specialize in snakes. I purchased him through Petsmart. Also part of the reason I have such hit and miss information. I did do research before I got him also, but apparently not near enough. I wish I would have found this forum. But I am going to do my best to do the best I can for him. I will do some checking and see what I can find.
 
Yes, definitely use really hot or boiling water and offer it to him while it's still hot. Since he seems a bit afraid of it, I would not wiggle it in front of him. Just put it in with him and leave him alone with it. I also recommend feeding him in a deli cup. You can get one from Wal-Mart or a grocery store in their deli section. Use a soldering iron or a hole punch to make some holes in it. The idea is that you want the container to be small enough that the snake has to encounter the pinkie, so he won't get distracted. The smallness of the container, especially if it's in the dark, will also make him feel tight and secure. Baby corn snakes do not like big open spaces, so a nice small container will help him feel more comfortable; hopefully comfortable enough to eat!
 
Thank you so much for all of your help!! I really, REALLY appreciate it more then you know!! I will update on the other thread on Friday and let everyone know how that goes. I really hope that it goes well and I can get him to eat.

If I cut the pinkie in half, do I just offer the head or do I offer both pieces?
 
You're welcome! I hope that he eats for you. It's a really exciting feeling when a snakes eats for you for the first time.

Depending on how small he is, I would just offer the head. If he eats that and doesn't have much of a lump in his belly from it, then you could try offering the other half. The main thing is you don't want to feed him too much or you will risk a regurge.

Oh, I was also going to ask if he's pooped at all while you've had him. The black you saw inside him is most likely one of his organs, but if you saw a dark spot really close to his tail, that is poop. If he has pooped in your care, that means that he has eaten not too long ago.
 
there was a small green spot in his critter keeper when I switched him from his keeper to his 10 gallon tank. He did cover me in this pale white lumps and clear stinky fluid (that was him musking me right?) at one point while I was holding him and his tail up to the light to try and see through it. But I haven't notice like a pile anywhere. He's pretty little so I could have missed it??
 
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