• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

I think my baby is sick...

W

worriedmom

New member
I would appreciate any advice or comments anyone could offer as I am new to the snake world. Here is my story (I apologize for the length, I find details usually help):
On Christmas eve, we brought home a tiny albino cornsnake. We bought the suggested set-up from the petstore along with a 6-pack of pinkies. The kid at the store tried to feed him before we left but he didn't eat. The kid thought the baby had been eating 2 pinkies. Within 2 hours of being home, the baby shed perfectly and quickly, which was a treat for my kids to watch. Everything seemed fine, he would crawl around, even go up on a plant for awhile. We didn't know not to handle a new snake so we had him out for a bit and on Christmas with a house full of guests, the baby passed a watery poop. I didn't see if it was green then or not. He ate on Wednesday but would only take one pinkie. I was worried about the temp so I had set up 50watt light during the day. It would stay around 75-80 but during the night it would get cold. (we have the undertank heater) On Tuesday we offered another pinkie which he took but I found it back in the tank the next morning. The baby seemed a little mopey so the next day we took him out for a bit. It was then that I witnessed the watery green poop. I had remembered reading that this was a really bad thing to have.
The next day we went to the vet. He found a bruise on his underside which when we bought him I thought it was his internal organs. Other than that and without a sample of poop to test, the vet said he was moving good and seemed alert. He suggested raising the temp and dusting half the pinkie with calcium powder. I bought several different watts and a red night light. The temp was warmer but he still seems mopey, skinny and almost shrivel-ly. He ate on Sunday and kept it down but he just seems sick. He hardly moves. I noticed some little black poops with a little green either at one end. I've misting the tank in the morning. I worried we're going to lose him.
I do have some general questions: Is it better to buy from a breeder than from a petstore? If offering 2 pinkies in 1 feeding, how long do you wait before offering the second? If he doesn't take the second, do you remove it right away and how long can you store it in the fridge to offer it again?
Please let me know what you think, it sounds bad, right? Again, I appreciate any advice. I keep trying to prepare my kids for the worse. I'm hoping he'll pull through. He's so cute as a button and I won't even pick up earthworms!
 
worriedmom said:
I do have some general questions: Is it better to buy from a breeder than from a petstore? If offering 2 pinkies in 1 feeding, how long do you wait before offering the second? If he doesn't take the second, do you remove it right away and how long can you store it in the fridge to offer it again?
Please let me know what you think, it sounds bad, right? Again, I appreciate any advice. I keep trying to prepare my kids for the worse. I'm hoping he'll pull through. He's so cute as a button and I won't even pick up earthworms!
Click to expand...


hello Worriedmom, welcome to the forums. :wavey:
i personally think its best to buy from a respectable breeder than just a petstore, even though they may sell snakes, they never seem to know what they are actually meant to be doing.

feeding 2 pinkies, feed the first, once hes moved it down to his stomach then thats when i personally would feed the second instead of pumping 2 pinkies in him at once.

i personally dont put any mice in the fridge, if it hasnt been eaten straight away then i will try to feed it to another one but if the other one doesnt eat it then i throw it away. i have put one in the fridge once, tried to feed the snake it the very next day and the snake then ate it, i dont really know how long exactly the mouse would be safe to keep in the fridge, im afraid.

the green poop, again i personally havent had to experience this (touch wood) but i always thought it was something to do with lack of vitamins and nutrients. but i wouldnt take my advice on that i'd wait for someone more experienced than myself to answer this.
if the snake didnt eat in the pet store it could be a trouble feeder you have been sold.

the misting every morning, you wouldnt really need to keep it misted unless the snake was due to shed, then it helps them shed in one piece if you up the humidity.

can i ask how old the snake is, how long s/he is?
could you post a piccie of your baby to give us some ideas?
we could then tell you if s/he looks well to us or not, corns do grow in length before width too, so they do tend to look long and scrawny for their first couple of years then they fill out a bit width ways.
could you possibly post a pic of this bruise the vet pointed out to you? amel corns do look a tad see-through when their hatchlings (baby corns).

i hope this helps a tad, im sure someone else will be along shortly to help you as well.
good luck with your little one though.
:)
 
Welcome.

If he's as tiny as you say, I'm curious as to why you're feeding him two pinkies at a time? If he's that small, I'd only be feeding one pinkie at a time.

I also encourage you to wait at least 7 days before feeding again after a regurge. Feeding a few days after a regurge is a very bad idea.

What are you using for substrate? Do you have an adequate hide box? Water bowl?

I'd also strongly suggest to stop misting every morning. For a cornsnake that's overkill.

Basically, we need a bit more info and some pics if possible wouldn't hurt.

It's not as bad as you seem to think it is, at least I dont think so.

If you think temps are the problem, try getting a good thermometer and actually getting a real reading. Infared (red) bulbs are not just night bulbs, I strictly use them all the time and they work very well. Make sure temps are in the right range a day before feeding and at least till 2 days after.

Buying from a breeder is always better than a petstore. Breeders actually know what they're doing and usually take much better care for the babies than petstores do. Some petstores have no clue and it appears that some have poor husbandry and have dirty cages--leading to parasites and other problems.
 
A word of advice, do not offer uneaten prey items to another snake. If the first one has an infection or other contagious condition, offering a prey item that has been in with it to a different snake can pass the problem on. The $1 you save on a pinkie or mouse will not offset the cost of a vet visit.
 
starwarsdad said:
A word of advice, do not offer uneaten prey items to another snake. If the first one has an infection or other contagious condition, offering a prey item that has been in with it to a different snake can pass the problem on. The $1 you save on a pinkie or mouse will not offset the cost of a vet visit.
Click to expand...

lol, thanx starswarsdada, i actually already knew that, the one i offered it to was fit and healthy, the only reason he refused it is coz he was due to shed, as it was a small mouse and hes a gigantic snake it wouldnt have made any difference to him, so thought id try to see if he'd take it but wouldnt so i then fed it to my female. but thanx anyway for the help, i appreciate it.
:D
 
thanks for advice

Thanks to all who have replied! I will have to try and get a hold of a camera to try and shoot some pictures. (Yes, I am behind the times. I recently gave up my cell phone with the screw on antenna!) We were a little hopefully, the baby seemed a tiny bit better because he was moving around the cage some and even climbed to the top of the branch. We were so hopeful that maybe he would eat today but with no luck.
I estimate the baby to be around 8 inches or so and the only reason why we tried to feed 2 pinkies was because the kid at the petstore said he was eating 2. He does have a water dish and that astroturf stuff plus we scattered a bit of reptile bark around. We have 2 hanging plastic vines and one of those tree branch jungle gyms in there and a coconut hide.
Thanks again to all who had some very good advice. I'm watching him closely and are hoping for the best. Thanks for all the advice to stop the misting, it's all very confusing people's views on humidity. I don't want to pick him up to check on his bruise too much. I'm hoping that he's recovering slowly but surely...We're keeping our fingers crossed.
 
It is better to underfeed a new baby than to overfeed...

Remember that any new pet is very stressed the first few weeks, so try to do anything you can think of to keep stress levels down. Small meals and very little handling will help.

Please read over my care sheet designed to help new owners get through the first month, when the stress is the greatest.

Good luck!

Care sheet:
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Utopia on the Web/Pink Sheet.htm
 
another worry today

As I walked by the tank today I noticed movement, so I quickly went to see how the baby was doing. Now, this really can't be good...it seems almost like he was crawling backwards, it was more like his middle part was leading and his head would follow last. It looked very strange. I'm thinking maybe it's a neurological thing now. Then, he stretched out and kind of looked like his body was contracting...it would scrunch up in very small wiggles and lay all sideways and stuff. I am hoping maybe he was just trying to poop but I am very worried about him. When he does crawl, he is very shakey, he reminds me of a person with Parkinson's disease. Thanks again for the responses.
 
Oh no. I don't even know what to suggest for that. All I can think of is to maybe raise the temps and humidity just a touch, but that might even be counter productive to the problem.

I'm so sorry... Best wishes that your little one pulls through.
 
I've been reading some old posts and people have suggested that those stick on thermometers are junk. I do have that kind and my temps have been reading 77 at night on the warm side and 84 during the day. I must confess that don't have a thermometer to actually read the cold side. I figure it must be cooler because the light and the undertank heater isn't on that side. I was squirting one mist of water in the morning because I didn't know how else to raise the humidity but other people had suggested that this might not be necessary. I remember reading something from a book from the library about neurological problems but I can't remember what it said. I will be going back there tommorrow. I'm wondering if I took him to the vet if there would be anything the vet could do...he didn't help any the first time I went there.
 
Corns don't need high humidity and (someone correct me if I'm wrong) if they stay in a place that's too humid for too long, it can actually make an RI (respiratory infection) worse. The only time it might be neccessary is during shed, and then you can just put in a humid hide.

The best thing you can do right now (imo) is to get the temps right (which in your case means a new thermometer). ;)
 
the worrying can end...

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this note. Our little baby corn had passed on during the night. We were thinking of calling him "Pinkie". I'm sure you've all heard that name before...not only because of his color and what he ate but so we could remember after he was grown-up that he was as fat as our pinky finger when we first got him.
I think the hardest part about this is not knowing if it was something I did or didn't do that caused this. I must say I'm very disappointed in the petstore for their lack of help. When I called them 10 days after we got him,(of course, their return policy only covers 7 days!) I was full of concerns and questions and they couldn't even tell me a vet that saw reptiles. If he didn't have that watery poop the 2nd day we had him, I guess I wouldn't be so upset at the petstore. I can't help but think there was some issue going on. But I can't be sure so I guess writing them a nasty letter isn't the best thing to do but I really WANT to. It so upsetting that we had him only 3 weeks and I was plagued with concern after the 4th day!
In hindsight though, I supposed if it hadn't been Christmas and so rushed for time, I would have done more research on where to get a snake. We've always gotten our dogs from breeders. I don't know why I trusted a petstore for a snake. Anyways, can anyone recommend a reputable dealer in the Chicagoland area? The vet had mentioned something called Lee Watson's Reptile Swap, anyone know anything about that? I must confess, I am feeling a bit gun shy about getting another one. I'm really dreading afterschool today...but I know they'll ask if we can get another one. We are all set up and already have a vet now.
Thanks again for all the support.
 
It sounds as if the snake was not healthy to begin with. I wouldn't blame yourself. The only way you'd know for sure what caused the death would be to do a necropsy. With the poop being unhealthy and the behavior, it sounds as if you just ended up with an unhealthy snake. If you're looking for a vet you can try www.arav.org, or www.anapsid.org They both list reptile vets in the U.S. by state. Very sorry for the loss of your new snake, and I hope you try again. I'm sure someone here can point you in the proper direction for a snake in Chicago.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your loss...

I have been following the thread, but couldn't think of anymore to add to what was already being discussed. I was really hoping that it would shed and be fine, but you just can't tell sometimes. You did everything you could.

Try not to get too bummed out.

Why don't you join the Chicago Herp Society? It is a really nice one with LOTS of members who could help you learn, find answers, find good vets, and probably find a good local supplier of corns, rodents, etc. It is great to meet with fellow enthusiasts. We belong to it just to get their newsletter, even though we live in Florida.

Good luck!
 
So sorry to here about your baby, I'm not an expert, but sometimes these things happen.I believe that HURLEY and SERPWIDGETS are from Chicago. Their website is www.CCcorns.com. They have some great snakes. You might try seeing if they have something that you like.
 
Worriedmom,

I also agree that I don't think you had a healthy snake to start off with. First and foremost, don't be too hard on yourself. I know it's tough since you do get attached to these pets in such a short amount of time. You said you were looking at getting another corn and I think that is awesome! As far as anyone in the Chicago area, I would highly recommend Connie Hurley. She has some of the most beautiful snakes I have ever seen. Harley pointed out above her website.

Again, sorry for your loss.
 
thanks for support

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the kind words and support. I will look into all the info everyone has provided. Right now Chuck and Connie don't have anything available but looks like they have a lot on the way. I did want to say that this is really a great site. You all made me feel like I wasn't totally lost in the dark. I told my kids that we'll look at this as a learning experience and hopefully next time, it'll go better!
P.S. Thanks to Kathy Love for the info! I hear it's a little chilly in Florida right now. In Chicago, right now if we hit 30, it's a heatwave!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top