Snake FAQ Please Read Before Posting

[Farva]

Question:
Hello everyone, I just got a new ____ , how long should I wait until I can handle it?

Answer:

Whenever bringing a new pet home, it is best to leave them alone for a week to allow them time to settle into their new home without any extra stressors, other than adding food, changing water, misting or spot cleaning to remove poop.

After about a week, you can then begin short intervals of handling.

Question:
"Hey there, I'm new to the forums and am just wondering what all the numbers in everyone's signatures mean? "

Answer:

The numbers represent Male, Female, Unsexed and eggs if there is a fourth number. So If I have 2 males, 6 females, 5 unsexed and 2 eggs it would look like this; 2.6.5.2.

Question:
My corn snake/ball python/*insert other type of snake here* is not eating. What do I do?

Answer:
Don’t panic. There are many things that can contribute to why your snake is not eating.

1. TEMPERATURE
· The first thing you should do is check the temperatures in the enclosure. It may be too hot or too cool. Use a digital thermometer that has a probe or a temperature gun. The thermometers that you stick on your tank are NOT accurate, and that includes if you place it on the floor of the tank. Your tank needs to have a temperature range appropriate for your species of snake. See the caresheets provided on the site to make sure your temperatures are correct. If it is a small tank this can be hard to do. If there isn't enough of a gradient and is too hot, the animal cannot cool down and will enter a state where they will not eat. On the other hand if it is too cool, they might not eat as they know they cannot digest properly.

2. IS THE SNAKE NEW TO YOUR HOME?
· New snakes may not eat for a week, or possibly even a few weeks, due to stress of changing environments.
· What was the snake being fed prior to you bringing it home? If you have changed from what the snake is used to, it might not take to the new feeder (ie if the breeder/pet store was feeding live mice, it may not want the dead mouse you are offering).
· Where did you purchase the snake? The most common and most convenient place to buy reptiles is the pet store, but this isn't always the best place. Pet stores commonly have ill reptiles that may suffer from parasites or bacterial infection. Many times, reptiles at pet stores are housed incorrectly on sand or other loose substrates, which means that the snake could come home with impaction for you to deal with. Many reptiles at pet stores are housed inappropriately, ie, too many reptiles in one enclosure, multiple males in an enclosure, sick reptiles with healthy reptiles, inaccurate temperatures, multiple species in an enclosure etc. All of these things can contribute to illness and stress which can cause a reptile to go off of food.

3. CHANGES TO YOUR SNAKE’S ENVIRONMENT
· Have you recently changed the snake's enclosure (added decorations, removed decorations, rearranged your room, moved the cage, or anything that would involve changing the environment in or around the enclosure)? Sometimes if you are keeping your snake in a high traffic area, it can also cause stress. These circumstances could cause the snake to stop eating for a few weeks, depending on the snake and the amount of change.

4. HOUSING MULTIPLE SNAKES
· Are you housing multiple snakes together? If so, they should likely be separated. Snakes are not communal animals and do not need or desire "companions". Unless you are providing a much larger than normal enclosure with multiple hot spots and lots of hides, the snakes will likely cause each other lots of stress because you are forcing them to compete for the best hiding spots and the best basking spots. If you see your snakes huddled together and think it is cute or that they are cuddling and like each other, think again! They are not enjoying each other's company, they are vying for the best spots in the cage. This can easily cause them to go off of their food.


5. IS YOUR SNAKE SHEDDING?
· Sometimes, a snake will lose its appetite when it is going into shed. You can tell that your snake is going into shed if you notice that its skin is particularly wrinkly looking, its skin is dull and lackluster, or if you notice its eyes turn a milky-whitish-blueish colour. It is normal for a snake to miss the occasional meal for this reason.

6. IS YOUR SNAKE A MALE AND/OR IS IT WINTER?

· Many people panic when the temperatures cool for the year and their snakes go off of food entirely for extended periods of time. While this is something to watch carefully, it is not necessarily grounds for great concern. In the wild, snakes will go into a period of brumation during the winter months. While they are brumating, their appetites are greatly decreased and they may rarely, if ever, take a meal. Once the temperatures begin warming in the spring, they will become more active but males, in particular, may go into mating season mode in which case they will still be disinterested in food. This may happen whether or not there are any females present and whether or not the male has ever bred a female before. If this is the case, simply be patient and offer the same food it has eaten in the past at the snake's regular feeding times. Keep in mind that females can also go off of food during the breeding/laying season, it is just a little less common for them to do so than males. Regardless, watch your snake's body condition very closely. It should never look emaciated or act lethargic. It should always be bright-eyed and alert. If your snake begins to lose weight excessively and still refuses to eat, it is time to see a reputable reptile vet!

The best thing to do when your snake is not eating is to double, triple and quadruple check your husbandry to make absolutely certain that it is correct. If your snake is in a high-traffic area, move them to a low-traffic area like a bedroom or a den. Then, once you have given the snake time to settle, offer the same food it has been eating in the past at the exact same times as before. DO NOT pester the snake with food every day or every couple of days. A few weeks without food will typically not hurt your snake. Pestering it with food it does not want will likely exacerbate your problem and only add to the snake's stress. Be patient! Your snake will eat when it is good and ready.

[Farva]

Question:
Help! My snake is blowing snot bubbles and wheezing! What's happening?

Answer:
This is likely a Respiratory Infection (RI). It is a bacterial infection in your snake's lungs that is causing it to form mucous which you are seeing in the form of "snot bubbles" and is causing difficulty breathing, hence the wheezing. This is a very serious condition and needs to be treated by a reputable reptile vet as soon as is humanly possible. This condition is life-threatening and already advanced if you are seeing the signs you are seeing. A vet can recommend the best course of action and prescribe antibiotics for you to administer to your snake. In order to help your snake recover, it may be a good idea to slightly bump up the temperatures and humidity in its tank to help it fight off the infection but seeing a vet at this point is an absolute MUST.

Question:
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums and have seen that everyone recommends a quarantine period whenever a new pet is purchased? Can someone explain exactly what this means?

Answer:

A quarantine period means that any new pet that you bring home should be placed in an entirely different room (if possible) or on the opposite side of the room your reptiles are in currently.

Quaranting is crucial whenever acquiring a new pet because you never know what this new pet could bring into your home. (IE mites, parasites and other illnesses)

A quarantine period of 1-2 months is usually what is recommended before moving the animal beside the rest of your pets. Usually 3 months is recommended before even considering housing the new pet with a current pet.

A quarantine set up should be basic. paper towels, fake foliage, basically everything easy to clean and monitor. You'll want to monitor for stool, proper shedding, mites, and if the pet is eating.

Also remember that when handling your newly acquired pet, you should always do so LAST after handling/feeding/clean your other pets so you can provide passing anything on.
Question:
I just got a new snake how do I know what size of prey to feed it?

Answer:
Most snakes should be fed a size of prey that is about the same size around as snake's body at its widest point. This means that as a snake grows, you will have to adjust the size of prey fed to the snake to accommodate the snake's increasing size.

If you have a hard time judging how big around your snake is compared to the size of prey at the pet store, simply take the measurement around your snake at the widest part of its body. If you take a piece of string cut to that measurement to the pet store, you can do a quick check of the circumference of the prey available to find the best match. It doesn't have to be an exact measurement, however; smaller or slightly larger prey is fine too and a bit of variety never hurts.
Very small hatchlings can be started on pinky mice (newborn mice) and then graduated to larger sizes (the main terms used are fuzzies, hoppers, weaned mice or weanlings, then large and extra large adult). If you have a species of snake that grows large enough that rats will be fed eventually, it is a good idea to switch to rats while the snake is still young to get them used to eating rats rather than mice. Younger rats that are equivalent in size to older mice can be used.
Rats are named with a similar progression: pinkies, fuzzies, pups, weanlings, then small through extra large adults).
Snakes have unique jaws that allow them to swallow prey that is larger than their head, but your snake may have difficulties digesting overly large items, resulting in regurgitation.

Question:
Which is better live or frozen feeders?

Answer:
This is a controversial area among reptile keepers, but I recommend feeding feed pre-killed prey to pet snakes. If your snake is unable to quickly kill a live prey item, the prey can inflict some nasty wounds on a snake. This is especially true if you are feeding rats (for example to a python or boa), but even a small mouse can cause injury to a snake. Injuries can happen if your snake isn't hungry enough to hunt the prey right away, or if it tries to kill the prey but doesn't have full control over the prey or is unsuccessful with its strike.
Additionally, feeding killed prey allows you to buy frozen prey items and stockpile them in the freezer so it is easier to have the proper sized prey on hand at all times. Running out to the pet store for food every time your snake needs to eat or raising your own prey can also be more expensive and time consuming, and doesn't guarantee you will be able to get the right sized prey at the right time. Some pet stores will sell frozen prey or fresh killed prey which you can then freeze for later.
Most snakes take fairly well to pre-killed prey, although it is best if they have been accustomed to pre-killed prey at a young age. If your snake is eating live prey, you may need to start out offering freshly killed prey at first. Frozen prey should be completely thawed and warmed slightly before feeding (defrost in the fridge or in cold water, not at room temperature, then warm slightly in warm water just before feeding). Dangling the killed prey and wiggling it a bit with tongs (never hold prey with your fingers) can help entice a snake to take the prey. If your snake is still reluctant to eat, you can try dipping the prey in chicken broth, or pithing the prey (puncturing the skull to expose the brain).

Question:
Should I get a Wild Caught or Captive Bred Reptile?

Answer:

In short, captive bred is best, so if at all possible get a captive bred reptile as a pet. It is true that some species of reptile do not readily reproduce in captivity so for these you may need to get a wild caught reptile. However, for many commonly kept species, captive bred animals are quite readily available. If you can find a captive bred reptile this is the best option for a number of reasons:

• Captive bred reptiles are generally healthier than wild caught. The stress of capture and transport and adjustment to captive conditions is extremely stressful and leaves reptiles susceptible to illness. Wild caught reptiles also tend to carry very heavy parasite loads.
• Captive bred reptiles are generally less skittish and easier to handle than wild caught.
• Captive bred snakes accept pre killed prey more readily than wild caught snakes (especially true for ball pythons).
• Buying a captive bred reptile helps to maintain wild populations. For every wild caught reptile that makes it to a pet store and into a home, many more die from stress, injury, and/or illness related to capture, transport, overcrowding, etc.

Unfortunately it is often less expensive to buy a wild caught reptile over a captive bred one. However, when you consider the rates of illness and parasitism in wild caught reptiles as well as the rates of mortality, it is often much less expensive over the long run to purchase captive bred than to treat or replace a sick wild caught reptile.

Question:
What does W/C C/B C/H or LTC mean?

Answer:
W/C Wild caught (Captured from the wild)
C/B Captive bred
C/H Captive hatched (eggs were collected from the wild or mother was gravid when brought into captivity)
LTC Long term captive (originally a wild caught animal that has been in captivity for awhile)

Question:
Can I re-freeze a prey item that wasn't eaten?

Answer:
You can refreeze a fully thawed prey item, if you do so within a short period of time. If the thawed item has been left overnight and uneaten, it is best to throw it away as it will have already started to decompose. Some refrozen prey items (especially pinkies) will be more likely to "pop" . Separate and mark all refrozen prey items for next week's feeding. If they are unused again, dispose of them as repeated freezing will degrade the quality of your snake's food.

Question:
My thawed prey is wet, can I still feed it to my snake?

Answer:
Give it a try. Some snakes will not care if the prey is wet or not, some even seem to prefer it that way. If your snake will not take it wet or you are concerned about substrate sticking excessively to the wet prey item, just use your blow dryer on it or place it under a heat lamp for a few moments.

[Farva]

Question:
HELP!!! What are those black dots on my new snake!!!!

Answer:
Uhhh ohh it sounds like your new guy might have mites.
Chances are, your new snake had mites when you got him, but be aware that these little beasties can be hard to get rid of and you can re-infest your collection with any outside contact with reptiles: (pet shops, reptile exhibitions, friends’ collections, etc.) What you don’t see can still hitch-hike home with you and feed on your snakes!!

If you have found adult mites on your snakes (they are black or red and large enough to be seen fairly easily), then you probably have several life-cycles in process in and around your terrarium. Your plan of attack has to be aimed at all of it or you will never get rid of the mites.
Mite treatment

Snake Mites Life Cycle

Eggs: sticky, off-white, usually found in the top corners of the enclosure or in the space around the eyes or the anal vent of the snake. They hatch in 1-4 days (depending on the temperature).

Larval stage: 1-2 days; non-feeding

Protonymph stage: pale ivory/yellowish color. Looks like lint from paper towels and can be seen moving on your snake or on the terrarium walls. They can smell your reptile and travel far to get a meal from it. They must feed to metamorphose to the next stage. If you look carefully, you might see some moving over the eyes or scales of your snake. The protonymphs turn dark red after a blood-meal. Then they usually crawl off the snake to molt 12-24 hours after feeding. Engorged protonymphs are often found drowned in the water dish in snake cages and look like specks of pepper – (this is a good reason to have white or light coloured water dishes.)

Deutonymph stage: dark red or black, non-feeding; doesn’t usually move. This stage lasts 24 hours then sheds to become an adult.

Adult mites: Males are tan and smaller than the typical black females seen in major infestations. The adult mites suck blood from your snake (and can also pass viruses and bacteria to the snake.) A feeding session takes 1-2 days; afterwards they go off the snake to mate and lay eggs. They usually lay their eggs in the top corners of the terrarium: somewhere high, dark and moist. One adult female can lay up to 12-24 eggs at a time, and usually 60-80 in a lifetime. Adult mites live 10-32 days and can feed and mate several times. Unfed females can crawl at a rate of 11” per minute (that is 55 feet per hour!) They can crawl through cracks or air vents and screens in the cage and will find any reptile in the area. (So if you think that only one of your animals has mites, check all of them carefully anyway!) I recommend treating all of them because there may just be a pregnant female mite somewhere in the carpet between one of your enclosures and the next and she can live there for 32 days!

So, that’s just a little background on what sort of enemy you are up against. Just spraying your snake with Reptile Relief, Provent-a-Mite or diluted Nix is not going to take care of your problem. You need to get rid of the protonymphs and adults feeding on your snake, as well as getting rid of eggs, larvae, deutonymphs and adults in and around your terrarium and its furnishings.

Question:
How often should I feed a snake?

Answer:
A general rule is

• If your snake is between 0-9 months old feed an appropriately sized* item every 5 days.
• If your snake is between 9-12 months feed an appropriately sized* item every 6 days.
• If your snake is between 1-3 years feed it an appropriately sized* item every 10 days
• If your snake is over 3 years feed it an appropriately sized* item every 14 days.

Question:
is it okay to put live mice in the freezer?

Answer:
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Hypothermia is neither short nor painless. Some time ago on the rats list, Brian Lee detailed an experience in which he almost died from exposure. He went through it step by step for us so we could all understand how inhumane this method truly is. Yes, in the end, a person or animal who has died from exposure appears to have died peacefully, but the steps leading up to that death, as described by Brian, are horrendously painful.
Think about how your bare hands begin to feel in the winter before they go numb. It is pretty painful. Imagine how you would feel if someone you knew, loved and trusted put you in a giant freezer, turned out the light, locked the door and went away. Imagine how terrified you would feel! What an agonizing and lengthy way to die. It is not my idea of humane, and that is exactly what your beloved pet would experience. Who could live with their conscience after using this method?

Question:
I'm looking for an exotics vet in Calgary and am having difficulty locating them. Can anyone provide some vets for me?

Answer:
Here are some local and highly recommended herp vets for Calgary, accompained with their websites for contact information.

Dewinton Pet Hospital

Calgary Avian and Exotic Pet Clinic

Calgary North Vet Hospital

Question:
Should I use lamps or heat pads to heat my tank?


Answer:
For most terrestrial snakes you will be better with a heat pad or other forum of under tank heating. For arboreal snakes you might want a heat lamp, or ceramic heat emitter. With that you will still want to do your research and see what is best for the species you will be getting.

[Farva]

Question:
what is the best way to know if my tank is big enough for my new pet.

Answer:
When figuring out how big a terrarium you will need, you need to know how big your reptile is. Take into consideration both their current size and what their adult size will be. Some reptiles, such as Green Iguanas and Red-eared Sliders, may be small when you purchase them, but they will get quite large. If you purchase an enclosure that is only big enough to properly house them when they are young, you will have to upgrade later. The various types of reptiles are measured differently to determine minimum enclosure size.
Snake enclosures are based on their total length. The minimum enclosure size is:

• Length:3/4 of the snake's total length
• Depth: 1/3 of the snake's total length
• Height: 3/4 of the snake's total length (terrestrial)
  1 times the snake's total length, but no more than 6" to 8" (arboreal)

It's important to note that these are just general requirements. Herps that are more active will need a larger cage than the minimum size to allow them plenty of living room.
You should also consider what kind of setup you're going to use. The above measurements are for simple enclosures. If you plan on using a naturalistic terrarium setup, the enclosure will need to be larger. At least 30% to 40% of the floor space will need to be open. Likewise, if you house more than one lizard, snake, or chelonian, the enclosure will need to be larger, sometimes significantly.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=2381

Question:
I want a new reptile what are some good beginner animals? Where will I find the care sheets on them?

Answer:
A few simple to care for animals include

Snakes

Corn snakes
Corns stay small compared to many snakes on the market and come in a half zillion different colors they are inquisitive and friendly snakes who are fun to watch. Another plus to corns is that they are readily available in the hobby and are quite reasonably priced.

Ball Pythons

Ball pythons or BP as they are commonly abbreviated too on the forum are a sturdy pretty snake. There are also many morphs of this snake available but they typically are much more expensive.Ball pythons are very shy. They get their name from rolling up in a ball when they feel threatened.
These too are good beginner snakes due to size and temperament. Ball Pythons however are known for being picky eaters.

Boa Constrictors

Boa Constrictors can grow quite large but I find your average Colombian boa quite agreeable They are easy to care for which is why I have included them in with the beginner snakes. I have had less trouble with Boa Constrictors than ball pythons They'll eat anything.

Poor choices for a beginner hobbyist
Always remember to do your research.Experience varies person to person.

Iguanas
Tegus
Emerald Tree Boas
Amazon Tree Boas
Green Tree Pythons
Red Eared Sliders
Blue day geckos
Chameleons
Cuban Knight Anoles
Tokay Geckos
Sulcatta tortoises

Question:
Are live rats legal in Alberta?

Answer:
Yes and no what most people consider rats(Norwegian rats) are illegal to have live. They are fine to posses dead. Rats like African Soft Fur rats are legal live or dead.