Pet-Snakes

Here are 3 simple tips that will help your pet snake shed in one piece the first time around.

Provide the proper humidity

We’ll get started with the first and most important tip of them all. There is no single greater cause of shedding problems than the humidity being too low. Every species of snake has an optimal range of humidity levels to keep it healthy. Make sure you stay within that range. Also don’t forget that the upper end of the range usually jumps up when the snake shows signs of shedding so be sure you are aware of when that happens. Then you can make the proper adjustments.

Don’t over-soak your snake

A lot of people when they notice their snake is getting ready to shed will begin soaking it. Every single day for over an hour a day. This is especially common with people who have had bad experiences with shedding before due to the humidity being too low. Chances are they found out that the way to correct the problem is to soak their snake so they figure by soaking before the snake tries to shed they’ll be preventing a bad shed issue. The problem is that the soak actually robs the snake of essential oils that it builds up between the old and the new layer of skin. If you do need to soak your snake briefly at the beginning of the shed is fine. By briefly I mean 10 or 15 minutes at most ONE TIME! After that is unnecessary and moves from the realm of helping your snake shed successfully to assisting it with a bad shed.

Leave it alone while it is shedding

Shedding is a stressful and uncomfortable process for a snake so leave it be. Once you recognize that the snake is getting ready to shed you should minimize contact with it. Spot cleaning the tank is fine, hour long holding sessions are not.

Those 3 tips will help your snake to shed better. The most important thing you can do is to make sure the humidity is at the proper levels.

Many people know that snakes carry salmonella, but very few people actually understand what it is beyond something to be avoided at all costs. This article will provide factual information about the bacteria, how it is spread, and how to prevent infection.

What is salmonella?

Salmonella is a bacteria which causes salmonellosis. It manifests as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and fever anywhere from 12 to 72 hours after infection. Symptoms commonly last anywhere from 4 to 7 days. In most cases treatment is not necessary however if diarrhea is severe enough hospitalization may be required to properly treat the infection. The very young, elderly and those with a compromised immune system are the most likely to require hospitalization.

When was salmonella discovered?

The salmonella bacteria was discovered by Theobald Smith in 1885 when he isolated it from pigs. It was named after Smith’s director, Daniel Elmer Salmon at the suggestion of French bacteriologist Joseph Léon Marcel Ligniéres in 1900.

Where is salmonella found?

It is commonly found in uncooked foods (eggs, and pork for example) and in the intestinal tracts of common household and exotic pets. Because it is in the intestines it just makes sense that it is also in the feces of many animals.

How is salmonella spread?

Salmonella is spread by ingesting the bacteria. Most commonly this occurs by eating raw (truly raw, unpasterized eggs, and milk) foods and handling animals but failing to wash your hands and then putting them near your face.
The risk of being infected by a snake is actually very low assuming proper precaution is taken. Washing your hands before and after handling a snake or cleaning its cage will go a long ways towards preventing any transmission of the bacteria to you.

Salmonella in snakes

It should be pointed out that nearly ALL animals carry salmonella. Snakes get a particularly bad rap because, well because they’re snakes and it’s just another reason to fear them for many people. But reality is that a few common sense precautions will all but erradicte the risk of infection. Strangely enough those precautions are the same for snakes as any other animals…

• Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap before and after you handle any reptiles and between handling different ones
• Keep the snake’s cage clean at all times so it is less likely to crawl through it’s own urine and feces. If this does happen bathe the snake as soon as possible
• Keep the snake away from your face at all times. A good practice regardless of salmonella or not

The truth is that if you’ve stuck your hands in to a batch of raw cookie dough or cake batter you’ve put yourself at risk for salmonella. If you’re like most people not only have you done that, but you’ve also licked the raw batter from a spoon or fork. With proper precaution a snake presents no more of a risk of infection than doing that or petting your dog that just “rolled in something smelly” out in the backyard.

It is important to quarantine a new pet snake from any other snakes when you bring it home. The primary reason is the health and safety of you collection, but also because it allows your new snake to get settled in. There are a few things you’ll need to do in order to prepare so be sure to give yourself enough time to do everything.

Set up the quarantine area

Ideally you’ll be able to dedicate an entire separate room to be used, but for many people that isn’t possible. At least make sure the new snake is as far away from your other snakes as possible. When I don’t have an extra room I like to place my new snake setup in a closet with a door. Even though it isn’t technically a different room it gives that extra degree of separation.

When you get the snake home (or in the mail) the only thing you want to do is to quickly inspect it and then put it in its newly quarantined habitat. This means everything needs to be setup before that time comes. In case you aren’t familiar or need a refresher take a look at this article about taking care of your first pet snake. It will tell you exactly what you’ll need to provide for your newest snake.

Aside from the separation the most important part of quarantine is that each snake has its own PERSONAL care items. Do NOT cross contaminate the equipment by allowing it to be used between various snakes.

Plan for the long haul

Some people say the quarantine should last a year, others 6 months, and still others say 3 months. That’s a decision you need to make based on what you are comfortable with. A good length of time is a 3 month “hard” quarantine (totally separate rooms) followed by a 3 month “soft” quarantine (opposite sides of the same room).

If you have family or room mates it is also important to involve them so they know what is going on so they’ll know how everything is supposed to work.

Final thoughts on quarantine

Here are some final things to think about when you are quarantining pet snakes.

• Spend time with each animal. Even while they are in quarantine you should be enjoying the new arrivals on a daily basis once the initial settling in period has passed
• Each time a new snake comes into the quarantine room the clock should be rest to day 0 for all of them. It might sound drastic but it is better to keep them separated than to introduce something to your general collection.
• Quarantined animals should have the bare necessities in their tanks and nothing more. Don’t worry about pretty decor keep it simple. Newspaper substrate, a water bowl, and a hide are all there should be in the tank
• Record keeping is important in general, but especially important when it comes to quarantined animals
• Clearly label the quarantine area with a sign saying exactly what is there and why. This way no one can “just forget” about it

Finally here is a video talking about the importance of quarantining your new snakes. In this case it is “only” a case of mites, but it could be much more serious.

What is scale rot?

Scale rot is a bacterial infection often found in captive reptiles, especially snakes. It is caused by the conditions being too moist and also by improper husbandry practices involving failure to properly clean the animal’s enclosure. Basically they slither around in their own excrement and come down with an infection on their stomachs. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Left untreated and allowed to grow scale rot is fatal, literally eating away at the snake from the outside. If you have a snake with scale rot, or you suspect scale rot get on it right away.

How do you tell if it’s scale rot?

Scale rot will usually initially show up as ulcerations on a snakes belly, reddish brown in color. It will begin to compromise and errode the scales on the snakes underside with large blisters not being uncommon. You shouldn’t confuse a reddish colored belly with a snake preparing to shed as both scale rot and shedding are often marked by red underbellies on many snakes.

Inspecting your snake should be a thrice weekly event where you take an inventory of it to ensure there are no health problems. Snakes won’t tell you they’re hurting so you need to learn to observer for your self.

How to treat scale rot

If you notice the scale rot before blisters begin to form you will often be successful in treating the condition by taking some simple steps.

1. Get the temperature right
2. Get the humidity right
3. Get the tank cleaned up
4. Use triple anti-biotic ointment (WITHOUT painkiller)
5. A bath in a betadine solution (10% betadine)

If you don’t catch it until blisters are forming it is necessary to take a trip to the vets. It might even be necessary before they form, but only you know your own snake well enough to know what it needs. You should always err on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with your pets health. That’s why it is always important to chose a vet for your snakes before an emergency happens.

Picking a vet for your pet snake should be one of the first things you ever do. Even before you buy the snake and bring it home you should have picked out a vet “just in case”. If you look in any city phone book you will no doubt see numerous listings for veterinarians. Some areas (in the United States at least) are so densely packed with veterinarians they’re nearly as prevalent as fast food restaurants. One thing that many people don’t seem to realize is that when you have a snake, or any reptile for that matter, taking it to the generic “small animal” vet isn’t a good idea. In fact it is often a very poor idea to the detriment of your animals health. You need to find a veterinarian who specializes in herpetological medicines.

Just like there are many different “types” of doctors with many different specialties the same is true with veterinarians. There are small animal vets (cats, dogs, etc) farm vets (horses, cattle, etc), exotic animal vets (big cats, elephants, etc), reptile vets (snakes, lizards, etc), and many others. You wouldn’t go to a doctor who specializes in joint replacement for cardiac issues so why would you send your sick snake to a vet that works with cows? Yet that’s what many people do, because they are either irresponsible or don’t know the difference.

When to pick a vet for your snake

The best time is before there is a critical need for their services. There are some very valid reasons for this including:

• You have a chance to build a relationship before trouble strikes
• The person will have a chance to get used to your animals
• It allows you to build your network of contacts in the reptile world
• You’ll learn how to get there before you’re in a rush. It might sound funny but 4:45pm on a Friday afternoon is a bad time to be trying to get to the vet across town without knowing where you’re going
• Vets will often offer discounts, payment plans and other amenities to return customers that first time walk ins don’t get

How to pick a vet for your snake

First sit down with a phone book in your local area and start looking under “veterinarians”. Begin by calling them and simply asking if they have a vet on staff who specializes in reptiles. You can also use Google from a computer and type “yourzipcodenumber veterinarians” (without quotes) in the search field and it will bring up vets in your local area. If you want to pin-point it a little better type in you exact address along with the zip code.

As you contact each vets office ask to speak with the reptile specialist. Most will refuse to put you on the line with them, but at least try. Either way write down the name of the vet, and their address. Then try to schedule a good time to meet that person. The vast majority will agree to meet you for 5 or so minutes without charging so long as they aren’t doing work on your animals. Don’t try to pick the vets brain too much just get a feel for if they know what they are doing. You can eliminate a lot of people with a simple meeting. Better to do it now than to do it in a crisis situation.

Once you’ve narrowed things down to two or three vets chose in order which one you like the best, in between (if you have 3 choices), and least. That doesn’t mean who you personally like or dislike, but who makes sense to visit. I know a great vet 45 miles away from where I live, but he’s the last choice I have in an emergency.

The final step in the selection process is to actually visit the vet with your snake and have them do a general checkup. Watch to make sure the vet is actually comfortable with your snake, handles it properly, asks the appropriate questions, and is through. If you get a bad feeling about the whole things there is probably a pretty good reason for it. Trust your gut.

The bottom line is that choosing a vet to take care of your pet snake isn’t difficult, but it shouldn’t be left for the last minute. You’ll pay for it in terms of anxiety, and price and your snake’s health could suffer because of it. Just take that little bit of extra time and do it right.