Recently my cornsnake Candy had pooped green, no excrete other than this green what i assume to be bile. I plan on getting her to the vet as soon as i can. However, i was hoping theres an easy explanation or any advice.
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Do you have a picture of the poop? Anything in her environment changed? Is she an adult or a baby?
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Hello @nattefrost and welcome to the forum! I just wanted to say welcome but @solarserpents can advise you on your question! But definitely Olivia will need as much information as you can provide about Candy so she has something to work with……
Good luck with your little one! 
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I have removed the poop from the enclosure and immediately put it in the bin after i had showed my friend and had checked it.
I can see if i still have the viseo however i might not. It looked like green playdough consistency.
Nothing drastic has chamged in her emvironment excpet for being rehomed to my home and i have changed her previous bedding to an aspen bedding as the previous wasnt suitable for her. Shes on a diet of 1 mice every 2 weeks as she is obese due to overfeeding from previous owner. She is also recieving a new viv as the one the previous owner has given is not big enough for her as shes 5ft long. Shes an adult atleast however the owner didnt tell us a year age or hatch date. Im assuming he may have gotten her from a “bad” pet shop who didnt inform him of proper care
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Hi @nattefrost. I’m not a vet, but I’ll share what I’ve learned in keeping corns for many years. Color of waste can vary without necessarily indicating a problem, but a sudden change is always a reason to pay attention. Do you have a picture of the waste? If you’re going to take Candy to the vet, they’ll appreciate getting the poop, too. If you can, put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, not the freezer.
Answering some questions can help us help you. The answers will also help the vet if you go.
- Had anything changed? Different food source, differerent water, different temps? Any new stressors in her world like a new pet, or perhaps changing or moving the enclosure?
- How old is the snake? How long have you had her? Is she behaving any differently?
- What are your temps? What’s your substrate?
Going to call some other folks who will have helpful thoughts. @solarserpents, @noodlehaus, @caron ?
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She also has stuck with the same heat mat and temperature as she always has. I can get a more accurate reading this weekend when i borrow my friends temperature reader. She has otherwise seemed to be a very happy animal, she is happy with handling, and she burrows quite abit. I can try and get the excrete out of the trash and throw it in a nappy bag in the meantime. Shes been drinking her water regularly. I have a coin in there (correct date) to help with keeping her water and bowl clean(i still clean it regularly). She does hiss at me however this is a normal occurence as when you take her out she can be a spicy baby but once you start handling she has no other issues.
I have also noticed she sneezes quite abit for a corn
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So here is just a thought @nattefrost. Since she has recently been rehomed she is basically in a new and different environment even though she is in the same enclosure. Add that to a new/different substrate and reduced feed, these 3 changes/factors could be causing stress on your girl, thus causing odd/green poop. Too many variables/changes at once even though you are doing what you feel is best for your, which it definitely is.
Since you don’t have the poop sample anymore I would hold off on the vet visit (more stress), let her settle in and watch for more green play dough. If that happens again you can always take the poop to the vet to have it tested for parasites, etc without taking her.
Depending on what the vet finds you can go from there. If the poop returns to normal then there should be nothing to be concerned about……
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Now that i think about it there is alot of changes for her even though i know its for the best it us very stressful for her. Thank you for bringing this up to me as i definitely would not have thought about this factor myself.
I will update on her next excrete and see if there is a similar anomaly to this green “playdough”. Thank you all for the support and advice 🩷 this all helped alot
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I’m assuming you mean a copper coin? That’s useful for preventing algae growth, like with a fish tank. It isn’t necessary for an open water dish in a snake enclosure which is regularly cleaned. It won’t hurt, but it doesn’t affect other factors for freshness (I’m a former Chemistry teacher).
This would be good.
How often is “quite a bit?” How long has she been doing this? Have you noticed her lying with her head raised, or her month open at all? They all sneeze sometimes of course. Sneezing can be an indicator of issues in their bedding. Aspen is fine (I’ve used it without issue since 2008) but some brands are dustier than others. Sneezing can also sometimes happen when they’re in shed, apparently because the process can tickle their nose. It can also indicate a respiratory infection (RI).
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I had advice from a friend whos a regular breeder that it would help with the waters hence why i have one. Yes it is copper. Knowing i can remove it i may or may not decide to.
I will take the poopies out now 
I havent heard her do this while in her enclosure and shes always in her hide when she sleeps/chills out so i have no actual clue what she does with her jaw while she sleeps and such. However she sneezes probably 3 or 4 times while i handle her, and i have handled other corns and other snakes and never once had them sneeze that much during handling so i thought it was quite strange that she does so so frequently
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I have taken the poop out of the trash and its currently in a nappy bag now. She also has shed precious to being in my care ( i found a piece of shed in her bedding while i was changing it put for aspen) so i dont think she will be shedding any time this week or two
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You are welcome @nattefrost! This is one of the reasons this family is here for. However @caryl brought up some good questions regarding the sneezing so that could be another area of concern depending upon your answers.
Also I never heard of putting a copper penny in the water bowl. Interesting. I will have to research that!
Keep us updated on progress/concerns!
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That is quite a bit of sneezing. I understand that you can’t see her when she’s in her hide. You probably can’t hear her sneeze in there, either. Have you been able to observe her when she’s out in her enclosure? Maybe after a feeding? Has she been doing this since you got her? I seem to have missed how long you’ve had her.
@caron is right, your girl has had quite a few changes. They’re all positive changes, and she’ll benefit from all of them but they do take adjustment. One green poop isn’t too much cause for worry.
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Just now handling her and shes sneezed already
I have put her back after 5 minutes just to reply quickly. I observe her quite abit while she is out of her hide as i love to watch her and the things she does and i havent heard her sneeze while she is in her enclosure and the lid is open. Ive had her since the 26th of july and i havent fed her yet as i plan to keep her on a one feed every 2 weeks diet to help with her being overweight. (I changed from one feed a week to one feed to two as i have her on one feed two weel diet)
I tend to not wear any deoderants or perfumes before handling her as this could affect respiratory ( i havent heard this this is just simply a concern of mine that wearing heavy perfumes and sprays may affect her respiratory) her viv also has 4 vents so there should be enough air for her also.
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I would also like to add that i am unaware if the previous owner had smoked around her or left sprays around her while in his care, however alot of pet owners in the area i live in do this.
I dont have alot of hope in the previous owner as the state he has left her in shows improper care so he very well may have smoked near her
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She’s definitely adjusting to new care, then. Give her some time to do that. I agree with @caron, hold off on the vet for a while unless you notice that she’s having more trouble breathing.
When you can, let us know what her temps are. If you can, you need to get something to check her temps without having to depend on getting it from a friend. Stick on thermometers aren’t useful, but you don’t have to go high tech. You use a basic aquarium or weather type thermometer.
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I don’t know if being around cigarette smoke can affect a snake? but I am sure it is not healthy for sure. I would watch for moisture around the nose/face area as best as you can. I know, snake nose right? It sounds like this snake was not in the best of care so I think you should give her a few weeks under close supervision. Watch for loss of appetite, lethargy, dehydration, etc. Perhaps she will calm down and revert back to being a normal acting corn. Also I am wondering if she was handled much with her previous owner. Perhaps when you hold her she is just stretching out and working out the kinks. If she was in a small cramped enclosure and couldn’t stretch out that may affect her respiratory system as well……
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I plan on getting everything “accessory” wise when i get her her new viv too. The heat mat i have installed for her is the classic mat stat and i plan on getting her a bigger heat mat along with the new viv aswell as this heat mat while in proportion woth this viv is not going to be in proportion with a bigger viv.
I plan on also getting feeding tongs(yes i can feed with my hands however i feel comforted by the tong and i dont know what she is like with her aim and coordination on feeding.
And then obviously i will purchase the temerature reader with this. The tongs and temp reader i can borroe from a friend on a regular basis as i see them 4 times a week almost so it wont take long to get her a readong đź©· (im seeing this froend tomorrow evening)
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Yeah i dont have as much hope that the previous owner held her as much as it takes her a good few minutes to get used to being held and out of her enclosure. She definitely loves having more space to be in and whenever handled is very very active so it feels as though she never had much handling so im improving that with 2 to 3 handlings every day that are between 5 and 10 minutes
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@nattefrost You have a lot to get situated so keep at and you will get everything done that needs to be done. It is always best imo to feed with tongs for your safety as well as the snake’s. 
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