Posting this on Friday. I already have a vet appointment scheduled for Sunday so only a couple days but thought I would reach out here to see if anyone has some input or advice.
I recently got a 6 year old scaleless corn snake on Wednesday. He’s beautiful and the previous owner said there was never any health issues with him. She said she didn’t handle him a whole lot so he was a little nervous when I first handled him but he has been very well manned when I’ve been handling him. I noticed yesterday when I took him out I could hear a cracking almost wheezing noise from him. Not all the time just once in a while. He’s been very active. No noticeable discharge coming from his mouth or nose. I checked his mouth for extra saliva and it looked fine. He was last fed and last shed approximately a week and a half ago. I’m just really worried about him, he’s such a sweet guy and I want to have him for many more years to come. I tried to get a video of the sound he is making but it’s not letting me upload it, I attached a couple pictures I took today though. I’ve got him in a 18” D, 36”L, 12” H tank with two hides, one is a humid hide and I used forest floor for the bedding. I have a UVB light, basking light for day time and an infrared heater for night time. The hot side is sitting around 90 near the basking light. Any input would be nice. Thanks!
Your hot side temperature is too high. 85 is plenty warm for the “hot” side. Corn snakes can thrive in a range of temperatures but 85 is more than sufficient for a corn. In the wild corn snakes live in a range of temperatures and are very hardy.
Did he have a complete shed? By all appearances he looks fine. Unless he has stuck shed around his nostrils that would affect his breathing I can’t think of anything else to comment on. There are some corn snake experts here of whom one I am going to tag. @caryl
In the meantime try not to worry. I am pretty sure your boy is fine.
@caron is right, 90°F is too hot. Sustained temps that high can cause neurological issues, similarly to a human getting heat stroke. A 36" tank should allow the snake ample room to get away from the heat so it’s not likely to be causing a problem, but it would be best to set that temp for 85°F (despite what you may have read elsewhere). With a potential RIv you could aim slightly warmer, like 86.5°F or so. 90°F is too high, though.
MorphMarket’s way of sharing videos is a two-step thing. You can upload the video to YouTube, then post the link. That way we can see and hear just what he’s doing, if you want.
As you already know, the most likely thing is a respiratory infection. In the photo of him in the substrate, it looks to me like he is holding his mouth slightly open. Do you agree? That’s a RI indicator.
Other RI indicators include resting with the mouth open, gasping, crackling sounds, bubbling, mucus, holding the head up rather than near the substrate, often at a 30-45° angle. (It seems you already know these indicators, but I’m mentioning them for others who may not.) Ris are potentially very serious and it’s good that you are taking him to a vet. The good news is that it doesn’t sound like he’s currently in dire distress so you have time. Sounds like you’re giving him good care.
Thank you all for your input. I will definitely adjust the lights to make bring down the heat in the tank. This is my first snake so still figuring things out a bit.
@caryl it doesn’t seem like he is mouth breathing but it’s hard to tell. His mouth doesn’t look open from what I can tell but like I said this is my first snake so it’s possible that it is slightly open. I have also attached the link for the video. My first time ever posting something on YouTube so hopefully it worked.
@caron I believe it was a full shed but it was before I got him so not 100% sure but I thought the same that maybe a piece of she’d got stuck.
Thanks again for the great input, I will definitely keep you all posted on how the visit to the vet goes on Sunday. I may be being overly cautious but would rather be safe than sorry and wait too long to go in.
@caryl I was also curious about substrate. Is the Forest Floor (Cypress mulch) good for scaleless corn snakes or should I look at a different kind? Any recommendations?
It definitely sounds like something is going on, at least from what I think I am hearing on the video. Also scaless snakes need a bit more humidity than scaled snakes in order to shed properly so it would be wise to provide a moist hide in the tank. This can be as simple as a plastic container filled with damp sphagnum moss with an opening in the top or side for entry. Scaleless snakes are just a bit more fragile than normal scaled snakes.
In the video, I can hear the crackling sounds you mention as well as audible air intake/gasping. I can also see him using muscles to breathe which aren’t normally used. It’s good that you’ve got a vet visit scheduled.
I don’t work with Scaleless, but as far as I’ve seen researching care, recommendations for substrate are the same as for scaled varieties. I’ve seen statements like “no sharp objects should be placed in the cage,” but goodness, that goes for any animal. I’m tagging a couple folks who do have or are expecting Scaleless for their husbandry ideas. Thoughts, @noodlehaus, @solarserpents , @shadowspiderjack?
I have a scaleless Okeetee coming from Jamin as soon as we get a break in the heat. They can be kept in several different kinds of substrates, including Forest Floor, which is what that guy is in. They also need texture to help with shed. The only difference is that the humidity should be kept at a higher percentage or a humid hide can be provided, especially during shed.
It definitely seems like something might be going on. Hopefully your vet visit goes well and it seems like you’ve already gotten plenty of helpful information! Hoping for the best
Thank you all for all your input and advice, it’s greatly appreciated!! Now just hoping the next 24 hrs go by quickly so I can get my handsome man into the vet and get him checked out. Fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious and easily treatable. I’ll keep you all posted.
UPDATE- he is still doing good, still making the breathing sounds but the vet said he was still doing quite well. He wasn’t at the stage where she wanted to do antibiotics yet. She wanted to do some tests to confirm so she knew the correct antibiotics to give if needed. Waiting on those test results. In the meantime she recommended changing out his bedding to something that produces less dust and to completely clean his tank before putting him back in. I cleaned and sanitized everything in his tank and changed the bedding. She also recommended daily 30 minute baths for him and to feed him yesterday when I go home. He has a very healthy appetite, he happily and eagerly ate 4 mice with no issues as per the recommendation of the vet. He is very active and mobile despite the breathing, but thankfully no discharge or full open wide mouth breathing. Now just monitoring so make sure he doesn’t get any worse and waiting for the test results.
She actually just recommended micro cut shredded paper. Easy to clean up, easy for him to burrow into with no risks of any damage to him. She used to raise corn snakes for years so she was very knowledgeable.
Glad to hear that you were able to get him seen and the vet is familiar with corns. It’s excellent that he’s got a good appetite! Fingers crossed that he gets through this challenge quickly. Sounds like you’re giving him great TLC!
