Common Snake Ailments
Photo LA Dawson
Common Snake illnesses and How to prevent them
This page is to help you find simple ways to prevent and diagnose the most common of snake illnesses. When in doubt take your snake to the Vet. Prevention is always better than cure so start off by giving your snakes proper care and few if any of these ailments will arise.
Dehydration
Snakes are extremely vulnerable to dehydration. This can be prevented by always providing clean water for your snake to drink and bathe in as well as maintaining the correct humidity for your particular snake. Details can once again be found in the relative care sheets posted all over the web.
Stress
Stress manifests itself in many ways, a stressed snake can refuse to eat, be lethargic, lose weight and even die. The main causes of stress in snakes are things like having no place to hide, feeling threatened, too much handling or poor living conditions.Because it is hard to diagnose stress, the best way to deal with it is to give your snake proper care. Make sure you study up on the type of snake you are keeping and provide the correct temperatures, humidity hiding places, fresh water and whatever other needs your snake might require. You can find the information you require in care sheets that are available on this site and many others. Reduce the amount of times you handle your snake. Snakes are very shy creatures and do not like being exposed to the big world around you when you take them out of their enclosures.
Dysecdysis (Bad Sheds)
Information on problem shedding and how to deal with it can be found on our problem shedding page.
Mites and Ticks
Picture by Dave and Tracy Barker
In cleanly kept snake enclosures where captive bred snakes are kept should never have any problems with ticks and mites. The only way they can come into contact with your snake is if they are introduced by wild caught snakes or snakes from other keepers or you allow your snake some time on the grass (or tree, or anywhere outside for that matter). So make sure you check all snakes that come into your collection (it is best to quarantine all new snakes in your collection for a period of 6 months to prevent any parasites or illnesses they may have from spreading).
Remove ticks from your snake with a pair of tweezers making sure to remove the head and mouth. Clean the area with a mild antiseptic and check for signs of infection.
Mites are smaller than ticks and usually there are more of them, they often get under the scales and are more difficult to treat. To treat mites a commercial powder or spray should be used and the snakes enclosure should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Only use products designed specifically for reptiles. If the problem persists then repeat cleaning the enclosure and applying the powder or spray.
Internal Parasites (Worms etc.)
Internal parasites can be very harmful to your snake. If you are certain your snake has an internal parasite, (this can easily be checked by means of a fecal examination by a vet) you can treat it quite easily by administering a dose of de-worming medicine that is available cheaply from a vet. The de-worming medicine usually kills all useful bacteria in the snakes stomach and it is necessary to allow about 14 days for this bacteria to build up before feeding your snake after the medication has been administered.
Skin Problems
Skin problems like Scale rot and blisters and infections are usually traced back to poor husbandry. Your snake has specific needs that must be met where it comes to temperature and humidity. If you keep your snake In a clean and proper environment you should never have to worry about any of the above problems.
Respiratory Illnesses (RI’s)
The signs that your snake has an RI can be wheezing, mucous around the nose or inside the mouth, sneezing and open mouth breathing. Often this is caused by incorrect temperatures and humidity levels and dirty cages, so start by cleaning and drying your snakes cage and raise the temperature on the warm side of the enclosure by a few degrees. If your snake does not improve in a day or two it is necessary to take it to your vet where he will administer an antibiotic.
IF IN DOUBT TAKE YOUR SNAKE TO YOUR LOCAL REPTILE VET!
