How do you tell if a snake is underfed?

Hi you corny people,
Last week I rescued a corn snake out of the city animal shelter. It's about 5 feet long, very active. I don't know much about corn snakes. I fed it one mouse last week and one mouse yesterday - a week apart. Is that enough for a long corn snake? He seems to want to get out of the cage a lot. Unafraid of me. That's good!

Julie

Many people feed their corn snakes every 5 days,... personally I keep mine on a weekly feeding day (same day every week). I'm not really sure how much to feed an adult, as none of mine are adults yet. Sorry...

I'm happy to hear he's not afraid of you!

I feed my adults every 5 to 7 days a rodent of correct size.Yes a adult mouse is ok to feed him and should be enough for him.As long as you can see a lump in his belly area then its a large enough meal.If it looks underfed then you might want to start a slow feeding regiment maybe ever 7 to 10 until he starts to look better.You do not want to place to much stress on him if he is not used to eating to often.Keep us posted and a thumbs up to you for the rescue :D

Hi people,
Thanks for the replies. I read on About.com that a snake is too lean when you can see its backbone, which you can with my new corn snake. The scales also seem very dry and rough, although otherwise the snake is in good shape. In contrast to my happy ball python, whose skin is very smooth and scales very tight. I wonder if it the type of snake or if he is indeed malnourished from being in the dog pound?

It's possible that he was malnourished when he arrived at the pound to begin with. And it's unlikely that anyone at the pound had a clue how to care for it.


I believe that if you get it in a proper environment and just feed it regular, properly sized meals, it will shed out the unhealthy skin and put on weight just fine and soon be thriving in your care.

Most likely he is underfed. I would start feeding him appropriate sized meals, preferrably the same size around as the snake at it's widest part. Make sure he has a good sized water bowl to soak in, as he is likely dehydrated as well.
As soon as he poops, you may want to try to get the vet to do a fecal exam, as he may have worms as well.

Thanks...a question about soaking: a knowledgeable person in a reptile shop told me to keep him dry to avoid problems. But other web sites I've read say to allow them to soak around the time of shed. Confused? I have put a medium-sized drinking bowl in there but not big enough to soak in. I'll put a larger bowl and see what happens.

I did collect a fecal, but it is very dry and thin, not nearly as big as the two mice he ate...should I wait for more?

Since he is underweight he will absorb all of the rodent minus the bone mass.All you probably will see is the white clumps of which is the bone material and maybe some hair clumps.

Mt two Leucistic rat snakes can each eat three or four small mice a piece and have never had a problem. If you think he is underweight, maybe you could offer more than one mouse? That's would I would do.

I'm wondering as well if a good soak might be in order in case that dry poor look to his scales might be a lot of retained shed from previous poor husbandry. Rather than have a drinking dish big enough to soak in all the time just pop him in a small plastic container with tepid (not cold or hot water) just up to his back but not over - not deep enough he must swim. Give him an hour then let him slither through a rough damp facecloth or inside a damp pillowcase. Might help if you think it could be some old shed stuck on there.

As a long time Corn snake owner, I'd be willing to bet the retained shed, dehydration, and thin appearance are all related.

If a snake is underfed, it will not shed properly, and show signs of dehydration.

I have a Corn approx 48-50" in length, and I feed her a small f/t rat approx every 8-10 days. I noticed a BIG change in her bowel movements (more substantial) and her overall physical appearance when I moved up to rats.

I generally follow the "Girth Rule" which is the belief that feeding snakes prey items the equal size to their body girth is appropriate.
Its a general rule, and not always one to follow, but with Corn snakes, Ive found it can be applied with positive results.

As far as soaking, Id definitely provide a water bowl large enough for the snake to immerse itself in.
I would also soak it in a tub (bath, sink, or plastic tote) Usually when I soak my snakes for retained sheds or dehydration..I place the snake in an old pillowcase, tie off the end, fill the tub with lukewarm water about 1/2 way up the side of snakes body (so it doesnt have to swim constantly) and let it soak.. I usually wet the pillowcase down gently, and the snake will rub against the pillow assisting in removing the shed. If it has severely stuck shed, I will continue to soak the snake for as long as it takes. Just warm the water periodically to ensure the snake stays in lukewarm water (not too hot...if it feels hot to you, or warm, it could be TOO hot)

After about 10-20 minutes of soaking, I add a few drops of vegetable oil, mineral oil, vitamin C oil, or olive oil to the water. This helps loosen any sticking eyecaps or skin, and is safe for the snake.

I would recommend a nice soak at least once a week, but wait a couple of days after feeding so the snake does not regurge.

Hope that helps :D