Year-old corn snake

[Countach]

So I just got a year old albino corn snake yesterday! I put him in a 40 gallon tank and he's staying burrowed in the back corner of the cold side. Is that normal? Also his hides are much bigger than him, he looks tiny in them. Should I try smaller ones to help him feel safer? He also occasionally makes this clicking noise when he's moving around, and he has his mouth open a bit pretty much constantly. I can see his teeth if I look at it closely. I only notice the clicking noise when he's moving around. Could he have a respiratory infection? I don't have a good picture of his mouth, sadly.

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[Bogertophis]

Very attractive snake & very nice set-up, though you'll want to fill the space in the large hides with substrate so he feels secure there.

Sounds like he has an RI...clicking & mouth-breathing is not normal or a good sign. With good care he may recover on his own, if not see a vet. Don't wait too long.

By "good care" I mean proper temps. (what are they? corn snakes prefer "room temperature" about 72-76*, with a warm area of 85-86*), & no handling (minimize
his stress) If he's staying in the cold part of his cage, it may be because you've over-heated it...corns require much lower temps. than BPs. Keep his humidity up a
little (if it's dry where you live?).

[Countach]

Very attractive snake & very nice set-up, though you'll want to fill the space in the large hides with substrate so he feels secure there.

Sounds like he has an RI...clicking & mouth-breathing is not normal or a good sign. With good care he may recover on his own, if not see a vet. Don't wait too long.

By "good care" I mean proper temps. (what are they? corn snakes prefer "room temperature" about 72-76*, with a warm area of 85-86*), & no handling (minimize
his stress) If he's staying in the cold part of his cage, it may be because you've over-heated it...corns require much lower temps. than BPs. Keep his humidity up a
little (if it's dry where you live?).

I keep his warm side at 80-85. Humidity is usually 30-40%. Thanks for the advice!

[Bogertophis]

I keep his warm side at 80-85. Humidity is usually 30-40%. Thanks for the advice!

Sometimes snakes recover from minor RI's with a little more warmth, so to encourage him to use his "warm hides" you might try filling it with damp sphagnum moss.
Garden centers & florists carry it, besides pet stores: soak it thoroughly, then drain out most of the water before installing it. I bet you'll find him in there, & of course,
you'll have to keep misting it (or re-soaking it when he comes out).

Another possibility is that he has old stuck shed (especially in his nostrils) from insufficient humidity...and damp moss/raising his humidity can fix that too. I love corn
snakes, I hope you do well with him. Previous owner (or store?) may have kept him way too warm &/or dry. I hope this is an easy fix...and I definitely wouldn't rush to
a vet before you find out if symptoms are from an incomplete shed. Now if you see his mouth bubbling or with mucous, that pretty well identifies an RI, but try this ^ ^
first.

I would put the wet moss in the cork-bark hide...that will help catch the drips. Make sure it's very cozy & best to block in* one end of it too...open tunnels
(or hides with such huge "doorways") don't offer a feeling of security to a snake. *You can use something temporary like a piece of clean cloth over it if you
want (so you can peek in now & then too). As a yearling I'm sure he's seen people before, but being in a new home is still very frightening to a snake and
stress takes away from the proper function of their immune system, much as it does ours.

[Countach]

Sometimes snakes recover from minor RI's with a little more warmth, so to encourage him to use his "warm hides" you might try filling it with damp sphagnum moss.
Garden centers & florists carry it, besides pet stores: soak it thoroughly, then drain out most of the water before installing it. I bet you'll find him in there, & of course,
you'll have to keep misting it (or re-soaking it when he comes out).

Another possibility is that he has old stuck shed (especially in his nostrils) from insufficient humidity...and damp moss/raising his humidity can fix that too. I love corn
snakes, I hope you do well with him. Previous owner (or store?) may have kept him way too warm &/or dry. I hope this is an easy fix...and I definitely wouldn't rush to
a vet before you find out if symptoms are from an incomplete shed. Now if you see his mouth bubbling or with mucous, that pretty well identifies an RI, but try this ^ ^
first.

I'll try raising the humidity a little, and use moss in the cork bark hide. I agree it could be stuck shed, he seems active and I haven't seen any bubbling. Keeping a close eye on it. I'll try to encourage him to use his warm hide, but he always seems to end up back in his burrow lol.

[Bogertophis]

I'll try raising the humidity a little, and use moss in the cork bark hide. I agree it could be stuck shed, he seems active and I haven't seen any bubbling. Keeping a close eye on it. I'll try to encourage him to use his warm hide, but he always seems to end up back in his burrow lol.

You don't have to raise the humidity in the whole enclosure (& it promotes mold too), that's why I suggested moss in the cork bark (& put that on the warm side if it's not
already there). Or you can make other types of humid hides using plastic containers but that would spoil the natural look you've done so nicely. Orchid bark (comes in
small & large chips) also holds humidity pretty well & can be used in various ways (in whole cage or in humid hide). I hope he just needs to "blow his nose", lol.

[Countach]

You don't have to raise the humidity in the whole enclosure (& it promotes mold too), that's why I suggested moss in the cork bark (& put that on the warm side if it's not
already there). Or you can make other types of humid hides using plastic containers but that would spoil the natural look you've done so nicely. Orchid bark (comes in
small & large chips) also holds humidity pretty well & can be used in various ways (in whole cage or in humid hide). I hope he just needs to "blow his nose", lol.

Ok, I'll try the moss in the cork bark

[Countach]

Took some pictures of his head.

https://ibb.co/jLFbsh1


https://ibb.co/zZWqSN3

[Bogertophis]

His mouth sure isn't right...& right now I'd say it's more likely an R.I. or mouth infection -his mouth isn't closing right, possibly because he's been pushing with his
nose to clear his breathing, but more likely due to a problem inside his mouth, sorry to say.

Have you researched a good herp vet nearby? (or do you already have one?)

http://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

[Countach]

His mouth sure isn't right...& right now I'd say it's more likely an R.I. or mouth infection -his mouth isn't closing right, possibly because he's been pushing with his
nose to clear his breathing, but more likely due to a problem inside his mouth, sorry to say.

Have you researched a good herp vet nearby? (or do you already have one?)

http://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

Yeah I know of a good vet. Should I take him to the vet as soon as I can, or wait and see if it gets worse?