Wrinkles!

[Holbeird]

Ok, so if you read my other thread, you know about Mr Slithers/Wiskers that I saved from being "freed" in the wild :-p

Well I tried to switch him to already dead food....that did NOT work, he went off food for about 3 or 4 weeks when I was doing that. Today i dropped a hopper in there, he snatched it up within two minutes (normally with fuzzies/pinkies he would wait until I was asleep and not around to eat) Well aftewards he just layed around on his heat rock (not using it for heat, cut the cord off and its just in there for basking till I get him another one) and looked up at me with the same look I get after gorging myself at thanksgiving!

Anyway, It may be nothing to worry about, but I've gotten so attatched to the little guy I got paranoid. I started noticing about a week or two ago that when he was curled up, he had wrinkles in his sides. I tried looking it up online and got very shady info, one of which saying its due to your snake being obease! Anyway, I figured I'd ask you guys. Could it be due to him going off food because he didnt want to heat the f/t prey? Or is it due to humidity, stress, because he was getting ready to/has recently shed?

I'm gonna try and feed him again sooner then usual (about 4 days) since he went so long without food, and see if perhaps it has to do with him not eating for about a month. After I get him fattend up and feel comfortable that he's had enough food in him, gonna try f/t prey again, that or perhaps stunned.

Anyways...so what do you guys think the wrinkles could be? Any clues.

I have a glass tank, newspaper substrate, UTH, red light heat lamp, two hides (pop tart boxes with holes cut in them!) two water dishes, one on the cold and one on the hot side, i have the pin needle temp and humidity guages (gonna get better whent he funds are comign in) The temp on the hot side is about 88-90, have been trying to raise it, and will do so now that I have found that post on how to keep humidity and temp up in glass tanks. Also the humdity is around 55 when the heat lamp is off, 50 or just under when its going (daytime) Um....I guess thats about it. I havnt noticed him soaking in his water bowl, but he'll crawl through it. Um...I guess thats about it?

Thanks!

[mr~python]

no, your snake is not obese. it just happens when they coil up. completely normal.

its a good thing that your snake doesnt soak. soaking usually means bad things, except for when they've just eaten a big meal. they soak for a few reasons. either they have mites, the enclosure is too hot, too dry, or they're using it to hide because of insefficient hides.

[Holbeird]

Yeah, I realized it was bad, I put that in there because someone had told me (not a super credible source) that the wrinkles could be a sign they are dehydrated. But I've read that when dehydrated they'd soak alot, and drink alot, so I didn't think that was what was wrong with my snake due to the fact that he doesn't go around soaking!

[Teej]

Can you post a picture? Wrinkles are a sign of dehydration or it could be normal wrinkles from the way he is laying. If he has something going on with him, he may not soak himself and he may be dehydrating. Have you personally seen him drinking? I know he's crawled through it, but have you seen him drinking?


I have had two rescued snakes that were being neglected. Both are malnurished and dehydrated. Even after two months of care and drinking plenty of clean water, they both still have wrinkled skin. [both of them have been to the vet]

Have you wormed your snake? Even if you keep everything clean, he could have picked up worms from the food he has eaten. He should be wormed twice per year and you will probably need a vet to physically show you how to administer the oral wormer.

He is only eating hoppers so I am guessing your snake is a small young snake? How ofter were you feeding him? If he is a larger snake and you are only feeding him hoppers, they may be like M&M's to him and he may need more than one hopper at a time to get what he needs.

But again, your snake may just have normal wrinkles. These are just some things that I have learned and you may want to look into.

I had both of my rescued snakes checked by a vet. Together having them looked at, one of them being injected with an antibiotic and wormed, receiving needles and enough antibiotic for one month and enough wormer and parasite medicine for all nine of our snakes only cost me $76 total. If someone was going to release him into the wild, [i have not read your previous posts] this snake was probably neglected somewhat. I recommend having him checked out. If he is sick, it will cost you more to save him if you wait and his condition gets worse. If you snake is fine and the vet says you are doing a good job, you will have piece of mind and probably walk out with a vet office visit bill of $45-$50.

Teej

[Holbeird]

Cant take pictures, I fed the little guy yesterday, hoping for pictures soon after he relaxes though, he's still PRETTY small, shed once since I got him, never with my friend who was gonna let em go, not sure about the first owner (flea market person)

I have seen him drink, not to excess. I will post next time he's out and about i'll take a picture and post it, more and more I'm thinking its cause of weight. I was trying to switch him over to f/t prey and he wasnt having ANY of it :-p

Eating hoppers, and soon small mice (in about two weeks I'm going up) a size.

Gonna get some more weight back on him...then try and go to F/T again, if that doesnt work this time...<shrugs> Guess I'll just feed live from now on. Personally after having pet mice that I loved dearly for some time growing up, its kinda hard for me to watch my snake eat the little guys, I feel so bad for them!

I know its pathetic lol but I cant help it, it tugs on my heart strings! I still think its cool watching how they strike/constrict/swollow and all....just thinking about the poor mice and seeing it struggle bothers me.

I always try and comfort myself by saying "oh they're inbred so badly, they would have gotten cancer and other diseases and died a long painfull death, this was much slower" it helps some :-p

[Teej]

If you can bring yourself to do it, try this next time you try to feed him prekilled. Take a razor and put a slice in the prekilled head. Just keep telling yourself that it is dead already. Anyway, a slice in the head has worked with others switching over from live to prekilled.


Teej

[Holbeird]

Everything I read online about prekilled I tried, except cutting the head open so they could smell brains....I was going to use it as a last resort, on and as an update!


After that last big meal the little guy had, his wrinkles are mostly gone. I think it had to do with him not eating for nearly a month as I tried to switch to pre-killed, and him still being little. Anyways, I took him out today, and he was very playful, I took him outside and layed down a little blanket on the balcony and sat down with him and let him crawl around on the blanket and smell all the fresh smells, I swear he seemd to smile!

[mr~python]

are they lateral or verticle wrinkles? lateral wrinkles are bad. they mean a skinny dehydrated snake but vertical wrinkles when tey are coiled up are perfectly normal.