1, diseases and disorders
The best way to find and deal with potential problems and avoid polluting your other pets is to isolate all newly acquired snakes. In addition to keeping the newly acquired corn snakes in separate feeding boxes, it is recommended to keep them in different rooms for at least 60 days. Wash hands and arms thoroughly before and after touching. Isolated snakes should be touched for the last time within one day. This reduces the cross-infection of diseases or parasites between new and old snakes.
The common health problems of corn snakes raised artificially are mostly caused by the environment. Because temperature is very important to maintain the health of corn snakes, most of the problems are not caused by diseases but by improper feeding environment. So you have to rule out all the lack of feeding environment that may cause problems before you start to consider whether your snake has parasites or diseases. Lack of proper temperature is the number one reason for the poor health of corn snakes raised artificially.
2, digestive system disorder
If the feeding environment is correct but the corn snake can't digest food normally, it may be infected with one or more microorganisms that will affect digestion. Poisoning is also possible, but it is rare in corn snakes. Before diagnosing digestive system disorder, make sure it is not exposed to any toxic substances.
Most corn snakes carry some harmless microorganisms. These microorganisms are under the control of the immune system of corn snakes, so they will not affect healthy snakes. Some intestinal bacteria are even important for normal digestion. Others will be harmful to corn snakes and even lead to death if they are over-bred. When the immune system is defective, or sometimes very young and old, these uninvited microorganisms will overwhelm the corn snake. Common symptoms of infection with parasites or other harmful microorganisms are:
The feces are too thin, the color is abnormal or smelly.
loss of appetite
vomit
Abdominal swelling
Digestion time is too long
If corn snakes have any of these symptoms, please consult a qualified veterinarian. If the corn snake has acute or chronic changes caused by abnormal circulation (reproduction, peeling, overwintering, etc. ), they may need to see a doctor. Vomiting is a very serious problem and cannot be regarded as normal. Veterinarians may need fresh samples of feces or vomit, so be prepared at all times. Samples cannot be frozen. Seal the sample in an unused plastic container and refrigerate it to avoid pollution. The veterinarian will examine the sample under a microscope to determine which drug is the most effective.
3.vomiting syndrome
Because vomiting is not a unique symptom caused by any single factor, because I regard it as a syndrome. You should be careful if the corn snake vomits, but if there is no treatment after vomiting, your corn snake may die.
Corn snakes spit out most of their stomach acid when they vomit. Because their metabolism is only 1/5 of that of ordinary mammals, it takes a lot of time to supplement these gastric acids. If they are fed too early after vomiting, they usually vomit again. Continuous vomiting is very harmful. Unless the problem that caused the first vomiting has been corrected, it is likely that there will be repeated vomiting.
If the problem causing vomiting is corrected, wait for 7~ 10 days and the snake is not in the skinning stage before feeding again. If it is peeled, wait until the peeling is completed before feeding. This feeding is 20%~75% less than usual. Because the content of gastric acid drops to the bottom, eating too much will lead to indigestion. For young corn snakes who are still eating a powdered suckling mouse at a time, it is recommended to feed the mouse head only once a week for three weeks. For the next three weeks, feed only half a suckling mouse once a week.