Pacific Gopher Snake

[kimber1220]

My boyfriend found a Pacific Gopher snake in beginning of September. He was about 12 inches long, now is about 2.5 feet. We (and by we, i mean my bf, as I dont care for reptiles and am too scared to even hold him). Anyways, we feed him (or her) live pinkies. About 2 weeks ago, we moved to hoppers. Pud vomited them. I didnt realize that this happened until the smell of the dead mice hit. We chalked it up to a few different variables, but I kept a close eye on him due to my research. Well for the last week he has been gaping. And yesterday his neck looked like a frogs neck, you know moving in and out. My bf said I was tripping, but I went with my gut instinct. So we took him to the vet this morning. So $285.75 later, we were told that he has a respitory illness. They did a culture which should be back in a couple days and started antibiotics. We are using aspen bedding. Vet said change to astroturf and papertowels/ shredded paper. I have some old towels that I am cutting into shreds for him. My question is this. I taped a toliet paper tube in a little carry box this morning so he could hide and it wouldnt roll around. He has been in the tube since 10am. 13 hrs now. He wont come out. I took the tube and put it in his home. But he wont come out. Is this normal? I am quite fond of him, but still have a fear of touching him. i dont know how to get him out of the tube!

[Andy_G]

Astroturf is absolute garbage for snakes and please don't use any type of cloth towels. Stick with newspaper or paper towel for now. You don't even need to shred it. It's very clear that your vet unfortunately has no idea how to keep these animals properly probably due to lack of knowledge/specialization with them. Your snake is probably comfortable in the tube which is why it's in there. Also be very careful using tape because if it gets stuck to the snake you will have more problems. He got a respiratory infection probably because the two of you have been keeping him incorrectly. What are his temps and humidity? Please give us more info so we can help properly and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions.

[kimber1220]

he is a storage bin...with the top cut outand a mesh screen screwed into it. i have a heat lamp, and the temp says 90. everything i have read says they like it between 85-95. we are still using aspen bedding. the vet said to use care fresh, but ive been reading mixed reviews of it. so if i switch to just papertowels and newspaper...i can make him a hide spot, but how would i make him something to burrow? what would i use? he seems to love toliet paper rolls and paper towels rolls, so there are a few in there. even cutting them to fit the corners so he can go all around the perrimeter in them. im attaching a picture. hopefully it comes through. thanks for your help. ive grown attached to the little bugger!

[kimber1220]

oh...on the hot side of his house its 90. on the cool side its 70. humidity is reading at 50 (moderate). i wrote a longer response too and attached pictures, but it says the moderator has to approve...

[Andy_G]

70 is a little bit too cool if thats the ambient temp of the whole cage....which is possibly the cause of the R.I....try to get the ambient daytime temp up to 75 or 76 as soon as possible. A slight drop in temps at night down to 70 won't cause harm, but it shouldn't be constant. What kind of heat source are you using? Was there a time when he was being kept cooler?

[kimber1220]

ummmy roommate keeps our house at 76 degrees all the time...so the house itself is warm... the only heat source he had was 2 heating rocks..a small one and a big one..the big one i had lifted about a half inch from the ground...and there was a paper towel tube under it. he liked it there.. we have a heat lamp now..but didnt for a few months..i noticed today even with the heat lamp all the way on..its only temping at 88 degrees. the vet said we should cut windows in the sides of his storage bin for ventatlation...so the greenhouse effect isnt happening..which is why i thought he was warm enough with burrowing etc.....i guess the pictures i tried to upload didnt upload...otherwise you could see his housing...so...if you could just tell me step by step how to set up his home..ill do it..if i switch to papertowels and make a hide box...what do i use for him to burrow into? the vet suggested carefresh..but i am reading mixed reviews...im going to go buy a heating pad right now too...not a big deal if you come back and say not to use it...ive been needing one for myself if that ends up being the case....and if not...well i guess i will still need one for myself...

[Andy_G]

Ok. Thanks for all of the info. Ill do my best here for you.

Hot rocks are no good for snakes. The chances of burns are very high because of the type of heat output...the snake could wrap around it and literally cook itself and if it's not directly in contact with the snake then it is useless. Could definitely have contributed to the problem. Its good that you've switched the heat source. You should be getting a heat pad that's meant for reptiles as well as something to control it's temperature, such as a rheostat or thermostat. These heat pads can be stuck on or taped with aluminum tape on the outside of the bottom of the enclosure and will be the best choice for hot spot heat but once again they must be controlled and measured. You should be able to find a relatively cheap temp gun that will take instant readings of whatever it's pointed at, either at a pet store or hardware store. Basic ones are around 15 - 20 bucks. You want to measure the temps where the snake is or can get to, so that would be the temps on the bottom of the cage. 88 degrees would actually cut it when he is healthy, but where is this temp being read? If youre using the stick on thermometers, they are not accurate and most people who use them will put them higher than where the snake is, giving a false reading of higher temps that the snake doesn't have access to.

I dont know what kind of ventilation you have for him now but too much ventilation could cause the cage to actually lose heat and humidity so keep that in mind. I have never heard the term "greenhouse effect" in this hobby and generally speaking most beginners in this hobby have too much ventilation with screen top enclosures or aquariums which causes low temps and lack of humidity. It may be a bad idea to add more ventilation in this case but I would be able to advise you further and more accurately if I could see pics. Pm me and ill give you my email to send me pics if you would like.

You should keep his setup very basic until hes totally healthy. A couple layers of newspaper or paper towel would be best, and he will be content just crawling under that. You can get him on a substrate for burrowing once he's healthy again, and aspen is an excellent choice at that time. Carefresh or sani chips would work as well. A hide on the warm side, a hide on the cool side, and a water dish.

When dealing with any respiratory infection, in addition to seeking help and treatment from a vet which you've already done, it is important to keep the snake warm and humid unless the medication prescribed requires the opposite, but absolutely no higher than 92 for this species in particular and just humid, not damp.

Please let us know if you need further assistance or if anything I described above is unclear.

[kimber1220]

i really appreciate all the help...i uploaded the pics yesterday along with the response that the moderator hasnt approved yet... i can totally pm you pics if you tell me to pm them to you...lol...i dont want to break forum rules... but i dont know how to pm..i have no problem giving you my email address so that you can email me and then i can send you pics...and we can return conversation to here so others can get your excellent advice too. im having a hard time navigating this website, but whenever i google anything it seems the answer can be found somewhere in here...i just havent figured out where yet? lol...fudge it...puds being healthy is more important than anything else..my email is same as my username for this site... at yahoo

[Andy_G]

Email sent.

[prairiepanda]

The temperatures sound fine to me, but I'm more concerned about how you're measuring the temps and how you're regulating your heat source. Digital thermometers are the most accurate, and it helps to have a temperature gun to confirm what the digital thermometer says. If you have an analogue thermometer you should replace it with a digital one. Also, any heat source should be on a thermostat to prevent it from overheating in the event of a failure in the device or fluctuations in the ambient temperature.

While he's recovering from his infection, it's best to keep him on flat whole sheets of newspaper or paper towel. If you layer several sheets he will happily crawl around in between them. After he gets better, you can switch to something that he can burrow in more easily. I use shredded newspaper currently, but aspen or cypress mulch are also good choices.

I can probably offer some more insight once your photos are up :)