What's wrong with my Milk Snake (old snake)?

[mysticmoon]

Hi guys,

I have a Sinaloan Milk Snake named Max. I have had him for about 3 or 4 years and according to the previous owner he is 16, he is about 4 feet long. Within the past year or so I've noticed that he's lost some weight and he sheds 1-2 times per month. I feed him 2 mice every other week, although recently I've had to cut down to one mouse because they are so expensive here and I have other snakes to feed :( I keep him in a 20 gal aquarium with a screen top, in aspen bedding, a heat pad under left side of the tank and on the right is a big water bowl large enough for him to fit his whole body in. Temps are around 80-90 on hot side and 75-80 on the cool. Humidity is around 30-40%. He poops regularly, and his mouth is clean. No bubbles/signs of RI, although sometimes he dunks his head in the water bowl and comes out making hissing/coughing noises. (weird?) :wacky:
So basically my questions are, is he healthy, am I doing everything right?

Is it normal for an older milk snake to be shedding so much??

Is it normal for an older snake to lose weight? (I can see a ridge along the top of his back, I'm assuming it is his spine.)
It has always been semi visible but I feel like now it's becoming more prominent.

Should I feed him more?

Also, when he sheds he often sheds in pieces and gets the caps stuck on his eyes. Just want to know what I can do to help him and if this stuff is typical of an older snake.
Thanks for reading.

[Rattlehead]

Hi,

Your humidity is way too low, that's why he's retaining eyecaps and shedding in pieces. Which could be the reason he sheds to often (removing the stuck layers?). I'd recommend giving him a barely-warm water bath, to see if you can remove the stuck skin and avoid further problems (Edit: maintain 50-60% humidity all the time!). Let's see if that helps with the weight problems. Temperatures seem ok, but double check them.

[RAD House]

I disagree that your humidity is too low as Sinaloans are from an arid region. Even my Imperial pueblan seems to thrive at sub forty percent humidity. I would recommend providing him a humid hide when he goes into blue. If he is loosing weight and you are feeding him less than it seems to reason that this is the culprit.

[Andy_G]

I disagree that your humidity is too low as Sinaloans are from an arid region. Even my Imperial pueblan seems to thrive at sub forty percent humidity. I would recommend providing him a humid hide when he goes into blue. If he is loosing weight and you are feeding him less than it seems to reason that this is the culprit.

What this guy said.

[mysticmoon]

I disagree that your humidity is too low as Sinaloans are from an arid region. Even my Imperial pueblan seems to thrive at sub forty percent humidity. I would recommend providing him a humid hide when he goes into blue. If he is loosing weight and you are feeding him less than it seems to reason that this is the culprit.

Where do I buy humid hides/how does that work?

Thank you for your answer, I didn't believe the humidity was too low either. But at least with the humid hide he will have access to that and I can see if it helps. I just recently made the switch to F/T mice as well, so he will be eating more often, and I will save money :yes:

[mysticmoon]

Hi,

Your humidity is way too low, that's why he's retaining eyecaps and shedding in pieces. Which could be the reason he sheds to often (removing the stuck layers?). I'd recommend giving him a barely-warm water bath, to see if you can remove the stuck skin and avoid further problems (Edit: maintain 50-60% humidity all the time!). Let's see if that helps with the weight problems. Temperatures seem ok, but double check them.

Just curious, why do you say humidity is too low? According to the research I've done about Sinaloan milk snakes they come from a pretty dry/arid region.

[RAD House]

I made a humid hide by putting a hole in a deli cup and just putting damp paper towls in it. I have heard of people using a box with damp moss in it. There are many ways to make one just figure out the best for you.

[Rattlehead]

Just curious, why do you say humidity is too low? According to the research I've done about Sinaloan milk snakes they come from a pretty dry/arid region.

They can be found at the forest or forest edges too, as not all Sinaloa state is arid, and (from experience, I have a sinaloan milk too) hasn't any shed or respiratory problems since I have her in the range I suggested. I just say that if you have continuous problems with sheds, it tells you something. The humid hide tip that MC suggests is very good too.

[mysticmoon]

Thank you both, I am definitely going to try the hide.

[mysticmoon]

http://i66.tinypic.com/2wfvj37.jpg

I made him a humid hide from some tupperware and wet paper towels. He stuck his head in and then came back out, he's still a bit unsure lol. I got most of his stuck shed off, but his face and eyecaps are still covered :(

[DollysMom]

He may not be using it because he doesn't need to. They seem to know what they need. I do see one thing that concerns me about your humid hide and that is the jagged, sharp looking edges on the opening you made. If you haven't, use sandpaper and smooth any sharp edges.

Here is a picture of a humid hide I made last week. I initially sanded the edges using a Dremel and then finished with sanding by hand. Before I got the Dremel I did all the sanding by hand. I determine when it is done by feel and by running a cotton ball around the opening. If the cotton doesn't snag, it's smooth.

This picture was before the final hand sanding and before it was washed and the marker cleaned off, but you get the idea.

http://i.imgur.com/BH230htl.jpg

[Rattlehead]

It can be sideways too. I melted the side of a sandwich tupper for my small snakes and have moist moss in it.

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag66/aaron_acosta2/2015-01-20-398_zpskv2annlz.jpg

For the stuck skin in the head you can with a wet towel and/or a q-tip and gently rub it. It might stress the snake, but I think is imperative to remove it soon.

[mysticmoon]

Thanks guys, I got his shed off by rubbing gently with a damp washcloth. Whole thing came off, including eyecaps. The edges of the hole I made are smooth, and the plastic is made of something weird, almost a soft material, so he's okay in that aspect.

Although he's been having a shed issue for a while now so I am going to keep the humidity up and see if that helps. Also, I think improper temps might've had something to do with it... my parents keep our house very hot (80) at all times, and I am not allowed to touch the thermostat. As a result all of my snake tanks reach about 90 degrees+ with their heat pads on. I am going to order some thermostat attachments soon but until then all heat pads are off.

[DollysMom]

I'm so glad it's all good. I couldn't tell from the pic but am glad the edges are not sharp.

Hope that you can get your thermostat soon. I use the Hydrofarm Jump Start on both my tanks.

Best wishes!

[trailblazer295]

I leave my humid hide in my kings cage all the time and she uses it as a hide even if not shedding. I'll spray the moss when I think she is going to be ready to ensure it's humid in there. I had bought an exo terra one for a leopard gecko who has since died so it looks like a fake rock. So I don't mind leaving it in all the time.

[mysticmoon]

I'm so glad it's all good. I couldn't tell from the pic but am glad the edges are not sharp.

Hope that you can get your thermostat soon. I use the Hydrofarm Jump Start on both my tanks.

Best wishes!

Thank you :)

[mysticmoon]

I leave my humid hide in my kings cage all the time and she uses it as a hide even if not shedding. I'll spray the moss when I think she is going to be ready to ensure it's humid in there. I had bought an exo terra one for a leopard gecko who has since died so it looks like a fake rock. So I don't mind leaving it in all the time.

I have been leaving mine in too, I've never seen him use it but he's a lot more active at night which leads me to believe he is feeling better and enjoying his environment.

[macandchz]

glad to hear everything going ok with the milk snake. mac had his 1st incomplete shed for me a couple days ago. it was weird. the head piece came off 1st and i was so worried about retained eye caps, i reached in the tank and got that piece-the eye caps were there- but i think i stressed him and i ended up making a sauna out of wash cloths and gently pulling off the rest of the dead skin. I was never so scared in my life! i was afraid i was hurting him but it came off easily and he's beautiful now and has eaten,so I don't think he's any worse for wear. I sure hope it goes better next time.

[mysticmoon]

glad to hear everything going ok with the milk snake. mac had his 1st incomplete shed for me a couple days ago. it was weird. the head piece came off 1st and i was so worried about retained eye caps, i reached in the tank and got that piece-the eye caps were there- but i think i stressed him and i ended up making a sauna out of wash cloths and gently pulling off the rest of the dead skin. I was never so scared in my life! i was afraid i was hurting him but it came off easily and he's beautiful now and has eaten,so I don't think he's any worse for wear. I sure hope it goes better next time.

It can be scary but a stuck shed once in a while usually isn't a big deal, sounds like you handled it well