infernalis
02-14-11, 01:12 AM
I decided to do some medical research into why snakes will sometimes flip on their backs and bite themselves then die.
All reptiles (and any animal including us humans) need fluids to survive, however since the physiology of reptiles is unique, they need fluids even more so than other classes of animals.
A snake that is "low on water" (under hydrated) can seem normal and doing just fine, then when fed the snake goes into shock and dies very quickly.
This happens because they really need fluids to digest the food, and if there is insufficient fluids present in the snake when it eats, their body will draw electrolytes (water) from critical organs to aid digestion.
The symptoms are involuntary muscle spasms & disorientation followed by shock and coma leading to death.
Just yesterday my little snow eastern garter (he's a 3 year old runt of the litter and really small, he can just about swallow extra small mouse pinks.) flipped over on his back and started convulsing.
Desperate to try anything to save him, I grabbed a spray bottle and started squirting him while holding him in place. The convulsions continued for almost a half hour before he calmed back down.
Now he just ate 2 extra small pinkies the day before, so I was at a loss as to why he was seemingly dying in my hands.
The spray bottle seemed to do the trick, he has since recovered, immediately went to his water bowl and drank for what seemed like forever.
Upon further investigation, he didn't want the water in the bowl until after I scrubbed it out and filled it up with cold fresh water.
Being semi aquatic, all I can think of is he had gone to the bathroom in his drinking water and then refused to drink from the same bowl until it had been washed, can't say I blame him either.
several very important things I learned from this experience is....
Empty out and wash water bowls regularly, ensure your snake is well hydrated before feeding, if their skin feels rough or dry at all DO NOT feed the snake until it has re-hydrated prior to eating, or you will most likely have an upside down snake with a mouth full of substrate lying dead in it's cage.
Water is more important than food hands down, A snake can go for months without eating, but only a few days without a drink.
Even if the water bowl looks fine, colubrids poop a liquid that will dissolve in the water bowl and foul the water up, even if the water dish looks just fine, it may be "polluted" with snake excretions that will cause the animal to refuse drinking from it.
Lastly, if you find yourself with a snake that is going into convulsions, biting itself or just acting very strange, get lots of water to it quickly and you may just save the snake from dying.
Avoid getting near any salt while preparing your snakes meals, as salt will draw the fluids right out of the snake and kill it quickly. Factory prepared fish can contain salt from the machinery, especially if the fish was processed at a plant that also packs salted fish fillets.
That's why I only buy fresh trout from the market, each fish is prepared by hand, it costs more than factory prepared fish, but the salt risk is eliminated.
I lost a whole bunch of snakes a few months ago because I purchased fish from Wal Mart that had most likely been accidentally contaminated with salt while processing.
All reptiles (and any animal including us humans) need fluids to survive, however since the physiology of reptiles is unique, they need fluids even more so than other classes of animals.
A snake that is "low on water" (under hydrated) can seem normal and doing just fine, then when fed the snake goes into shock and dies very quickly.
This happens because they really need fluids to digest the food, and if there is insufficient fluids present in the snake when it eats, their body will draw electrolytes (water) from critical organs to aid digestion.
The symptoms are involuntary muscle spasms & disorientation followed by shock and coma leading to death.
Just yesterday my little snow eastern garter (he's a 3 year old runt of the litter and really small, he can just about swallow extra small mouse pinks.) flipped over on his back and started convulsing.
Desperate to try anything to save him, I grabbed a spray bottle and started squirting him while holding him in place. The convulsions continued for almost a half hour before he calmed back down.
Now he just ate 2 extra small pinkies the day before, so I was at a loss as to why he was seemingly dying in my hands.
The spray bottle seemed to do the trick, he has since recovered, immediately went to his water bowl and drank for what seemed like forever.
Upon further investigation, he didn't want the water in the bowl until after I scrubbed it out and filled it up with cold fresh water.
Being semi aquatic, all I can think of is he had gone to the bathroom in his drinking water and then refused to drink from the same bowl until it had been washed, can't say I blame him either.
several very important things I learned from this experience is....
Empty out and wash water bowls regularly, ensure your snake is well hydrated before feeding, if their skin feels rough or dry at all DO NOT feed the snake until it has re-hydrated prior to eating, or you will most likely have an upside down snake with a mouth full of substrate lying dead in it's cage.
Water is more important than food hands down, A snake can go for months without eating, but only a few days without a drink.
Even if the water bowl looks fine, colubrids poop a liquid that will dissolve in the water bowl and foul the water up, even if the water dish looks just fine, it may be "polluted" with snake excretions that will cause the animal to refuse drinking from it.
Lastly, if you find yourself with a snake that is going into convulsions, biting itself or just acting very strange, get lots of water to it quickly and you may just save the snake from dying.
Avoid getting near any salt while preparing your snakes meals, as salt will draw the fluids right out of the snake and kill it quickly. Factory prepared fish can contain salt from the machinery, especially if the fish was processed at a plant that also packs salted fish fillets.
That's why I only buy fresh trout from the market, each fish is prepared by hand, it costs more than factory prepared fish, but the salt risk is eliminated.
I lost a whole bunch of snakes a few months ago because I purchased fish from Wal Mart that had most likely been accidentally contaminated with salt while processing.