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alessia55
02-16-12, 12:10 PM
This is member Kylie's snake Bella... (posting for her bc she can't post pics)... Bella is due for a shed any day now. But we have a question bout Bella's eyes....

This is the set up, temps are good etc:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/418507_124362464353392_100003389165000_107227_6306 47306_n.jpg

about a week or so ago Kylie noticed this white spot on her eye...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/402769_124956220960683_100003389165000_108570_9110 3193_n.jpg

This is a pic taken a few minutes ago, both eyes are white, which I presume is normal because she's going to shed, but from my experience...the eyes look a bit like they're bulging? Just wanted to get more opinions if you corn snake people think the eyes are normal or not:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/alessia55/425489_131806640275641_100003389165000_127841_1231 236813_n.jpg

alessia55
02-16-12, 12:11 PM
Also when Kylie opened the enclosure she said that Bella had her mouth open

Gungirl
02-16-12, 12:15 PM
With out being able to see it in person I would say to bump up the temps a bit and wait for it to shed. No handling or anything until then.

kernel
02-16-12, 12:28 PM
Hmm.... might be a RI since you said her mouth was open. Bump her temps up a bit and keep a VERY CLOSE eye on her. If you see her mouth open again or here any wheezing or sneezing, I would make a vet appointment.

Kylie
02-16-12, 12:31 PM
Her skin is also VERY pail, almost like she has a white chalk dust on her body, she hasnt left her hide in a while...todays suposta be feeding day, do i still try to feed her?

alessia55
02-16-12, 12:32 PM
She's also a very shy snake and due for a shed so she might be a little defensive... lets hope she sheds and everything goes well.

Gungirl
02-16-12, 12:36 PM
Her skin is pale because she is in shed. I would skip the feeding due to other things that might be going on.

youngster
02-16-12, 12:39 PM
My cornsnake is also in shed right now.
1. Eye's look fine
2. Pale skin is to be expected, she creates a lot of oily stuff to make shedding easier that dulls the colors.
3. She's close to being blind right now so she feels most comfortable in her hide.
4. Today's feeding day for my snakes and I'm not gonna bother feeding my shedding girl.
5. The mouth could be anything from readjusting her jaw to an RI, but corns are very hardy snakes so unless you're keeping her cold and wet I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Hope that helped, I'm no expert but that's my .02

Kylie
02-16-12, 12:44 PM
I was misting her moss...and she went threw it a couple times, maybe her bedding got wet???..so maybe she got wet?

Trent
02-16-12, 12:48 PM
Before you bump up the temps.What are the temps now?

Kylie
02-16-12, 12:50 PM
I have a heat mat on set up to a thermostat. and it veries from 80-84. i have it sent at 84 but for some reason its going up and down. but never past 84. when i touch were she lays on the mat it does not seem warm to my touch? i had a heat lamp and it seems alot warmer.

kernel
02-16-12, 12:55 PM
Skip feeding her and just keep an eye on her. I would bump her temps up to about 90.

Kylie
02-16-12, 12:59 PM
ok, i set the thermostat to 90. that wont hurt her? i dont want to burn her lol
( first time snake owner) and i wont feed her, is there anything i should do to help her shed maybe?

alessia55
02-16-12, 01:03 PM
She's been soaking herself in her water dish and she has moss and she's been misted, I don't think you need to give her a bath or anything, I think she'll probably shed just fine on her own :) And it'll help to not handle her until she sheds & the eats

others agree?

Kylie
02-16-12, 01:05 PM
She hasnt soaked her self. she hasnt come out of her hide in weeks. since her last feel really. and i wont handle her, or feel her. her temp is set up higher...anything elce i should and should not do?

youngster
02-16-12, 01:10 PM
Corn snakes are the hardiest pets on this planet, you're worrying too much :p
(we have all had new pet owner syndrome)

I don't give mine any help and they've never had a problem.

BarelyBreathing
02-16-12, 01:13 PM
she has a white chalk dust on her body


This concerns me. I lost a snake due to premature shed, and this was the only symptom.

If your snake actually has dusty white stuff on its body that you can feel, bring it into the vet IMMEDIATELY.

kernel
02-16-12, 01:16 PM
ok, i set the thermostat to 90. that wont hurt her? i dont want to burn her lol
( first time snake owner) and i wont feed her, is there anything i should do to help her shed maybe?

No, it won't. Just make sure she has a cool side of around 80 to retreat to. When she's not holding her mouth open or wheezing or anything you can lower her temps back down (hot side of 85 and cool side of 70-75.

kernel
02-16-12, 01:19 PM
This concerns me. I lost a snake due to premature shed, and this was the only symptom.

If your snake actually has dusty white stuff on its body that you can feel, bring it into the vet IMMEDIATELY.

I have NEVER heard of this, but maybe you know something I don't.

BarelyBreathing
02-16-12, 01:29 PM
I posted about it on another forum. It was pretty much a freak incident that is only heard of once every few years or so. Basically, the snake shed before he was ready to. The white chalky dust was from the milky lubricant that forms under the layer of skin that is about to be shed off. The skin underneath was fragile and tore, and the snake dies either from a massive infection or from drying out very rapidly, or both. Hang on, let me look for the thread.

youngster
02-16-12, 01:34 PM
Oh, didn't read that part. I've never heard that either.

BarelyBreathing
02-16-12, 01:34 PM
Suddenly dead boa/ premature shed? (http://www.reptileforums.net/forums/showthread.php?84455-Suddenly-dead-boa-premature-shed&highlight=crimson)

alessia55
02-16-12, 01:38 PM
Bella should shed soon... hopefully it's not what BB is describing and it all works out in the best way possible and everything works out just fine :)

BarelyBreathing
02-16-12, 01:56 PM
Fingers crossed it's not what I experienced.

kernel
02-16-12, 03:25 PM
I really don't think that's what it is. Why would she have that "dust" on her before she sheds?

Kayla90
02-16-12, 03:49 PM
I would wait till she shed's before forming an opinion.. If she's really close to shedding, it may just be that it's being pushed up off the skin in prep. to come off.. They do look a little bulgy.. if they still look so after the shed, you might want to take her to get looked at..

Didn't see there was a page two.. but what BB explains seems very scary.. so maybe waiting wouldn't be the best idea if there is a white chalky dust.. I hope it's not this though.

kernel
02-16-12, 07:02 PM
Yea, but if it's a premature shed, wouldn't the chalky dust come after she sheds, not before?

BarelyBreathing
02-16-12, 07:26 PM
It would come after the shed, but it would look like the snake is still in shed from a distance.

Kylie
02-17-12, 12:33 AM
I dont recall it being like a dust, just how it looked, when i did toutch her i didnt feel or see any "chalk" on my fingers. she just looked almost "pail" and i looked at her today and she does not seem so pail as she did before...so i am hoping it is just she is about to shed. but the thing that gets me is that her eyes were red previous to this...meaning she is albino, correct? and i had heard that when albinos go into shed their eyes dont go to that milky creamy color? if this is true then somthing must be wrong..cause bellas eyes are "foggy".... so confued and i dont want to take her into the vet if i dont have to just because its going to cost money, and i dont even know if the vets here were i live "deal" with snakes.... :( soooo confused!

millertime89
02-17-12, 01:29 AM
albinos eyes can get that milky creamy coloration. it can depend on how brilliant their eyes are, sometimes you just can't tell.

Lankyrob
02-17-12, 04:41 AM
Red eyed snakes still get creamy eyes it is just harder to notice - if you did them well done! I have a corn with red eyes and it is hard to notice the colour change before shed on any part of his body let alone the eyes.

youngster
02-17-12, 07:49 AM
No worries, my ultramels are a form of albinism and they get blue milky eyes.
And I can assure you they are perfectly healthy.

Kylie
02-17-12, 12:05 PM
Oh ok, thanks kyle

Kylie
02-17-12, 12:08 PM
Didnt notice the 3rd page. hers were VERY easy to notice tho, like there CREAMY WHITE, theres no missing it???

Skumbo
02-17-12, 12:17 PM
others have seemed to answer everything else quite well, my only contribution is this:

many snakes wont feed when in shed (partly cause they cant see well, imagine trying to look through a milky white plastic wrap all day)

so i never feed during shed, though my little guy will take food whenever, i prefer to just let him shed in peace.

let us know if it comes off nicely, i'm thinking its just a little over-protectiveness that we new snake owners seem to always go to.. if the temps are off by 1 degree i get grumpy and try to fix it, lol.

kernel
02-17-12, 12:50 PM
If you catch them right in the middle of being blue (which you did) their eyes will get real foggy. The only ones that you won't notice it on are white morphs like snows, blizzards, opals avalanches etc.

Lankyrob
02-17-12, 12:53 PM
Personally i would bump the temps to 86-88 rather than 90, but apart from anything else she "looks" ok. hard to diagnose anything form a picture tho.

With my corns all three will eat whilst in shed so i still offer food - i do have the advantage however that if they dont take the food i have other snakes to offer the food to. :)

Kylie
02-17-12, 12:59 PM
I skipped the feed, so should i feed her next thursday, right after she shed, or on the accual next feed date? ( 2 weeks from yesterday). and it hard to see anything, shes ALWAYS in her hide ( probibly cause shes blind as you all said) but the only time i can check on her is by bothering her under her hide. i was scared lastnight when i lifted her hide to check on her, she didnt move as she ussualy does when i lift her hide and her mouth was open!!! so i was a little freaked out! but she moved eventually. i did hear maybe a little "weesing" it sounded almost like a clicking noise????

Yess i am a spazz haha! i just want to know everythings ok, and im doing everything i can and doing it right!!

Lankyrob
02-17-12, 01:10 PM
How often do you check on her? I literally only check on my snakes twice a week (if i see them out and about then i dont bother "checking", only when i havent seen them for 3-4days do i disturb them).

With the feed wait until the next scheduled date - easier on you to keep to a set schedule rather than changing it for a missed feed.

Kylie
02-17-12, 01:14 PM
Well i havnt seen her out of her hide on her own in a little over a week....
So i check on her about every 3-4 days.

And ok that makes scence.

kernel
02-17-12, 02:50 PM
I skipped the feed, so should i feed her next thursday, right after she shed, or on the accual next feed date? ( 2 weeks from yesterday). and it hard to see anything, shes ALWAYS in her hide ( probibly cause shes blind as you all said) but the only time i can check on her is by bothering her under her hide. i was scared lastnight when i lifted her hide to check on her, she didnt move as she ussualy does when i lift her hide and her mouth was open!!! so i was a little freaked out! but she moved eventually. i did hear maybe a little "weesing" it sounded almost like a clicking noise????

Yess i am a spazz haha! i just want to know everythings ok, and im doing everything i can and doing it right!!

As unusual as it is for corns, that sound just like a RI. As soon as she sheds I would get her to the vet. Not to scare you, but I just had a baby corn die and it was doing the same thing. She died the same day she started doing that.

Kylie
02-17-12, 03:08 PM
So i went to check on her today, and her eyes are not cloudy, all tho one of her eye looks a bit cloudy just on the top of it? ( her other eye is red(normal)) but it almost looks like she has a "skab" on the very top of her head, was like that when i got her as well ( about 2 and a half weeks ago) her skin looks almost normal color, not pail anymore...so maybe its not her time to shed? Maybe the heat helped cause it wasnt warm on the matt when i touched it before i turned it up. right now she is hiding in a plant???? never seen her do that before lol

millertime89
02-17-12, 03:18 PM
They brighten back up just before they shed, its weird.

Kylie
02-17-12, 03:36 PM
Oh ok so this is normal then?

millertime89
02-17-12, 03:40 PM
yup, so is the her hanging out in the plant, she'll go where she feels comfortable, which is totally up to her and can be almost anywhere. Last night my retic decided under my pillow was a nice place to go when I let her out for some exercise.

Kylie
02-17-12, 04:20 PM
What is a retic??? type of snake?????

Kylie
02-17-12, 04:35 PM
So i just talked to the previous owner and this is what she said to me;


She shed right around the time you got her, and it was in a couple peices that time. and she always goes pale with foggy eyes about a week before shedding.

Its not normal for her to shed in pieces, correct? just trying to get some extra info here lol.

Lankyrob
02-17-12, 05:18 PM
If the husbandry is right then the shed should be one piece, occassionnally it might scag and be in two pieces but they should be big pieces not lots of little pieces.

millertime89
02-17-12, 07:04 PM
What is a retic??? type of snake?????

yeah, reticulated python. I have a superdwarf that will get about 1/3rd the size of regular one, there's a post in the "giant pythons" section describing dwarfs and superdwarfs if you've got some time to spend reading about them.

Rob is right. A few big pieces are ok, if not ideal. A bunch of little pieces flaking off, not so much.

youngster
02-17-12, 07:07 PM
This is one of my ultramels, they have red eyes and look at hers, blue.
Is this what Bella looks like?
http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad280/eliwuzheer/DSCF2010.jpg

Kylie
02-17-12, 10:23 PM
Eli, no not anymore. but they wernt blue. there were more of a whiteish/cream color. and now their back to a LIGHTER red as i do recall, but i think she might have some shed left on her right eye from last time. yes that is how her skin looked her head wasnt to white dont know if thats how your snake is or anything. ( VERY CUTE SNAKE BTW)


I also just purchased a new tank cause the one i moved bella into is not a good tank for a snake its more of a fish tank and wont let my mat be on there very good. ANYWASE, the tank i got came with some "stick" stuff, that looks like you would use for frogs ( she had a ball in it previously) Also came with some "all natuarl cocanut lay" bedding type stuff its a brick and you soak it in water and dry it off and mix it with aspen ( its almost like a dirt) can i use that for my corn? she had taken her snake into the vet for somthing not to sure what it was but it was in this tank, now i cleaned it with bleach ect. should be ok right???

TremTricolors
02-20-12, 11:35 AM
Kylie, Looks like your husbandry is good. Here's my opinion. It's ok to keep a hot spot of 90 all the time the snake will utilize the temps that he or she seeks. Just make sure you have a cool spot for he/she too(80 at the most) Now for the gaping mouth, I see you use shredded aspen, the dust from the aspen may be what your seeing on your snake. Also the dust in the aspen can cause the snake to sneeze and or gap her mouth open. I have a L.p.knoblochi that is actually allergic to aspen dust. So he's on newspaper. A lot of times a snake will sneeze or gap mouth during shedding, I do have a couple that do it only when they shed. I wouldn't worry to much until you see mucus at the nostrils or heavy breathing. I didn't catch how old but the younger they are the quicker any RI spreads. Personally, with out seeing the animal and going by your descriptions your corn will continue to thrive. Hope this helps and keep us updated!

Jimmy

shaunyboy
02-20-12, 12:22 PM
My cornsnake is also in shed right now.
1. Eye's look fine
2. Pale skin is to be expected, she creates a lot of oily stuff to make shedding easier that dulls the colors.
3. She's close to being blind right now so she feels most comfortable in her hide.
4. Today's feeding day for my snakes and I'm not gonna bother feeding my shedding girl.
5. The mouth could be anything from readjusting her jaw to an RI, but corns are very hardy snakes so unless you're keeping her cold and wet I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Hope that helped, I'm no expert but that's my .02

^^^^^
this

a snake will open its mouth for many reasons,if there are NO other signs of respiritory problems,then theres nothing to worry about

i had a carpet that used to defensively swing its head back and forth,with its mouth half open trying to bite

it could have been a defensive posture pal

cheers shaun

Kylie
02-21-12, 10:20 AM
Thanks guys! i think shes good now, she shed just fine..and she ate her first ADULT mouse yesterday! havnt seen anything wrong with her since she shed and she looks ALOT better then the day i got her. im very proud! the shed was in one peice.. that means good correct? :)

Kylie
02-21-12, 10:26 AM
But..I think im doing good now, shes shed, and it was a full shed. i fed her last night ( sorry i never let you know) it was a LAST minute spur thing, next time i promice. this one was lame she ate the mouse at the wrong end so it took her about half hour to just eat the damn thing. and it was kinda stressfull for me lol. but i think im doing good with her now that thats all over with ( the shed) that had me worried as it was my first shed, but it came off in one peice witch means i have good husbandery and she has enough moisture in her tank ( previous ownders said she NEVER sheds in pull peices) I PRUVED THEM WRONG! ahah. but on thursday she is moving into her new PERMANINT home, its a 55 gallon tank ( shes in a 20 right now) and im just worried bout the heat matt its suposta drop off into the cool end but the pet store does not carey the size i need so i need to figure that out some how. and then i need to modify the lid of the tank just cause it had a VERY light screen and optimus likes to jump on the lid and watch bella do..nothing. we are TRYING to teach her not too, but i dont want to take any chances of her jumping up adn breaking right threw the screen. and then the stad that the tank is on isnt the best cause it needs room between the heat matt and the stand...ugh so confusing and i think this is the longest comment EVER! lol sorry

millertime89
02-21-12, 01:18 PM
that means very good.

re: the heat mat. Did you get a heat gun? I forgot if you said you did. If you did you can just check the temps on both sides and as long as they're good you don't need to worry about the heat mat being to small.
Optimus your cat? What I would do is get a piece of wood or plexiglass that's larger than the lid and secure it on top. Also try to keep him from jumping up there as he could potentially knock the entire enclosure over and there's no telling what might happen then.

Kylie
02-22-12, 12:58 PM
Optimus prime is a girl :o haha

And yeah my dad built me somthing with some wood to go over the top of the lid just in case, were trying to teach her that the spray bottle means NO! lol i think shes getting it cause now i just need to seriously say her name and she runs. lol.

No i never did get a heat gun, but i do have thermomators at both ends from when i was using the light, that should be fine right?

millertime89
02-22-12, 07:38 PM
yeah that's fine, I was just curious what the hot end and cool end were at.

Kylie
02-23-12, 11:24 AM
Hot end is between 85-90
Cool end is between 70-80

millertime89
02-23-12, 01:00 PM
sounds right to me. I wouldn't worry.

Kylie
02-24-12, 12:32 PM
Im not worrying anymore,, its all good.

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!
much love <3

Skumbo
02-24-12, 12:51 PM
Genghis is still in shed, im going to have to feed him again soon too! gah!

Kylie
02-25-12, 11:53 AM
Awe thats lame lol

Check out my NEW thread

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/elaphe-guttata-guttata/90682-bella-3-a-2.html