Elderly Gopher - Head Sway and Upside Down

[zoonandes]

I have a 40 year old male gopher snake (caught by my uncle right before I was born 39 years ago).

About 3 months ago I noticed him with his back/neck leaned backwards in his cage. This lasted a few hours.

About 2 months ago I found him upside down in his enclosure and he was not very responsive and presumed he was dying. He had eaten a live mouse (his only diet) a a day or 2 before. After a day or so, he righted himself and was back to normal. Initially I thought that either the mouse was "bad/sickly" or that my snake injured himself during digestion.

Then yesterday he ate another live mouse. This morning I replaced his bedding and he flipped over and had a very hard time righting himself up again and seems lethargic. I am not sure if he is just tired from eating or sick.

I am not sure if it is just old age, bad mice (from Petco), or neurological. He seems better after a couple days with each instance so I am kind of ruling out neurological. Although he sometimes has trouble catching the mice and has a head sway thing when searching for the mouse and is unable to climb his cage like he use to.

As he is so old I worry that he will choke or have other issues with feeding.

I have always wanted to try frozen mice but my snake is picky and will leave a mouse in his enclosure for days if he doesn't want it.

How often should he be fed? In the winter (in CA!), he hibernates for several months and refuses any food.

Suggestions?

[millertime89]

[Jim Smith]

Welcome aboard and congratulations one having the oldest snake I've ever heard of. Seeing as most reptile profile sheets list Gopher snake as having a life span averaging between 12 and 20 years, I'd say your old fellow is just feeling his age. I suspect the eating for a snake (especially live prey) can be exhausting and stressful which is probably resulting in the symptoms you're seeing. He certainly has live a long life which speaks highly to your and your dad's husbandry skills.

[Tiny Boidae]

Whoa that's one old snake! If it gets to the point to where he has trouble swallowing, you might wanna try a pinkie pump to feed him (I had to use this for one of my sand boas when it got real sick- it's not for the faint of heart!). I'm worried about the reason he's doing this though.

Have you tried taking him to the vet? I've heard of similar symptoms in boas and pythons who had a neurological disorder- it's always fatal. It's called Inclusion Body Disease and while I've never seen it in a colubrid, it might be something to look into. Regardless, I'd recommend a vet trip before you try anything harmful.

[bigsnakegirl785]

It's probably more likely to be him losing the minute control he had over his muscles than when he was younger. I've heard of similar things happening in elderly garters. I wouldn't jump to an IBD conclusion, but if you're at all worried just make sure to keep him quarantined from your other animals (if you have any).

As said, getting a vet's second opinion would probably prove useful if you have a vet you can trust. Many can be extremely behind the times, and I've heard some horror stories so be aware when you do take it. If the vet gives you any uneasiness get another opinion from at least one other vet.

[Albert Clark]

Elderly snakes and elderly animals all have quite a few ailments to deal with. Gout is a big problem along with fatty liver disease. Just a overall slow downed metabolism as well. The other thing is sometimes a snake will get into a position that they find is comfortable for them especially after a meal. All bodily systems slow with extremes of age.

[zoonandes]

Thank you for all of your responses. He is back to his normal self, for now