Milk snake shedding problems

oksmartypants · 07-15-13, 10:33 PM

I have a 2 year-old milk that has always been perfectly healthy. He stopped shedding in March, though, and it's worrying me quite a bit. He still eats 2-3 pinkies a week, and I've always made sure my husbandry was pretty good (72-78 degrees, 50-70 humidity). I've given him a few soaks, but no shed. I think he's beginning to look a little thin on his upper body, and panicking is an understatement.

Any advice? I've tried everything I can think of/have had recommended to me.
I can post pictures if needed!

formica · 07-16-13, 01:53 AM

should b well off pinkies by now at 2 years old, he's missing allot of nutriant only eating pinkies, have you tried larger? how big is he?

get bigger mice and offer him one - after 2 years I'm amazed he's grown at all on just on pinkies, they lack proper bones (calcium) and their organs are under developed which means far fewer nutrients.

an adult snake (or even sub-adult) shouldnt be eating several times a week, they should have regular large meals and then be allowed to digest them and then wait for their next meal for upto 2 weeks

Concept9 · 07-16-13, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

should b well off pinkies by now at 2 years old, he's missing allot of nutriant only eating pinkies, have you tried larger? how big is he?

get bigger mice and offer him one - after 2 years I'm amazed he's grown at all on just on pinkies, they lack proper bones (calcium) and their organs are under developed which means far fewer nutrients.

an adult snake (or even sub-adult) shouldnt be eating several times a week, they should have regular large meals and then be allowed to digest them and then wait for their next meal for upto 2 weeks

Agreed.

This animal should be eating large mice at this stage. Can you post some pics please with something for a size reference ?

oksmartypants · 07-16-13, 11:37 PM

I've tried giving him fuzzies on MANY occasions, but he just won't touch them, even after going a few weeks without eating. So then it's back to the pinkies. I'll post a few pictures. For reference, I have a 10 gallon tank, and my middle finger (probably the best to measure by) is right around 1.3 cm. I don't have a ruler, but i would guess he's about 13 inches (33 cm) long.

Images are attached!

formica · 07-17-13, 01:22 AM

he's tiny for 2 years old, have you tried braining fuzzies? (cut their spinal chord at the base of the skull, the smell of the fluids should trigger a strike)

Starbuck · 07-17-13, 06:48 AM

he is definitely very small for a 2 year old... i agree with formica, i would be trying to get him only larger prey asap.
I would guess that the reason he isnt shedding is because he isnt growing.
you can try braining larger mice, waiting him out (weeks), leaving them overnight, putting the snake and prey in a paper bag overnight in the enclosure, or try offering a live fuzzy.
have you tried any of the above?

oksmartypants · 07-17-13, 10:04 AM

I've tried waiting him out for several weeks and giving him live fuzzies, but he just doesn't seem interested in them. I've tried leaving him in a bag with it for a full day, also. I haven't tried braining, though, so I'll get some fuzzies tonight and see if it works.

Thanks! I'll let you all know if it works!

Concept9 · 07-17-13, 10:07 AM

Maybe try some large rat pinkies/fuzzies, at least they will have some more bulk.

Lankyrob · 07-17-13, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oksmartypants

I've tried waiting him out for several weeks and giving him live fuzzies, but he just doesn't seem interested in them. I've tried leaving him in a bag with it for a full day, also. I haven't tried braining, though, so I'll get some fuzzies tonight and see if it works.

Thanks! I'll let you all know if it works!

I hope you didn't leave it in a bag with a LIVE prey item?

milk man · 07-18-13, 08:25 PM

How long have you had him? Is he a confirmed male? My milk went off food for 7 weeks because he was going through a mating cycle. This could be happening with yours, but it sounds like he is eating but not accepting larger mice. I'm still a novice so I don't know about changing food sizes but you might try waiting him out a little longer. I'm not so sure how good of an idea this would be with your situation. Maybe someone with more experience could chime in on this point?

DeadlyDesires · 07-18-13, 08:37 PM

he still looks like a baby its very interesting i've never heard of a snake not taking larger prey, most try atleast and then if its too big they give up.

oksmartypants · 08-06-13, 07:45 PM

Hey guys, sorry I didn't get back to you. My area went through some awful storms so I had no internet for quite a while. So, I did finally get him to eat a fuzzy, without any real effort. But, shortly after he stopped eating entirely, then drinking, then flicking. I took him to the vet today and they gave him fluids and an antibiotic to take, since they couldn't really find anything wrong with the husbandry. However, on the way home, he stopped holding his head upright. So, I turned around and went back to the vet, but by the time I got there, he was gone. We're not sure if he had an adverse reaction to the medicine or if an organ got punctured or what.

Regardless, thank you guys a lot. When I get another snake in the future, I'll definitely be back.

formica · 08-07-13, 08:47 AM

sorry to hear you lost him. def do come back, you'll find plenty of advice and help here for your next snake, worth researching and reading as much as you can in advance

snakeman879 · 08-07-13, 09:47 AM

Sorry for ur loss do come back I hav found loads ov good advice here plenty people willing and wanting to help

sharthun · 08-08-13, 12:02 PM

Sorry to hear this!

Stick around!