Took one of my snakes to the vet yesterday.

I took my 5yo ball python to the vet yesterday. I thought she had some retained spectacles from her last shed (basically, that the skin covering her eyes didn't come off like it's supposed to) but I wasn't positive. I've never had a snake have this problem before, and I sure didn't want to mess with her eyes if I was wrong!

This is the first time I've seen this vet, and I was quite happy. He told me she DOES have the retained spectacles. I was also concerned that she might be a bit constipated, and the vet felt some sort of mass in the lower part of her body, so he took an XRay. Luckily there was no tumor or fecolith, and no eggs forming - she just really needs to poop! So until she poops and sheds again, I get to soak her daily in warm water and apply antibiotic ointment to her eyes. She doesn't like it! But hopefully it will do the trick.

I asked the vet what he thought about her weight, because I was worried she might be getting too chunky. He said he thought she looked good, but to space out her feedings a bit more so she doesn't keep gaining. Then he told me that what he USUALLY sees in his practice is the opposite problem - snakes that are very underfed and skinny. Poor snakes...

Originally Posted by NinaCaliente

I took my 5yo ball python to the vet yesterday. I thought she had some retained spectacles from her last shed (basically, that the skin covering her eyes didn't come off like it's supposed to) but I wasn't positive. I've never had a snake have this problem before, and I sure didn't want to mess with her eyes if I was wrong!

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That would be exactly why I check the sheds (and recommend others do so as well) to make sure the eyecaps are there. I made the mistake of not checking, once early on in my snake keeping years.....

If you do notice it right away, it is very easy to remove them yourself

Glad you have a good vet. It's so hard to find good herp vets (at least here it is).

Usually I do check, but this shed was not a good one and came off in shreds, so I wasn't sure if the caps were there or not. We've boosted her humidity some more, so hopefully her next shed will be much better. And hopefully those caps will come off!!

I hope so too. One thing I do with my boa's and balls, when they are approaching a shed, I mist them with a spray bottle to help ensure they shed properly. I hate it when eyecaps get stuck, not fun at all.

On the pythons, how can you tell they are fat? I'm serious. Is there a certain "width" in inches they should be?

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

On the pythons, how can you tell they are fat? I'm serious. Is there a certain "width" in inches they should be?

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Well, I didn't take her measurements! (I am imagining taking my snake to a lingerie shop for a fitting.) If a snake is getting obese, you will see the skin stretching, the muscle tone may not be as apparent (because it's covered in fat), and they just look out of proportion when looking at their heads/necks and tails compared to their bodies. Some snakes develop "hips", although I think that is more obvious in a slender species like a cornsnake than in a more heavy bodied snake like a BP.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

On the pythons, how can you tell they are fat? I'm serious. Is there a certain "width" in inches they should be?

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If you can see the skin in between the scales, they are too fat. The scales should overlap slightly....obese snakes of any kind will show space between the scales. They also start getting pudgy over the spine area.

I can see about getting you a pic if you want? I have one corn that is slightly overweight still (she was alot worse when I got her, but she's on a diet persay and I or my kids, exercise her regularly) and I think you can still see what I mean about space between scales.

Success! Mystique pooped AND shed yesterday, a perfect shed with EYECAPS!