Let's be frank here, I can a barely remember what day of the week it is let alone the last time any particular snake in my collection ate. How about you, do you remember what you had for lunch yesterday? Well, I sure as heck don't! Maybe you're someone who always feeds their snakes on Tuesdays or you only have one snake in your collection. Whether you have a hoard of snakes or only just a few let's talk about why you should keep a record of their health and how to get started.
1. I could eat..
There's lots of benefits to establishing a feeding schedule for your snake. Firstly, it can help you avoid getting mistaken for a food item. Though, that's not to say always feeding at 4PM on Thursdays is a substitute for good handling practices. However, when you last fed your snake can help you determine whether you snake may have a stronger feeding response. A snake who hasn't fed in a month vs. a snake who ate yesterday are probably going to react differently to you opening the cage door. In addition good record keeping of meals can help prevent over feeding. Did you know over feeding can result in more than just a plump snake? It can actually shorten your snake lifetime as well as lead to many health issues. When you over feed your snake's body may not have finished digesting it's last meal. This leads to additional stress on the body and can cause dehydration and constipation.
2. What goes in must come out
Just like it's important to keep track of how often you're feeding it's equally important to keep track of when your snakes poop. I check on each of my snakes daily refreshing water bowls, misting and spot cleaning as necessary. It's important to remove feces from your animals cage to prevent bacterial spread but it can also be helpful to track how often this occurs. Knowing how long it's been and how many meals since the last defecation can help you to avoid constipation and/or get your snake treatment sooner if it needs it. Not all snakes are prone to these issues however emerald tree boas and green tree pythons are among some snakes you'll want to keep a closer eye on. As a general rule of thumb I don't feed more than 2 meals without a poop in between.
3. Who's a big boy?
About once a month to every couple months I like to get a weight on each of my snakes. Weight loss despite eating regularly can be a sign of internal parasites as well as other health conditions. Sometimes it can be hard to tell a snake is losing weight until it becomes severe or is even too late. Keeping a tally of the date and how much your snake weighed can be helpful. If you snake is losing weight it's important to discuss this with a vet. If you plan on breeding making sure your snake is at a healthy weight is a crucial first step to reduce complications of pregnancy.
4. New scales who dis?
With young and growing snakes it can be useful to keep track of when their last shed as well as any issues with the shed. Noting improvements in stuck shed vs. complete sheds can help new green tree python owners buckle in on the perfect cage humidity. All of my green tree pythons have identical cages and nearly identical setup that set I find a couple of my snakes do just fine with relative humidity at 70 and others need much higher humidity when it comes time to shed their old skin. It's important to note health conditions as well as stress can cause issues with shedding.
5. The devil's in the details
Keeping a google doc or simple spread sheet with more detailed notes can really help you keep track of what's working and what's not. As well as cage labels I keep a lengthy google doc with additional details on every aspect of husbandry & health. When I had a WC import go off feed after arriving it was in this sheet that I tracked every method tried and failed to get her eating again. Frankly she had so many simultaneous health issues upon arrival I don't know how I would have kept it all straight. A simple setup with columns for the name of animal, the date and any other things you want to keep track of is useful. Below is an example of my spreadsheet where I'll jot various notes and observations:
Example of my cage labels made from laminated card stock. I use dry erase markers and updated the sections when info changes. Most info on the cage label is also in my tracker but I find it immensely useful to have this info prominently displayed on each cage as well
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed vet nor am I an expert in herptoculture. Information on this blog is stated based on my opinion as a snake owner and breeder with +18 years of experience. The goal of providing this information is to help build on existing safe handling practices, good animal husbandry and common sense care. It is NOT a supplement to doing your own research, using common sense, being otherwise safe, or consulting a vet when applicable. By accessing, reading or implementing any ideas or techniques shared on my blog you do so of your own accord and at your own risk.
Comentarios