How to Know if a Pet Python is Ill

Pet pythons and other snakes can be slightly difficult to care for. Luckily, many snake health problems can be identified early with regular inspection of skin and behavior. When in doubt, don't hesitate to contact your veterinarian to bring your pet python back to perfect health. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Look for Abscesses

1. Scan your pet python's body for unusual marks and lumps.
2. Know that abscesses could occur as lumps under the skin, but may extend all the way into the internal organs.
3. Bring any unusual lumps to the attention of your veterinarian, who will treat them by lancing and draining.

Find Blisters on Your Pet Python

4. Check the underside of your pet python for blisters. Sometimes, wet or moldy substrate can cause fluid-filled blisters to appear.
5. Treat a few blisters by first sterilizing a needle with a flame.
6. Pierce the blister and absorb the fluid with a piece of clean cotton.
7. Flush the blister twice a day with hydrogen peroxide.
8. Apply antibiotic ointment to the blistered area.

Identify and Treat Stomachitis

9. Remember that stomachitis is a common problem with captive pet snakes. Clean cages and water supplies when stomachitis is suspected.
10. Know the symptoms of stomachitis, which include swelling and color change near the mouth or gums. The mouth may not close completely, and the snake may be visibly irritated by it.
11. Treat this bacterial infection with a cotton swab that has been saturated with 1 percent povodine-iodine solution.
12. Keep the head pointed downwards while cleaning to avoid ingestion.
13. Continue treatment for a week. Consider visiting the veterinarian if, after one week, the swelling has not diminished.

Solve Shedding Problems

14. Increase the moisture within the enclosure when you notice shedding problems. Once shedding begins, you can prevent problems by misting the cage with water twice daily and leave a water dish inside the cage.
15. Check to be sure that your snake has shed the skin at the tip of his tail. You can moisten the skin with water, and then lightly touch your snake's unshed skin with a piece of tape that has lost most of its stickiness to help remove excess skin.
16. Visit the veterinarian for guidance on layered eyecaps or multiple layers of unshed tail tips.

Identify Ticks and Mites

17. Check your snake's skin for small dots either moving about on the skin (mites) or attached to the body near the head (ticks).
18. Remove ticks by adding a smear of petroleum jelly and grasping the tick when it begins to suffocate.
19. Remove mites by giving your snake a warm bath. Be sure to clean and disinfect the entire cage before reintroducing the snake to its enclosure.

Prevent Future Illness

20. Keep your snake's cage and substrate clean and dry.
21. Allow your snake to have warm water baths on a regular basis.
22. Be sure that your snake is kept in a warm environment. Cold weather can lead to digestion problems and lethargy.

Tips & Warnings

• Multiple blisters should be treated by a professional.
• Do not remove ticks with tweezers, as they can break in half and leave the head embedded in the snake.