How to Treat Sick Pet Snakes

Pet snakes are not for everyone. They are fascinating, and if you handle them on a regular basis, they do become tame. Carefully research different types of snakes before buying to see which one would be best for you. Some grow very large and can become dangerous. People have a variety of pet snakes, from the garter snake to a huge python. They all have special needs and different diets. If your pet snake becomes sick, here's what you need to do.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. See if your snake is dull or faded looking in color. His black color should be very dark and other colors should be bright.

2. Examine the snake's body for mites, ticks or any other external parasites. Soak your pet snake in warm water mixed with reptile relieve; your local pet stores will carry a mite treatment. Thoroughly clean the cage daily for at least 3 days, removing all bedding and replacing it with paper towels. Remove any ticks with tweezers and cover the bitten area of the snake with a triple antibiotic ointment.

3. Look inside the snake's mouth by lifting the side of the top lip. A healthy snake's mouth will be pink and clean with no lesions, and you should not see any blood inside his mouth. If his mouth is white or pale, he probably has stomatitas or mouth rot, which is a fungal infection in your snake's mouth that creates thick saliva or cheesy discharge. Treat mild cases with a rot guard. Dilute the powder with water and flush the snake's mouth out with it. Severe cases usually result in death.

4. Watch for signs of constipation. The snakes descended belly blown up like a balloon. Soak your snake in warm water several times a day until you can actually see the snake pass the blockage. If after several days he has not passed the blockage, you will have to take him to a vet to have it surgically removed.

5. Purchasing a snake and bringing him home will sometimes cause him not to eat because of the change in environment. Put a couple of drops of appetite plus in your snake's mouth, hopefully stimulating your snake to eat. If this doesn't work, you will have to force-feed him with a syringe of beef or chicken baby food. Try feeding your snake frozen rodents, and if this doesn't work, take him to your vet.

6. Notice if your snake has bloody stools, passing blood, regurgitating his food or he can't keep anything down but still has an appetite--this is probably due to internal parasites and will require a trip to the vet for an antibiotic.