Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi:

Earlier this May, I found a beautiful California kingsnake.

Over the past months, I've noticed that her eyes and the skin right below her eyes and on her upper lip looks scratchy. She has shed three times since I've had her: June 10th, June 26th and July 7th. The first shed I had to remove the shed on her eyes. The second and third times she has shed completely.
Right after she sheds she looks extremely clean (no brown on eyes or lips); after a few days it returns.

She eats 2 or 3 pinkies (whatever I decide to offer) every 10 days. I offer water 2 or 3 times a week (she loves to soak in the water and I limit it to prevent respiratory infections.

If anyone knows what her problem is, if it is a disease (is it hazardous to my other animals; is it curable) or if she will be fine and can live a near normal life, please, let me know.

If you don't want to post, please e-mail me at: viridix@cox.net

Thanks:
Dustin

Dustin,
I wish I could offer advice to help you treat your snake at home but it looks like this problem is going to require a trip to the vet.
Are you feeding live mice and is it possible that the snake was injured by a rodent bite? In addition to the eye problems, the snake also appears to have a problem in it's mouth.
These eye problems could be retained eye caps or damage from attempts to remove them. A severe mite infestation might also cause eye problems and cause your snake to soak alot.
This doesn't appear to be a problem you'll be able to treat at home. If it were my snake I'd get it to a vet asap.
Hope everything turns out ok!
Chris

I couldn't believe it, right after I posted my last message she shed. Anyway, here are the pics of her after she shed:

I never feed my snakes live mice. I've seen the damage from other peoples mistakes, and I learn from them. There are no parasites that I know of; no ticks, no mites.

O yea, thanks to Chris for his input; I appreciate it.

Dustin

What type of substrate do you use ? That snake looks like it at one time sustained some damage to the mouth under the eye as it is a little malformed.

Keith

I try to keep all of my tanks natural; sand from its locality.

Dustin

That is a likely problem. Sand is a terrible substrate for kings or any other snake besides maybe a sand boa. While there maybe sand from the snake general area they arent always on it and they are in the open gliding over not in a tank . Your snake probably digs alot in the tank which scratches the face up especially when they press up against the glass etc... Also that sand can and will get into their mouth and nose. I realize it may be a more natural substrate but its not natural for them to live in glass boxes and the two dont always mix. Keep the snake on paper towels for awhile and I bet your problem clears up.

Keith

Did you notice if her eye caps came off one her recent shed?
Did this problem come about gradually or did she look fine one day and like this the next? Does it look like it's improving, staying the same, or getting worse?
I would agree with Keith that you should get rid of the sand in her cage. Whether or not it caused it, it's not good for it to get into any open wounds and a clean, dry substrate would be a better choice.
Chris

n/t

I don't know what that might be, but if I were you I'd treat it as a contagious disease. Quarantine that animal from the rest of your animals and take it to the vet asap.
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-Andy

I agree with the others - replace substrate, quarantine, and have a herp vet examine him.

I may be wrong on this, but isn't 2 weeks or less between sheds an abnormally high frequency, even for a young one? michaelb

A shed cycle of two weeks is abnormally fast. I did, however, move her into a new, sterilized enclosure using paper towels as a substrate.

By the way, thanks for everyone and their help.
Dustin