Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My corn snake is turning its body upside down and violently rubbing it along the bottom of the cage. He seems to be itching. I noticed the behavior a couple of weeks ago and thought that it may have been related to shedding, but he has shed since then and is still exhibiting the behavior. He is also soaking in the water bowl a lot. I have over 20 snakes and have kept and bred snakes for 15 years and I have never seen a snake act this way. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

A few real possibilities come to mind......

* too hot

* neurological disease

* MITES!..which is more than likely the culprit!

You need to erradicate those ASAP!. Look the snake over REAL well. I am betting you will see them around the ocular lens(eye cap)of the snake, as well as underneath the chin/throat, as well as crawling all over the rest of it's body. The snake soaks trying to rid itself of them by drowning them, and they also shed quite often in a natural response to alleviate them of the little parasites too.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

My first suspicion is mites as well!! They can be quite harmful and even kill young snakes rather quickly if not erradicated!! As Doug suggested, check the snake carefully for tiny black crawling dots. If you see them, remove the snake from its cage, clean out the entire cage thoroughly and replace the substrate entirely. Prior to putting the snake back in its clean cage, spray the bedding with Provent A Mite and fluff it up real well to get the vapors from the spray and any residual liquid dried up. THEN you can put the snake back in its new cage with a fresh water bowl. Provent a Mite vapors are toxic, so spray the cage and bedding outside and away from from your animals.

Thanks for the suggestions. There are definitely not any mites present. I'm thinking maybe a skin condition or heat/humidity. I'm going to move him into a quarantine tank today and keep a close eye on him. I'll update this post when I discover the problem.

Yeah, if its soaking alot, it could be the temps are getting too high in the tank. That could obviously lead to neuro problems/death. What temps is the cage being kept at? If staying over mid 80s, it could be affecting the snake. Also, check to make sure there are no chemical containers, cleaning products, etc. leaking in the room that could cause harmful vapors.

>>Thanks for the suggestions. There are definitely not any mites present. I'm thinking maybe a skin condition or heat/humidity. I'm going to move him into a quarantine tank today and keep a close eye on him. I'll update this post when I discover the problem.

my first thought was too hot...get a good temp gun and check out those temps.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

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It was mites. I just finished treating my whole collection. Thanks for the concern everyone.

Sorry it was mites, but glad to hear it was something treatable!! Mites SUCK!! I still get them every three to five years for apparently unknown reasons. To be honest, I think some of the reptile products/bedding in the reptile sections of the large chain pet shops get infested with mites which get transferred to your collection when you buy this stuff. A friend of mine uses a preventative treatment for all new animals he acquires by spraying their bedding with Provent A Mite before introducing the snake to its new cage.

Mites SUCK!! I still get them every three to five years for apparently unknown reasons.

Damn Kevin....maybe a bath would help????...

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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____