Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok we have an adult male corn snake. He was purchased as as adult and was kept with us for about 2 years before I moved and had to have a friend care for him (and all my snakes). Well, when I got my snakes back my friend he said my corn hadn't been doing well recently and had regurded(sorry on spelling) a few times and had lost some weight. My friend wanted to keep him until he wasn't doing it anymore and was holding his meals. So about 2 or 3 months later I got him back and my friend assured me he was all better. So he comes home and does do well for me with no issues. About 3 months ago I placed him in with 3 of our corn females (all house separately) for breeding. He was a proven male with us 2 years before that. Well, long story short all of the females pasted away randomly a few weeks later. All were eating and in good weight. I would just walk in and find them dead! It was upsetting since I had had one for many years and had caught her in the wild and grew her up as a loved pet. Well, once those girls passed away he started to loss weight. He eats every single feeding but is still loosing weight. I treat all my reptiles for parasites about every 2 months. So im very sure he is not loaded with parasites. Now the past 3 feedings he is regurging. They all come out a day or two later half digested. I told my friend about all this and he thought it was a infection of some sort and gave me metroniteazole(sp?) and I did a 3 week treatment and he is still not doing well! If anybody has any idea's im all ears! I do have a small ball python collection as well as some high end red tails and I haven't had a single issues with any of them but I am worried. Please help, if you have any ideas I'll try anything out to make he healthy.
Thanks
-Amy

It's extremley hard to diagnose snake problems over the nte, but I would be very concerned since the females died, and now the male is going down hill. Fist off, you can not rule out parasites. Even if you treat them for parasites, you may not be giving him the correct meds, or amounts, to rid all possible parasites. Crypto is extremely hard to get rid of, and may even lay dormant for as long as a year. Have you changed anything like substrate, or cage furnitions, or water source? Anything different that might have cause problems for the females? Also what are you treating your male with exactly? Another thing to know is that when snakes regurge they expell quite a bit of needed enzymes and stomach flora, needed to digest food, and if you feed them too quickly afterward, you may make matters worse. They need time to build all those things, back up. About 10 days should do it. The problem is that if he is too far along, he may not make it another 10 days. You may want to take him to a reptile Vet, and bring a fecal sample if possible. Call them and ask them how they want you to do it. Yes, a Vet may be costly, but at this point it may be the only choice you have, if you want to save him.
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Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

I hadn't changed anything with the females. All of my snakes get feed the same time and cleaned the same day. Since everything has been happening I would clean the others first then go to the sick ones last. And I use fenbendozole to deworm all my dragons and snakes. All of my other reptiles are parasite free(get the fecals done every 6 months on my dragons). And none of my snakes were ever sick to need to have a fecal done on them before. I have tried to get a fecal sample from him but every time I have found it its all dried out and not wet anymore. Mainly becasue its like dirrehea. He has been sick now for a little while so I don't see him just dropping. He seems like he is hanging on pretty well. Just thin. He doesn't get feed the same time as the others now. Ive been feeding him every other week. Ive been trying anything I knew to stop him from throwing it back up. The first couple times it was like totally undigested the past 2 times now it is not regonizable but still coming back up on him. I will do my best to get a fecal and see what it could be. What can you tell me about this krypto? Ive never heard of it before.
-Amy