Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can someone please tell me what's wrong with my corn snake I can't figure out how to put pics on here aim I'm gonna try and describe it my corn is a blood red and she has lost alot of her scales on her left side and ino it is not a bad Shed because she has had it for 2 sheds not also her skin is realy loose and sticky in tht area Aspen shucks to it ad ibhave ro pull it odd her shenia in a healigvtank I setup with paper towel and homeade hides she is just going on 2 feet in lenght
and is still a baby tt is eating 2pinkies a week which seems tht the injury isn't bothering her appetite. Someone please help me!!!!!

I was typing really fast but the summary is she's lost a few scales on her left side her skin is loose and sticky in tht area.it's so sticky clumps of Aspen stick to her tht I have to pull off . She is in a healing tank I setup for her I'm waiting for your guys anwser!!

Well a two foot snake is grossly underfed if you're gving it two pinkies per feeding. That snake should be fed weaned mice.

Are the scales clear? If so, it's old skin that hasn't been shed. Snakes can retain old skin even after multiple sheds. I'd put the snake in a plastic container with damp paper towels overnight (make sure the container has air holes). This will help enable the snake to get rid of the scales that are sticking to it.

Aspen absorbs humidity, so my guess is that your snake does not have the proper humidity to shed in one piece. You can solve this by adding a humidity hidebox to the cage when the snake is in a shed cycle.

Tim

Third Eye

tim thanks for trying to help but one my snAKe is not underfed she looks exactly like the snake you posted except her scales arent clear and she is bright with color all over and i continue to get perfect shed skins each time but the area is stick and loos thats not from a bad shed and last aspen is crap for holding humidity im going to switch to sphagnum moss as soon as she is healed which can be bought at home depot for 9 dollars and its bigger than the one they sell at petsmart or petco fo 15

when i said it looks like the snake in the pic i meant the size

>>when i said it looks like the snake in the pic i meant the size

..it sounds kind of like a blister from too much moisture....hard to tell without pics though.
You did the right thing to begin with...a tank with paper towel substrate a water bowl and hides until you get it back to good health.
I personally wouldn't use sphagnum moss as a substrate, can retain too much moisture, easily molds or mildews, seems to be a favorite of gnats and phorid flies and is difficult to spot clean. aspen is a much better substrate.
If you use an aquarium and you have a screen top just add a larger water bowl and cover 1/2 the screen this will help raise the humidity...if actually needed.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes...No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
Draybars Snakes

Yeah my first thought was a blister from being too wet also. It's hard to know without pics. Treat it as Amy instructed and it should heal. I know Garter snakes are famos for getting blisters, especially when people keep them in a very wet set up. Also what Tim said is true. A two foot snake should be beyond pinkies by now. You really should up the size of it's meals to at leat hoppers, or weaned mice. Good luck!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Cornsnakes don't do well in high humidity. THey can develop skin infections like what you appear to have.
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

Sounds like some sort of bacterial infection. Has the snake been sitting against its heat supply? Maybe the heat is too hot? Contitions too moist? Or possibly both. My corns are on aspen shavings with no heat this time of year. Heat should be under only a small area of the cage and no higher than 80 degrees.

Keep it dry. Rinse the area twice a day with a very diluted iodine solution (weak tea color) or diluted Novalsun Scrub (sky blue color). Pat it dry and put a very very small amount of anitbiotic ointment on the area for a few days. Keep up the rinsing and drying until the snake goes into shed. It should heal up and all shed off, or it may need more than one shed to heal. Keep it dry and clean.

Also, make sure it doesn't have snake mites that are causing it to rub.

Good luck and keep us posted on how it is doing.
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.