Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got Strike as a baby and started out feeding him 3 mice comparable to his body size every 5 days for the first year and a half. Then went to same amount ever 7 days.

Strike is now 3 years old, male. About 3 weeks ago he started shaking and jerking when I pick him up. It's like he don't have the strenth to hold up his weight. Is he over weight? Do I need to cut back? Or is something else wrong?
Water bowl pic is August of last year
Hide pic is today.

If he was overweight he would have "hips" or fat deposits just above his vent, and would feel sort of soft and "squishy" not firm. He looks proper weight in the photo.

I think he may have some sort of neurological ailment.
www.merckmanuals.com/vet/exotic_and_laboratory_animals/reptiles/viral_diseases_of_reptiles.html
If possible a vet visit is in order.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Thanks very good info there.
DAVY

Looks fine to me as far as his weight.

If the shaking last more than a couple days, i'd take him to the vet. I say a couple days because sometimes snakes will do weird stuff for a day or two and then be fine. I had a male amel corn about 8 years ago that one day seemed to not have the strength to move... was VERY sluggish and lethargic. The next day I was 100% sure it was dead... wouldn't move even when picked up and dangled. I tossed the "carcass" back in the cage and grabbled the water bowl to go clean that before throwing away the snake and bedding. After cleaning the bowl I came back to the snake to find him crawling around the rim of his cage totally fine. I had him another 7 years with no problems until I sold him last summer.
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1.1 Argentine Boas
1.1 Dumerils Boas
1.1 Black Milk Snakes
2.3 California King Snakes
1.1 Nelsons Milk Snakes
2.2 Corn Snakes

Yea I was hoping it was just something weird like that.
It's been about two weeks.
I did fing one of my mice with a tumer on her back leg and I probable feed her off spring before I caught it. Hope that's has nothing to do with it.
Thanks for the info.
DAVY

I don't think tumors in mice that are fed out to one's snakes would cause illness in the snake. Occasionally my mice develop mammary tumors in their old age and are fed out but no snake has ever gotten sick from eating those.

You might check very thoroughly for snake mites. Mites can become a very severe infestation quickly, and will debilitate a snake fast.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

That's good to know about the tumers. That had me worried.
I will check for mites, Haven't even thought of that.
DAVY