Reptile & Amphibian Forums

should i give my snakes vitamins and how should i do it?
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my addiction:
2 ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (maizy

ive never provided snakes with vitamins as they get all of them from their food.the only time i did give my snakes vitamins was for a gravid female i had so she could get some extra calcium.other wise i dont think you need to provide vitamins or calcium.
nick

Not normally needed but you also can crush up vitamin-C tablets and add them to your snakes water to boost their immune system. This comes in handy when a snake is trying to shake off a respritory or is coming out of hibernation.
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Be excellent to each other...and Party on dude!

thanks
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

Every once in a while I'll give my snakes some vitamins. You can pick up a jar at most pet stores or herp suppliers, and you just put a little on their prey item before they take it. I like to give them to my snakes before hibernating, and when I was given some adult snakes that had never been offered anything but mouse pinkies in their entire lives, vitamins came in useful until I managed to switch them up to larger prey. If a snake is recovering from a health problem, or for a snake coming off of a long hunger strike or some similar situation, I think it can be helpful to have some vitamins on hand to give them a little boost. I don't think vitamin powders are crucial for a healthy snake as long as it is eating well on appropriate prey items, but I do look at them as a useful occasional supplement.

So regular vitamin C tablets crushed up in the snake's water will help after an illness? The reason I ask is my kingsnake has a RI, has been treated with Baytril twice, and about three weeks ago I finished its doses of Amikacin. I am STILL hearing the small clicks and noises when he's breathing after he's out of his cage for about 10 minutes (puffs out his throat occasionally, too). The vet checked and he has NO protozoans (did a fecal exam), and no mucous in his mouth. Does anyone think the vitamin C thing will help? Thanks so much.

you can buy vitamin spray to spray on ther skin look good and keep them shinning

You can also house them on calcisand to increase the calcium intake...j/k Whole prey items make nutrition easy. Supplementation is not needed unless feeding a prey item that is drastically different then what they would normally eat. Prey items should in themselves be healthy prior to being sacrificed.