Is my Albino Corn Snake sick?

Question

I have an Albino Corn Snake, that is about 15" long. My brother transfered his care to me when he moved. I feed the snake about once every ten days pinkies. He eats two at a time. He has a 20 gallon aquarium equipped with his heating pad(on the side of the tank), warming lamp on one side of tank, and hiding spots as well as a large water bowl. For some reason, he seems less vivid in color, less active (he hardly ever comes out from underneath his rock), and it seems as if his scales are "Dry"! I dont know why. Can u give me some insight?

Answer 1

Use only a heat pad on one side of the tank let the snake decide if it wants to warm up or cool down. I have a 20 gallon tank and a water dish in my corn snakes cage. You don't have to put the water dish in there but make sure you soak him/her every morning or so, it will help when the snake needs to shed. Feeding him every 10 days is good. You shouldn't need to upgrade your tank, my snakes fine and he's 6 feet long. Also keep in mind snakes love to hide they are not social creatures.

Answer 2

If you have the heating items on both sides of the tank, the snake is too hot. He is looking for somewhere to cool off. Make sure only 1 side of the cage is heated.
It sounds to me as though the snake is getting ready to shed, though. You can try soaking him in some warm water and then give him about a week to shed. If he still seems less active than normal take him to the vet.

Your feeding schedule sounds fine. Once he moves up to a larger food item, I would go with 1 food item every 7 days.

Also, you should start to think about a cage upgrade. He will quickly outgrow a 20 gallon. And he will grow no matter what the size of the cage is.
It is a common myth that they only grow to the size of their tank.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Unless I misunderstood your question you seem to have the heat rock on one side of the tank and the heat lamp on the other. If this is true, your snake stays in hiding because it has no where to cool off. On another note, feeding the snake every ten days is a bit excessive given that most reptile only eat once a month or less. Be fore warned that red rat snakes, or corn snake, can grow up to six feet in length. I would upgrade to a larger tank whenever possible.

Answer 4

It sounds like he is going to shed. Make sure he has enough water in his bowl to soak, and don't handle him a great deal until he sheds. If his eyes go cloudy, that is normal, but it also means he's blinded for the moment, and can be a bit snappy at that point.

When my snake is getting ready to shed I keep some quartz crystal rocks in his tank-he really enjoys scratching up against them-they are his favorite shedding tool.

Answer 5

Sounds like he/she is getting ready to shed. try soaking the snake in a warm tub/bucket if the eyes are clouded over. As for feeding, try one pinkie once a week, and gradually increase to one twice a week for growth. Definitely need to get a bigger tank though. A snake will only grow as large as their environment, and use only one warming item, having both is probably dehydrating the snake.

Answer 6

Well take a look at the snakes eyes. If they look a bit foggy kind of a grayish color then it is ready to shed. If at times the snake isn't eating at this point, don't worry it is normal.

Answer 7

Except for the mouth being open, I would say that it is a male being a male. Around this time is breeding season, and many males go off food around now. However, coupled with an open mouth, would make me worry about a respiratory infection. A trip to the vet is in order.

Answer 8

it sounds like to me he is going to shead his skin but you should take him to a vet to make sure! :)