My daughter has a fairly new green snake. We've never seen it eat before but today it appears to be moving strangely and choking. My hope is that it chased down a big cricket in the tank. He was active and climbing all morning, then we saw him with his head hanging out of the vines, laying on the sand floor, sideways with his mouth gaping. I can't see anything in his mouth and don't want to disturb him, but we are worried that something might be wrong. Can anyone please tell me if it's normal for a snake to have a gaping mouth and jerky, backward movements when trying to swallow prey?
Thanks in advance!
2007-01-04 06:13:59 · 7 answers · asked by suebob 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
No, that is defintely not normal. Crickets are small and easily swallowed.
If he does not stop this very soon, you will need to pick him up and look in his throat, to see if there is a blockage. It is possible that he swallowed a piece of bark or a rock instead of a cricket, and that he is choking on it.
However, it may not related to his throat at all. Is his whole head going up and falling backwards? This may be caused by a disease called IBD, which is usually fatal, but typically only occurs in boas and pythons.
2007-01-04 06:18:39 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first, what kind of green snake is it? Green vine sanke, rought green snake, smooth green snake, green rat snake????
second you said it was on a VINE with its head on the SAND? if its a tropical snake like a asian vine snake then it should be on some type of mulch bedding like bedabeast. if its a desert snake like a green rat snake then it should have any type of mositure in its tank. This could be the troblem. If its a tropical snake and it was trying to a cricket and got a mouth full of sand it could be choking.
Hope this helps.....
2007-01-04 06:19:43 · answer #2 · answered by Joey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds to me like you guys don't know how to take care of a snake. Your hope was that it chased down a big cricket in the tank? Well, did you feed him a cricket? If indeed there is a cricket, where is the bulge? Behind it's head or more down (roughly a quarter of the way down it's body?)
Good luck to that snake...
2007-01-04 06:19:18 · answer #3 · answered by Riby 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I never had a green snake begore.. but I did paly with small GUARDER SNAKES when I was younger.. they are not posionous and they didn't seem to bite me either.. But I never seen a snake eat a cricket or bug.. but maybe that's just their way of eating.. they may recurgatate their food then swallow..
2007-01-04 06:21:50 · answer #4 · answered by amanda 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sound like the snake is dry heaving. Did it go out clubbing or at the bar yesterday night? Could be one shot of Jaegermeister too many.
2007-01-04 06:16:36 · answer #5 · answered by Tones 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sure. It would look like it's trying to get something down.
If there's something wrong with him, I guess you'd have to get a new snake... At least you have all the equipment now so it wouldn't be expensive like before.
2007-01-04 06:16:05 · answer #6 · answered by Mama R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its a normal eating pateren from the sound of things, but laying on his side dosent sound good
2007-01-04 06:18:47 · answer #7 · answered by buddy d 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋