COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS OF PET SNAKES AND POSSIBLE CAUSES
FAILURE TO FEED
Common causes:
Temperature is too low in the vivarium. Increase the vivarium temperature to the recommended levels for the species of snake in question.
Your snake may have a preference for a particular food. Try feeding your snake something else.
Your snake may feel insecure. Make sure your pet snake has adequate privacy and places to hide.
Excessive handling. Cease handling your snake until it has fed.
Due to shed skin. Wait until your snake has shed or sloughed its skin.
Note:
Snakes often stop feeding when they have simply had enough. It is not uncommon for an adult snake to go without food for a few weeks or even months in some cases. If you don't think any of the above causes are stopping your snake from feeding and you are concerned about your snakes feeding habits and health then take your snake to a qualified vet to be on the safe side.
CONSTIPATION
Possible causes:
Low humidity. Check that humidity levels in the vivarium are correct for your species of snake.
Lack of exercise. Is your snakes enclosure large enough? If your snake is arboreal, does it have a high enough vivarium with climbing branches?
Soaking the snake for 20 minutes in warm (30c) water often helps alleviate constipation in snakes.
DIARRHOEA
Possible causes:
Your snake may have a bacterial or parasitic infection. Consult your local vet and make sure your frozen snake food is stored at adequate temperatures. (-18c)
Low temperature. Make sure vivarium temperatures are adequate for the species of snake you have.
SHEDDING PROBLEMS
Possible causes:
Humidity is too low. Increase the humidity in the vivarium to the level recommended for your snake. For immediate help, soak your snake for 20 minutes in lukewarm water(30c) to soften your snakes skin and aid shedding.
Make sure your snake has a large enough water bowl in the vivarium to bathe in unless its a low humidity species.
Recent injuries can cause your snake to shed its skin several times in quick succession.
BLISTERS
Possible causes:
Your snakes enclosure is too dirty. Make sure you have a regular and thorough cleaning regime.
Your snakes enclosure is too moist. Make sure your snake always has access to a large dry area of substrate and that the overall humidity isn't too high.
Take your snake to a vet to have the blisters seen to.
BURNS
Possible causes:
There is only one possible cause for this. Your snake is able to come in direct contact with a heat source. Make sure this can't happen again (e.g. Use a bulb guard) and consult a vet to get the burn treated.
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS
Syptoms:
Open mouthed breathing, regular sneezing, wheezing, bubbles appearing in nostrils and at sides of mouth.
Possible causes:
Your pet snake has an allergic reaction to its substrate. Change substrate.
Respiratory infection. Make sure cage temperatures are optimum for your snake and consult a vet if things don't improve quickly.
Reaction to cigarette smoke. Stop smoking or keep snakes in a smoke free room.
MOUTH ROT
Symptoms:
Cheesy substance appears in your snakes mouth along the gums. Swollen mouth. Mucus in the mouth.
Possible causes:
Low temperature. Increase temperature to acceptable levels for your snake.
Dirty vivarium. Clean vivarium and make sure you have a regular and thorough cleaning regime in place for your snake or snakes in the future.
Take your snake to the vet for antibiotics.
MOST PROBLEMS ARE EASILY AVOIDED BY KEEPING YOUR SNAKE IN A CLEAN, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AND MAINTAINING THE CORRECT TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY LEVELS REQUIRED FOR THE SPECIES OF SNAKE IN QUESTION.
IF IN ANY DOUBT ABOUT YOUR SNAKES HEALTH CONSULT A VETERINARIAN.
YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO CONSIDER INSURING YOUR SNAKE TO COVER POSSIBLE VETERINARY BILLS IN THE FUTURE. (see right)
PET INSURANCE FOR EXOTIC PETS
Though there are fewer insurers willing to cover snakes, reptiles and other exotic animals there are a handful that will. So what can you expect from an exotic pet insurance policy?
What is covered by exotic pet insurance?
Broadly, there are three types of exotic pet insurance cover available:
- Cover for a set period: These policies, which typically last 12 months, will not cover treatments after the policy ends even if the pet is in the middle of treatment.
- Cover limit per condition: Provides cover up a set amount towards treatment of various conditions. Once this limit is reached, no further financial aid is provided.
- Lifetime cover: This is the most complete form of pet insurance which provides a cover limit per condition, per year and will renew every time you renew the policy. So as long as the policy stays active, your pet will be covered through its lifetime.
The levels of cover available and the policy limits that apply vary between insurers, but here are some of the features to look out for:
- Veterinary fees: Most people who take out exotic pet insurance do so to cover veterinary fees. These are usually defined as fees incurred for treatment by a veterinary surgeon following accidental injury or illness. Check to see what treatments are covered – for example, will your snake or exotic pet be able to receive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) scans? Most policies will exclude cosmetic treatments, costs resulting from pre-existing conditions and costs resulting from an illness that first occurred within 14 days (or more) of your pet insurance starting.
- Death benefit: This can be particularly beneficial to people with expensive snakes that are potentially worth £1,000s. The death benefit will usually pay out for a death as a result of an accident or illness during the policy period. However, there will typically be exclusions such as deaths caused by purposeful injury, death as a result of pre-existing conditions and so on. Bear in mind that the more expensive the pet, the higher your policy premiums may be with a death benefit in place.
- Fire/theft/weather perils: Some exotic pet insurers will pay out for proven theft during the policy period or for death as a result of a fire, wind, storm, lightning or flood. Acts of negligence will be excluded – for example, if you leave your pet unattended in a vehicle and it is stolen, then you are unlikely to receive a payout. Remember that you will have to specify the value of your pet at the outset as this may influence your premiums.
- Pet housing/enclosure cover: Insurance cover is provided by some companies for a pet’s housing and/or enclosures following a theft, fire, floods or storm damage.
- Holiday cover: If a pet falls ill while you are on holiday, some insurers will offer payouts to help cover the cost of accommodation and travel expenses if you are forced to cancel or curtail a trip.
What else is involved in exotic pet insurance?
It’s vital to examine the terms and conditions of an exotic pet insurance policy before you buy. Some of the factors to look out for include:
- Age restrictions: Insurers may not offer payouts for pets that are under or over certain age limits, or restrictions may apply to older pets. So check the terms and conditions carefully.
- Cancellations: Normally you have the right to cancel a policy within 14 days of receiving your documentation (time periods vary). Following the expiry of this period a policy can usually be cancelled at any time but you will have to pay the premium for the time it has been in force and until the end of the calendar month in which it is cancelled.
- Excess levels: The excess is your contribution towards a claim. Raising a policy excess could lower your premiums.
- Exclusions: These are circumstances in which your pet will not be covered.
- Maximum benefit: This is the most an insurer will pay out for an individual claim.
How much will you pay for exotic pet insurance?
There can be significant differences between the premiums and levels of cover offered by providers which is why it’s well worth using a comparison website to compare quotes before you buy on traditional pet insurance. In the case of exotic animals you may wish to shop around individually or use a comparison website’s list of recommended insurers.
