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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
 Posted - 15/09/2010 : 21:08:16
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I have seen many corn's in shops, on the internet, on other forums ect, (not on here before anyone rages) that are fat. Most of the time people don't realise they are fat, they get told bad advise from petshops and even bad advise off the internet. There are no pictures as such unless someone posts a picture of their snake, and the only description given to a fat snake's is "tyres" which can be confused for cancer or scale damage or "white between scales" which is also tricky to see on some morphs. I think it would be nice to get a collection of picture's of fat and obese snakes and different ways of them losing the weight. It could save vet trips and save on the amount of topics of "is my snake fat", worried owners and improve the life of a snake who's owners might not know it's fat. I asked in my local petshop of my snake was fat once, I got one response of "no it's not, look how fat royals are" and another of "omg it has cancer", both of which I know are not true. I cannot use picture I have found as I have no rights, so people that have/had a fat snake feel free to post them.
Fat snake can have "hips" around their bottom, folded scales that look like tyres and may not be able to curl up properly and flesh maybe visible in-between the scales when the snakes body is straight although this might be hard to tell depending in the colour of your snake. The fat bulging around the bottom/tyres will feel squishy.
This is what the scale damage can look like due to the tyre effect. Some of the tips of the scales are missing on this snake due to this effect.
Anyway, here's Venom, I'd say he is morbidly obese. I hope these help.
He's 5ft 1" and 9 years old. He weighed 1193g in this photo 926/05/10). He was fed large weaner rats weekly for a year as I got told by the petshop to do this and if I didn't I would be starving. He started getting fat so I dieted him to 1 weaner rat every 2 weeks, for another year, he just got fatter. I then cut him down to every 3 weeks for another yearish and every 4 for another year and he just got fatter.
He last weighed at 1049g, (21/08/10) so has lost 144g over 3 months, this is due to his new diet of 1 large mouse every 4 weeks and exercise. He may not look a lot different in this photos, but I can certainly notice it when I handle him and now he can get into one of his fav hides again! A good way of monitoring the weight loss of a fat snake is to weigh them after they shed their skin and keep a record of it.
Regular handling can help as it makes them move about.
Excise courses work very well. This is my personal favourite as the snake seems to be more willing to do this. I empty the viv and put a load of toilet tubes in it for explorations and this way, they can slither through and climb on them. Rocks, tables, vines also work nicely. You may have to change the objects of give them new and different smells as they may loose interest after the first few times.
Climbing the stairs can burn off the fat but you must keep an eye on the snake so it doesn't fall down the stairs (almost happened a few times because the bottom end is so heavy! A hand gently supporting the bottom end whilst hey climb is a good idea.) or escape. Can be quite hard to make the snake clib up the stair's too, I find that mine much prefer going down them rather than up.
Swimming can help with weight loss but it can be a faff to clean the bath for the snake to swim in and the clean it out afterwards. Also, most snakes don't like to go for a swim so keeping them in the bath can be tricky.
Mod's delete this if I'm being silly  |
   
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
Edited by - Sta~ple on 17/07/2017 21:00:05 |
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herriotfan
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
5853 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 21:17:06
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I don't think the mods will delete this, it's a very good topic!
Very informative, well done you 
Those photos make mine look really skinny. |
Husband....Very Understanding!!! (Phil)
Son & Daughter (Kevin & Carol)
Granddaughter (Eva)
3.4.0 Cornsnakes Amel (Sidney) Caramel Stripe (Sultan) Amber (Cleo) Carolina (Phoebe) Anery Motley Stripe (Penny) Snow (Lily) Caramel (Holmes)
1.2.0 Royal Pythons(Peeps, Pandora & Pepsi)
1.0.0 Hognose (Hudson)
2.1.0 Dogs (Dillon, Alfie, Ellie)
0.1.0 Senegal Parrot (Peanut)
1.1.0 Bearded Dragons (Bonnie & Clyde)
1.0.0 Crested Geckos (Echo)
0.2.1 Hermanns Tortoises (Ebbie, Rosie & Twiglet)
0.1.0 Guinea Pig (Dolly-Pipsqueak)
0.1.9 Tarantulas (Poppy, Gypsy, Bumble, Insey Winsey, Sonic, Cookie, Raven, Fudge, Titch & Sox)
??? Foster animals
Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex
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n/a
deleted
434 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 21:18:40
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| youu can tell that his is overweight because of how thick (width ways) he looks right where he tail is :) and yeah it is a good idea to put a topic of fat snakes on here tbh lol (: xx |
Megg :) xxx
Creamsickle Corn Snake- Tangoo (Ginge) :)
would love to have a granite corn snake but unfortunately not allowed cuz mum hates snakes haha :P x
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rachiepotatoe
Hatchling
United Kingdom
393 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 22:23:36
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Well I can certainly see the difference in the photos of Venom!
This is a good topic, I've been searching all day about snake weight, it would be good to sort of all put our snakes ages and weights or something and work out an overall average to produce some type of 'guide'...but then again, that would take ages, and alot of snakes...and im guessing some are under/overweight! ... the plan is flawed 
I'm actually worried my corn is UNDER weight!
He's 31 inches long, I've had him a year so I think hes about 14 months old and he wighs 89g...
I'll be honest I've never weighed him before now because I just never got any digital scales , I borrowed my grannies today.
I don't really know the 'ideal' weight, so any opinions on this would be appreciated, Thanks :) |
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gregDT
Egg
United Kingdom
84 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 22:24:03
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Is there not some rule about grammes per inch? Venom would have been 17.9 grammes per inch at his heaviest, where Glycon (my snake) is 7.75 grammes per inch (40 inches and 311 grammes). Would the concept of working out an ideal weight range per inch be possible. Or does it vary as much ny age? i.e. mature snakes weigh more per inch than adolescents?
Just a thought. |
Greg |
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crazy JJ
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
2326 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 23:23:22
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defo not silly think its pretty good, i dont reli have a 'fat' snake so cant rli help although i know someone who has and it was huge i had never seen anything like it :o it was nearly as big a royal in thickness it got fed a few med rats and sometimes adult rats :o im not to sure how often but the owner was so proud of the snakie and how big it was i was shocked :(
anyway i can defo see the difference in venom and i have to say he looks alot better in the 2nd pic :D |
2.5 corns 2.0 cali kings 1.0 tange hondo milk 1.0 apricot pueblan milk 1.0 royal (overgrown slug) 0.1 tarantula 1.0 chinchilla chico, 0.1 goldfish tigger 0.0.4 minows 0.2 cats fudge and porsha and 0.3.2 tarantula’s that are my mummys
r.i.p to the lil ones that i and mummy have lost recently |
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drchino
Yearling
United Kingdom
660 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 23:37:50
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| good post, I hope his weight watchers course continues to go well! I just got some scales to start weighing my snake, will have to do some reading up on the rough weight vs size of her |
0.1.0 Izzy - Amber Motley Corn
0.2.0 White rats - Rose and Myra
0.0.1 Crested Gecko - Yoshi |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 15/09/2010 : 23:48:41
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I guide of weight would be hard to do, some are naturally slim looking while other are more of a heavier build. I have been recording my hatchlings weight and length since they were born and often wondered if to post it but decided against it as it might worry some owners that their snake is growing too fast or not enough.
I also have another adult corn which technically would be considered "too small and underweight" but she looks perfect to me. I wouldn't worry about the exact grams they weigh. You'll know they aren't the right weight visually. If it's skinny you will be able to see the ribs and the spine. On some normal healthy snakes you can also see where the spine, you can even see it on morbidly obese snakes! His weight sounds fine to me, they normally pack on the weight as they get older.
Sorry Blackecho for stealing this! But this is a really useful guide of a snakes body shape if you cut it in half. Although, Venom is past the fat stage as has a squashed circle appearance!
That would be a nice guide Greg but I think as you said, it probably does vary with age. It also depends on what food they are being fed on as well I would guess. Mice at different ages have different levels of fat and other nutrients I would guess, so a snake being fed on 1 20g mouse of example will probably weigh different from it being fed 2 10g mice. May not be much of a difference but I bet there would be a small difference. I know for certain that a jumbo mouse the same size and weight as a weaner rat have different levels of fat and goodness in them. Venom was fine on Jumbos, weaner rats helped him stack on the weight easier although, it's not fair to compared prey items of a different species!
Crazy, I am surprised the corn managed such big rats! I know Venom could just manage small rats or very big weaner rats but wow, that is scary!
I forgot to mention that since the diet, his mood has changed slightly. I don't know if any other snake's mood will change if they are dieting but it's worth a mention. The only difference is now sometimes if I poke him awake he can rattle his tail, and seems to go into "smelling" hunting mode until he knows it's me, then he's back to his normal lovely self. I used to be able to poke him awake and he used to be fine but I guess he will stop this once he is back onto a regular feeding schedule. He also used to be an active snake, but now he is very active always up day and night peeking out the viv or looking about for food. |
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
Edited by - Sta~ple on 15/09/2010 23:51:56 |
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josh9961
Hatchling
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
Posted - 16/09/2010 : 09:23:05
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| I will head on up to my reptile shop soon and get pictures if the rescue that came in last month (my local rep guy is the RSPCAs drop off point for anything exotic). I was there buying aspen when somewhat brought in what this expert of 40 years called "the fattest snake I have ever seen". It was an adult corn and in places it was close to five inches in diameter. I held it and I'd say it weighed about ten times a normal corn. But ita on a diet and slimming down gradually. But you wouldn't believe this thing! A true monster |
2.3 Corn Snakes
0.1 Bci
1.0 Spur thighed Tortoise
0.0.15 Stick insects
0.0.1 Shield Mantis |
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FiestaSTLou
Yearling
United Kingdom
556 Posts |
Posted - 16/09/2010 : 10:18:25
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| I think your guide is great :) the guide u stole from blackecho is really helpful, he used it to help me see if my royal was the right size and i was pleased to say he was and i quote BE "a loaf" haha! |
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angelsue
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
46 Posts |
Posted - 29/09/2010 : 23:29:28
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| really love this topic as I do need some advice on my male snake as he is really over weight looks the same as your picture an i will get a pic soon of him to put up here. i know this will be good for me as i have been worried about him and not sure about what i should feed and when. I have had him on stairs an in the bath a couple of times an he didn't like the bath much lol but any advice for me I would be grateful. This has happened as i love him so much and just fed him every week with 2 medium mice but i realised i wasnt doing him any favours an feel really bad now for it so please no telling me off. posting here now just so other ppl can see where i have gone wrong and not make the same mistake i have. |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 05:24:27
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quote:
Originally posted by angelsue
really love this topic as I do need some advice on my male snake as he is really over weight........This has happened as i love him so much and just fed him every week with 2 medium mice but i realised i wasnt doing him any favours an feel really bad now for it so please no telling me off. posting here now just so other ppl can see where i have gone wrong and not make the same mistake i have.
You obviously dont know us very well Angelsue! No-one would tell you off unless you were purposely ignoring advice given and putting your snake at risk (then you would be flamed  !!)....but it is obvious how much you love your snake and that you just didnt know any different. But now you do and you are doing what is best for him....which is fantastic to hear  . And your continuing story of fighting to get him down to a good weight and how you do it (with pics) will be of a real help to others who read this thread.
So no telling of here, I promise!
xxx
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 21:58:31
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quote:
Originally posted by angelsue
really love this topic as I do need some advice on my male snake as he is really over weight looks the same as your picture an i will get a pic soon of him to put up here. i know this will be good for me as i have been worried about him and not sure about what i should feed and when. I have had him on stairs an in the bath a couple of times an he didn't like the bath much lol but any advice for me I would be grateful. This has happened as i love him so much and just fed him every week with 2 medium mice but i realised i wasnt doing him any favours an feel really bad now for it so please no telling me off. posting here now just so other ppl can see where i have gone wrong and not make the same mistake i have.
Don't worry about it, I got worried about people telling me off too but you have to just kind of take it as a learning outcome, that you know and have experience with a fat snake. And this is exactly why I posted this topic, so some people don't make the same mistakes as I have done! |
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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angelsue
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
46 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2010 : 12:53:18
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| aww thank you both for your kind words. i will get him out today for his exercise an will try and get good pics of his lovely but not good hips lol. when i have posted a pic any advice on what an when to feed him would be great :). oh i will also try an get a good weight of him too. |
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n/a
deleted
9 Posts |
Posted - 22/10/2010 : 15:52:44
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| Excellent Topic! |
Evie's Mom ~ 0.1.0 Okeetee Corn Snake, 0.1.0 Akita/Husky Rescue, 1.0 Betta, 0.0.1 N.M. millipede rescue, 0.0.3 minnows |
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tehbunneh
Hatchling
United Kingdom
390 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2010 : 10:45:53
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| I agree, this is a fantastic thread! I was handling Ripley the other day, and thought he may be a bit overweight, but looking here, he seems to be just a big loaf! This thread has really made me feel better about his weight, and also shows me that Widget is infact a little underweight, so will be trying to get him away from the rounded toblerone shape he has currently! |
EMZ - WORCESTER, UK
3.2.0 Corn Snakes
Conan (CB09 Carolina); Ripley (CB09 Ghost); Widget (CB09 Hypo Pewter); Dexter (CB10 Granite); Boa'tata (CB10 Bloodred)
0.1.0 Taiwanese Beauty
Taiki (CB11)
1.0.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
Tanis (CB10)
0.0.1 Amazon Tree Boa
Winston (CB??) |
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LouiseB
Snake Mite
16 Posts |
Posted - 15/11/2010 : 15:23:16
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My corn is getting a bit fat, so I've started to put her on a diet. It is my fault that she has got that way - she was my first snake and I just fed her once a week on a large mouse like I was told to in the pet shop!
Obviously I now know that she didn't need to be fed that much, but I'm not sure how much/little I should be feeding her to get some of the weight off. I'm feeding her once a fortnight at the moment but if anything she seems to have got slightly bigger. Is it safe to cut down to once a month? She is 3 years old, about 4'6", and she weighs about 900g. She has little 'hips' now and has started to get scale damage like in the photo. |
2.0.0 Western hognose (Baldrick and Bob)
0.1.0 Amel bloodred corn snake (Cornflake) |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 16/11/2010 : 22:51:31
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I am not really sure because of the age but 900g is quite a lot! They must be some very large, large mice lol. I would *personally* feed every 3 weeks then and see if that helps. Or try every 2 weeks with a mouse size down. They might not seem to loose weigh to begin with as they could be using what energy is left that is more easily available rather than stored fat if that makes sense. Once a month is safe for an adult but to be hontest, I am not sure at what age you class corns as adults.
As a quick update, Venom is now 1028-1018g. My scales don't seem to be giving a definate weight, it keeps going up and down! His little series of muffin top scales look like they are improving in condition too although he still has 17 of folds. I can't wait until he get's down to 1000g or looses a fold :D I was really hoping that he would be 1000g by xmas but we'll see. Maybe he needs a new years resolution of a medium mouse every month XD
It also seems like dieting corns drink more often. I didn't quiet notice until Heatseaker mensioned it to me so cheers to him :D also my snake's poops are quite yellow now with the diet. |
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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connorg96
Egg
United Kingdom
97 Posts |
Posted - 25/11/2010 : 20:39:49
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just wundering coz mine has like kinda very minor but seeable lines on her scales
is this a warning sign? |
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connorg96
Egg
United Kingdom
97 Posts |
Posted - 25/11/2010 : 20:42:23
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mine is 4 foot long 2 and a half years old weighs 400 grams but she eats 1 large every week
do u think this is too much thanks |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 25/11/2010 : 23:34:49
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| Depends what you mean by lines, as in tyres or just general, random lines? What shape would your snake be if you cut it in half? Sounds fine to me but all snakes are different in builds, a picture would really give a better idea. I have a 3ft8" girl who weighs 430g+ and she looks a bit on the tubby to me. I wouldn't worry too much as once an adult you will be decreasing the time between feeds anyway so any excess weight would slowly drop I imagine. |
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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Is your snake a fatty?
