i bought a california kingsnake about a week ago and he eats great and everything. Im a beginner so i was wondering what is the yellowish ooze and a pinkish stuff coming from his vent by his tail? He eats pinkies about twice a week now since he is still in his youth and he is about a foot and a half long.
Hi, It sound like your snake has a prolapse if the "pinkish" stuff is just hanging there. It needs IMMEDIATE vet care If you search these two sites to find one closest to you ARAV.ORG herpvet connections In the mean time remove ANY substrate you have in tank and use damp paper towel, to help keep it moist so it doesn't dry out. If you can post details of your setup Tank size What heating are you using Temperatures, warm end and cool end How do your measure those temps Type of thermometer used, ie, dial type, stick-on, or digital with probe. It sounds like a young snake, probably hatched last year at 1 1/2 ft long. You should be feeding ONE mouse/rat every 5 to 6 days Mouse/rat should be no bigger than the widest part of snakes body. Your immediate action is damp paper towel and find a herp vet NOW
Yes get it to a Vet soon, if it is an prolapseed hemipene than it need to be look at right away. When the hemipenis of a male snake prolapses and does not retract back inside, this is called paraphimosis. This is commonly caused by a bacterial infection that is killing the snake's organ. the vet will need to asses weather it is a prolapse or not. if it is, than sedation of the snake and proper cleaning of the infected area is required and needs to be performed by a properly trained medical Vet.
well its not always hanging there...it seems to pop out when im holding him but afterwhile it goes back in
If if popping in and out it maby be a sign that its streeed out when you are holding it. nice cali king but I would have been embarassed to post a fuzzy pic like that. Picture = fail. there is a way to focas a camera I have seen it. try again
that better? does his body look well rounded? he is active and will slither around his cage. Also his eyes just turned blue which means a shed is immenent...how long on avg before he sheds?
Much better pic! He looks good and round, but not too round. So ... whats with the shoe lace? usually an snake that old will shed in a week or so after the initial bluing phase. Best not to feed or distrub hime too much untill after the shed.
After he goes "blue" his eyes will clear again and the shed will take place within a couple of days after this. Its best to try to avoid handling him at all during this procedure and just let him be. The "pinkish ooze" you are describing is likely your cal king musking on you - this is a defensive behavior they do when threatened. Its VERY common in young kingsnakes and the behavior tends to decrease as they age and become more secure with themselves and more used to being handled.
They should reach full size in 2-3 years. But that also depending on the sex and health, feeding ect of the animal.
