Reptiles - Snake, Turtle, Frog, Health Care Questions

Your veterinarian should be your first source of care and medical information. As with all medical cases, check with your veterinarian before changing any medical treatments. This information is meant as a resource, not as a treatment, diagnosis or replacement of veterinary advice.

I recently purchased a baby kingsnake and i was wondering if there was anyway i could determine it's sex on my own without probing etc. since i have heard that that can be very traumatic. Please email me with any info at:

Sexing Kingsake Response -

If you have not sexed a snake before, we recommend that your veterinarian do the sexing. However, I don't believe it is that traumatic for the snake. It is much easier to sex a snake if you have a female and a male to compare together. Generally the male has a longer thicker tail, past the anal plate. Below is a link to a website that has detailed info on how to sex your snake with a probe:

http://www.pythons.com/probing.html

Corn Snake Cut - I am the owner of a 3 foot long corn snake. When I fed it a live mouse today the mouse either bit it or cut it with a claw? I did not see how it got cut, but my snake had a cut and bleed a fair amount of blood. The bleeding has stopped and seems to be clotted up, but I was hoping you would have some advice on what I should do for it. I have not done anything, I wasn't sure whether I should wash it or use some sort of ointment like I would for myself. Do you have any advice?

I am sorry to hear that your snake has been injured. We recommend that you only feed killed prey to your snake in the future to prevent these types of injuries. It is very important to determine whether or not this is a serious injury or one that can be treated at home. Please call your vet to determine the severity of the problem. Since we are not veterinarians we cannot provide veterinary treatment, care or advice. We can provide information and resources to help you find your answer. Your first resource should always be your veterinarian.

If you feel that this injury can be treated at home, cleanliness is above all the most important. Reptile skin is very susceptible to infections. Keep his cage free of any feces and keep moisture to a minimum (except drinking water). Below is a link that has excellent info on how to treat these types of injuries:

Python Heating - Do you have any thoughts that you would care to share with me re: how to construct a thermostat for controlling the heat in my 14" Ball Python's 35
gal. aquarium/home? I have an UTH and a bulb but am finding it difficult to control the heat so would like to create a thermostat system to cycle a heat lamp on and off.

Python Heating Response - It sounds like you have a good set-up. You don't say what kind of bulb you
are using...if you are using a ceramic heater, you definetly need a thermostat to control the heat output. Most importantly in keeping a reptile is providing gradient temperatures within their environment. By
gradient temperatures, I mean that there should be an area for basking (bulb with UVA and UVB), an area for heating (UTH) and an unheated area for retreating when over heated. This enables your snake to determine when it
is too hot or too cold and go where it feels comfortable. If you notice that your snake is hanging out only in the bulb and heating area, the environment may be too cold. And vice versa, if you notice your snake hanging out in the cooler areas, it may be too hot under the bulb. You might want to consider getting a larger aquarium for your ball python since
they grow to 4 to 6 feet. I would recommend a minimum of 55 gallons so you have room for different temperatures areas. Now I haven't really answered your question...you wanted to know how to construct a thermostat....I
subscribe to the theory that it is easier to buy one. I have been unable to find any links that show specifically how to build a thermostat. However, I have listed some links below that I think you may find helpful:

http://members.aol.com/petreptileinfo/heating.html (lists different types
of reptile heaters and thermostats)

http://www.prestigeherps.co.uk/is_vivarium.html (info on different
thermostats)

http://www.redrival.com/boanet/pythoninfo/ballpython.html (great site for
ball python info)

http://www.dansgeckos.com/housing.htm (this page is about geckos but has a
picture of a light timer under lighting)

Python Sexing - I just purchased my first snake. A Ball Python. How do i tell the sex of my snake?

Python Sexing Response - Congratulations! Welcome to the wild world of snakes. Below are links with information on how to accurately sex your snake. If this is your first
time, we recommend taking your pet to a reptile vet, reputable reptile
dealer or breeder and asking them to use a probe to accurately sex your ball python.

http://www.ritchiereptiles.homestead.com/Ballpythoninfo.html

http://redrival.com/boanet/mainmenu.html (great info on pythons)

Send us a picture of your new friend for our Pet Pictures page!

Red Eared Slider Terrarium - I am interested in setting up a half water/half land aquarium with several species of frogs and salamanders and maybe a couple larger fish. I was wondering if I
would be able to put a baby red eared slider in the mix without it eating everything especially when it gets larger.
Thanks, Adam

Red Eared Slider Terrarium Response - Be sure to use a 55 gallon tank or larger to accomodate all your different
species and allow for plenty of breathing room. We do not suggest adding a red-eared slider to your terrarium because they are very aggressive and will eat or torment just about everything, as well as baby red-eared sliders under 4 inches are illegal in the U.S. Most types of frogs are also very aggressive and if it will fit in their mouth, they will eat it, including other frogs of their species. Our recommendations include adding newts, with one green tree frog, african dwarf water frogs, and just about any type of small hardy freshwater fish like mollies and platys. You don't say how
large the tank is that you are going to use, but it would have to be pretty big to accommodate your plans. The more room you can provide the better chances you will have of the species getting along.

Your light is for basking purposes and is intended to replace the heat and uv-b light of the sun needed for shell health and growth. Therefore it should only be on during the day to simulate daylight hours (about 8 hours). Turtles also require a heat source for night...a heater should be used to heat the water.

We have no experience with Easy Balance...however, any product that is used to reduce the necessary cleaning, in our opinion, is not good. Turtles are very dirty and need their water completely replaced every week to prevent shell rot and other diseases. Please do not use this product as a replacement for a dechlorinator...it is not a dechlorinator. The product seems to be indicated for fish so I am not sure of the safeness for turtles. Check with your local pet store or vet for information on this product. You could also contact Tetra at the website below:

2003 - I have owned a slider for about 6 months. I am now noticing algae growing all
over his shell. What is the best way to treat this. should I scrape it off or by a pleco?? I would appreciate some help

Red Eared Slider Response - You can try an algae tab like Algae Away to discourage algae growth. Be sure that it is a liquid so the turtle does not eat the tablets. Use regular tap water and there is no need to dechlorinate it. The chlorine will help keep the algea under control and does not hurt the turtle. A pleco will not usually ride on a turtle. If it is really bothering you, you can try a soft toothbrush used very gently to clean it off.

Be sure it is not a fungus which look white and slimy, algae is green. If it is a fungus, treat that with a turtle sulfur based medicine.