What the ....?

[Fish_Man_Dan]

I cant find anything anywere about this... my male corn snake (reggie) decided to start eating rocks for no apparent reason! it first started because (i guess) the rocks smelled like his food, because i would drop it in the tank, or water (from thawing and warming it) would drip on the gravel... so i stopped dropping his food and fed him directly from the tongs, and i made sure the warmed mouse was dry. next time i handle him, HE THROWS UP ROCKS! arggghhh... so I've decided the 1-2 inch diameter river rocks wont work anymore as bedding, and i'm thinking of using astroturf instead... at one point a couple rocks got into his intestines, but luckily he was able to pass them through... today he ate two rocks, so i tried to massage them forward gently to get him to regurgitate, but after i moved them forward about an inch, he would tense up and push them back down. so simply put:

1) whats the best bedding i can give him? (not whole newspaper, it doesnt look good... lol)

2) why is he trying to eat rocks??? is it a nutrient deficiency or something? i want my snake to be healthy and happy! I feed him large frozen mouse fuzzies (though he's ready for hoppers i think...) which are thawed in hot water. i make sure the mouse isnt too hot or cold for him.

P.S. when i set up the tank, i didnt know about gravel being bad, but recently i did some research and found out that gravel can scratch them or get stuck to food... this isnt what's happening though! he is deliberately eating rocks, just to throw them up later (or so i think)... one time he ate 8 rocks!

please HELP! i'm worried about my bud

 

[Redtailcatfishlover]

I cant find anything anywere about this... my male corn snake (reggie) decided to start eating rocks for no apparent reason! it first started because (i guess) the rocks smelled like his food, because i would drop it in the tank, or water (from thawing and warming it) would drip on the gravel... so i stopped dropping his food and fed him directly from the tongs, and i made sure the warmed mouse was dry. next time i handle him, HE THROWS UP ROCKS! arggghhh... so I've decided the 1-2 inch diameter river rocks wont work anymore as bedding, and i'm thinking of using astroturf instead... at one point a couple rocks got into his intestines, but luckily he was able to pass them through... today he ate two rocks, so i tried to massage them forward gently to get him to regurgitate, but after i moved them forward about an inch, he would tense up and push them back down. so simply put:

1) whats the best bedding i can give him? (not whole newspaper, it doesnt look good... lol)

2) why is he trying to eat rocks??? is it a nutrient deficiency or something? i want my snake to be healthy and happy! I feed him large frozen mouse fuzzies (though he's ready for hoppers i think...) which are thawed in hot water. i make sure the mouse isnt too hot or cold for him.

P.S. when i set up the tank, i didnt know about gravel being bad, but recently i did some research and found out that gravel can scratch them or get stuck to food... this isnt what's happening though! he is deliberately eating rocks, just to throw them up later (or so i think)... one time he ate 8 rocks!

please HELP! i'm worried about my bud

I highly recommend eco earth! It is ground coconut fibers and my tarantula loves it you can buy it in big bags at like petco/persmart.

 

[Fish_Man_Dan]

i'm not so sure... stuff like that can get stuck to the food and if the snake swallows it, it can cause a wide range of problems... i need something easy to clean/change, he cant swallow, aesthetically pleasing, and he wont purposely try to swallow... lol.

thanks for the response though! much appreciated

 

[brooklynboy521]

Try reptile carpet. Any pet store sells it and it looks pretty good. Good Luck!

 

[Sylvias]

Reptile carpet is not easy to clean and hold bacteria like none other.... swallowing eco earth is MUCH healthier than swallowing rocks! And I would highly recommend a vet visit to make sure all the rocks are out or at least make sure he will be able to pass them without problems.
Eco earth or aspen would be best as far as "aesthetically pleasing" but when you have retarded snakes like this you should be MUCH more concerned about the animals safety than how good the enclosure looks and if you need to use newspaper in order to stop him from eating the substrate then you NEED to use news paper....

 

[A. gigas]

i'm not so sure... stuff like that can get stuck to the food and if the snake swallows it, it can cause a wide range of problems... i need something easy to clean/change, he cant swallow, aesthetically pleasing, and he wont purposely try to swallow... lol.

thanks for the response though! much appreciated

If you're worried about him swallowing it, just out down a piece of cardboard over a bit of it during feeding time, and feed him in that part of the cage.

That being said, Eco earth is safe if ingested, unless it's a huge amount (Like a cubic inch of it) so no worries.

Reptile carpet is not easy to clean and hold bacteria like none other.... swallowing eco earth is MUCH healthier than swallowing rocks! And I would highly recommend a vet visit to make sure all the rocks are out or at least make sure he will be able to pass them without problems.
Eco earth or aspen would be best as far as "aesthetically pleasing" but when you have retarded snakes like this you should be MUCH more concerned about the animals safety than how good the enclosure looks and if you need to use newspaper in order to stop him from eating the substrate then you NEED to use news paper....

Ninja'd... This^

 

[chloe]

Reptile carpet is not easy to clean and hold bacteria like none other.... swallowing eco earth is MUCH healthier than swallowing rocks! And I would highly recommend a vet visit to make sure all the rocks are out or at least make sure he will be able to pass them without problems.
Eco earth or aspen would be best as far as "aesthetically pleasing" but when you have retarded snakes like this you should be MUCH more concerned about the animals safety than how good the enclosure looks and if you need to use newspaper in order to stop him from eating the substrate then you NEED to use news paper....

this ^...especially the vet visit!

 

[MechagGodzilla615]

I am about to share a tragic story. I had a beautiful florida king snake that I raised from a baby to adulthood. He was 4 feet long when he passed. He ingested long fiber sphagnum moss that was his substrate. why I do not know I kept him on it for two years. My only conclusion is that it must have smelled of mice. If that wasn't bad enough I also had a 7 foot Taiwan rat snake that also ingested the moss and died. I made the mistake of reusing moss from one of my lizards and she must have smelled it. Don't use long fiber moss with colubrids is my conclusion it is fine for amphibians and lizards but lighting struck twice with snakes.


I can recommend for corn snakes aspen beading,paper towels,or news paper. Both paper absorbs moisture but should be changed as soon as it gets wet or dirty. Cypress mulch is also fantastic. I have not used coco fiber on snakes yet but i like it for other herps.


I also recommend feeding your snake in a separate tank or tub that is bare. I have had the best results with this with many kinds of snake.


Good luck.

 

[Fish_Man_Dan]

that is tragic, and also what i want to prevent with Reggie...

so at the moment my considerations are:
1) aspen
2) newspaper
3) eco earth (not entirely sure what it actually is though...lol)
4) astroturf

i'm worried about him burrowing though, because there is a heat pad attached to the bottom of the tank on one side (its the one that's adhesive to the outside of the glass bottom)... do i need to worry?

 

[ScatMan]

in your situation, i'd use carefresh. it's crushed recycled paper chunks and it looks like shredded paper egg cartons. it's (relatively) easily passed if ingested and snakes like tunneling through it.

the down sides are that it's ugly, grows mold if wet and is a little dusty.

it also comes in these beautiful colors...