Vet Guide 2025: How to Tell if Your Snake Is Sick by Dr Duncan Houston 🩺🐍

Hello! I’m Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc and founder of Ask A Vet. Snakes are masters at hiding illness until it’s advanced—so early detection is key. This 2025 guide teaches you how to spot subtle signs of sickness—appetite changes, breathing issues, skin problems, shedding complications and more. Recognizing these can save valuable time and lives.

1. Appetite & Feeding Changes 🍽️

Skipping meals isn’t always normal. If a snake refuses food outside usual fasting (like breeding season), it could signal stress, infection, or digestive upset :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.

2. Activity Level & Posture

Healthy snakes are alert and move smoothly. Signs like lethargy, excessive hiding, “star gazing” (head tilting upward), or abnormal coiling suggest neurological issues or systemic illness :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.

3. Respiratory Signs

Hard to miss—but often overlooked early—are respiratory symptoms:

• Open-mouth breathing or wheezing
• Mucus bubbles around nose/mouth
• Lethargy during movement/hydration

These often point to RI or pneumonia—urgent vet attention is required :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.

4. Skin, Scales & Shedding Health

Check your snake visually during shedding:

• Retained shed or spectacles
• Loose, discolored, blistered, or missing scales
• Sores, oozing patches, or scale rot risk :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Poor shedding often indicates low humidity or infection.

5. Discharge & Odor

• Mucus, discharge from mouth, nose or vent
• Unpleasant or unusual odors from mouth or skin

These often signal stomatitis, respiratory disease, or septicemia—immediate vet evaluation needed :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}.

6. Eye & Mouth Condition

• Cloudy or retained eye caps post-shed
• Mouth rot signs—redness, swelling, pus
• Sunken eyes indicating dehydration

These require veterinary diagnostics to prevent vision loss or infection.

7. Parasites

Watch for tiny mites crawling, frequently soaked snakes, biting or restless behavior. Internally, worms may cause diarrhea, vomiting, or weight loss. Quarantine and fecal testing help rule out parasitic issues :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}.

8. Internal & Nutritional Illnesses

• Untreated metabolic bone disease → tremors, abnormal postures
• Digestive issues like constipation, regurgitation, or diarrhea
• Organ dysfunction signs: bloating, lethargy, failure to defecate

Veterinary investigations with blood work and imaging are vital for diagnosis.

9. Record & Monitor

Document weekly weight, feeding changes, visuals of shedding, and behavior shifts. Patterns provide diagnostic clues—vital for vet consultation.

10. When to See a Vet

Immediate vet visit is required if you observe:

• Respiratory signs or nasal/mouth discharge
• Inappetance beyond 2–3 meals with weight loss
• Retained shed on eyes or tail tip
• Skin lesions, burns, blisters, or mouth sores
• Signs of neurological abnormality
• Parasite infestation not addressed within days

11. Role of Husbandry

Prevention is key. Maintain strong hygiene, correct temps & humidity, quality substrate, clean water, and quarantine new animals for 3–6 months :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}.

12. Ask A Vet Support

If symptoms arise—or you're unsure—use the Ask A Vet app to share photos, videos, and history. Our reptile vets help triage, refine care protocols, and advise on urgency. Visit AskAVet.com 🐍📱

13. Summary & Final Thoughts

Snakes don't vocalize or cough, so reading their subtle cues—appetite, posture, skin, eyes, and breathing—is essential. With diligent monitoring, timely adjustments in husbandry, and swift veterinary intervention supported by Ask A Vet, your snake can recover and thrive in 2025.

—Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc