Snooter Booter

Fighter: New Caledonian Giant Gecko

Barbarian: Banded Knob-Tailed Gecko

Paladin: Wonder Gecko

Thief: Bavay’s Gecko

Ranger: Common Leopard Gecko

Bard: Tokay Gecko

Wizard: Golden Tailed Gecko

Sorcerer: Cat Gecko

Warlock: Giant Leaf-Tailed Gecko

Cleric: Gold Dust Day Gecko

Monk: Crested Gecko

Druid: Harlequin Gecko

I actually just fed him his largest meal this year (2 small rats) so he can beef up before hibernation. The last time I took him to the vet, which was a couple months ago, he was in a healthy weight bracket. I’m aware that that it’s very easy for captive snakes to get obese, so I try to feed him light meals, alternating between 1 small rat one week, then 1 small rat every other week, as my busy work schedule sometimes can’t accommodate regular handling and exercise.

Plus he isn’t all level here, his body is much closer to the camera than his head is. I check his transverse body shape regularly and he still has, what I would call, an trapezoidal shape, and I try to make sure his body is stream lined with his tail. He does have a small divet where his spine is, but his shape is not bulbous or round, at least not that I can tell, and a lot of pictures I’ve looked up of corn snakes in a healthy weight do have a dorsal divet similar to his. He is a bit chunky, I agree, but I wouldn’t call him obese, or morbidly so. The thick part worthy of concern is also the thickest part of his body, where I wager the rats are by now, and he is pooping regularly.

He’s currently in a 40 Liter tub, 3 hides, one hot, and I get him out once or twice a week if I can. Like I said, busy work schedule, but I do what I can.

(my corn snake Tabasco. Adult male. Notice the muscle definition.)

(here’s one I pulled off of morph market (source) Adult female.)

A healthy adult corn should be fed a meal that is about as wide as the snake’s girth every 10-14 days. The corn that belongs to me I posted above eats a small m.ouse every 10 days. People have a tendency to over feed corns (and snakes in general) and it can be hard to understand what a healthy body condition is for common pet snakes because of this.

I want you to understand that I’m not trying to call you out or insult you, I have a great love for these animals and I hate the see them in bad shape when they should be active and inquisitive snakes.

As far as his enclosure goes, if you can afford to upgrade to something in the 4′x2′x2′ range I would highly highly recommend it.

But now that I think about it, should I fast him and exercise him between meals (now that it's getting colder where I am I'd say maybe wait a month between every mouse?) to try and help him lose that weight a bit quicker? Are there any ways I can get him to exercise more often while he's in his enclosure? Like fill some of the empty space with tubes, take him outside for an hour and let him slither around, etc? I've put him in a box filled with tubes before when I thought he was getting overweight, and it worked a little, should I do that a few times a week? I'll see if I have room for a shelf or something in my apartment. There is not a lot of space where I am right now so he's kind of stuck under my bed 😔 I know he needs more space to slither about, I just don't know what to do with limited space and funds.

I don't think he's got hips yet, but he does look a lot thicker than these snakes. He DOES need thinning up.

I actually just fed him his largest meal this year (2 small rats) so he can beef up before hibernation. The last time I took him to the vet, which was a couple months ago, he was in a healthy weight bracket. I'm aware that that it's very easy for captive snakes to get obese, so I try to feed him light meals, alternating between 1 small rat one week, then 1 small rat every other week, as my busy work schedule sometimes can't accommodate regular handling and exercise.

Plus he isn't all level here, his body is much closer to the camera than his head is. I check his transverse body shape regularly and he still has, what I would call, an trapezoidal shape, and I try to make sure his body is stream lined with his tail. He does have a small divet where his spine is, but his shape is not bulbous or round, at least not that I can tell, and a lot of pictures I've looked up of corn snakes in a healthy weight do have a dorsal divet similar to his. He is a bit chunky, I agree, but I wouldn't call him obese, or morbidly so. The thick part worthy of concern is also the thickest part of his body, where I wager the rats are by now, and he is pooping regularly.

He's currently in a 40 Liter tub, 3 hides, one hot, and I get him out once or twice a week if I can. Like I said, busy work schedule, but I do what I can.

Because sometimes what you need most is to enjoy the strangely satisfying sight of a perfectly coiled, perfectly content snake.

Same guy, different snake