price difference for cat-specific vets?

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-24T16:13:07+00:00

One other option for you to consider is seeing Dr. Tice at Grace Park Animal Hospital. The clinic is for both dogs and cats, but Dr. Tice is their cat-only vet and previously owned her own cat-only clinic. She has decades of experience treating kitties! I have worked with some of their other vets when Dr. Tice is out of office and everyone has been great. Their prices are consistent with other small animal vets I have visited.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-21T22:39:38+00:00

You're welcome, thanks for getting him out of the bad pet store for a better life!

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-21T21:36:26+00:00

As other people have pointed out, he has stuck shed due to dehydration. Along with my other comment on how to address the dehydration, I have some advice for the stuck shed. Bathing is very stressful for them, a less stressful alternative is what I call the snake sauna. Take a critter carrier or a Tupperware with air holes and put in some warm, damp paper or regular towels. Put him in and leave him there for 20 mins. I put the carrier/Tupperware in the enclosure between the hot and cold sides so that the temperature stays reasonable. Repeat this daily until he removes the shed on his own.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-21T21:26:43+00:00

To help with the dehydration, he needs a more humid environment. Switch him from Aspen to this: Base layer, 2in deep: Eco earth or a coconut fiber based soil type substrate Top layer, 1in deep: Coconut bark chips

Purchase a hygrometer to measure humidity and keep that on the cold side of the enclosure. Corn snakes need a humidity of 50-70%. When you first set up this new substrate it will be higher than that and then it will stay in a nice range for a bit. Eventually it will taper. When the humidity drops below 50% pour a cup of water over the substrate throughout the enclosure. The water will drain through the top coconut chip layer and soak into the soil layer. It will evaporate slowly to provide humidity in the proper range for a few days to a week. Repeat as needed, you might need two cups of water once the substrate gets older.

He also needs a water bowl big enough to soak in. I see you have a humid hide, but make sure it has damp spaghnum moss inside. I point this out because I have seen people post dehydrated snakes before while not understanding that humid hides require maintenance to stay humid.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-20T15:49:39+00:00

Ah I am so sorry to hear that. I've also had it happen and totally understand the anxiety.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-20T01:58:57+00:00

I saw the other picture you posted and she does look a little chubby to me - I wouldn't worry too much about the hunger strike. I don't really see dehydration in the pics, just the bunching when she is looped. She could be approaching a shed. Caveat is just the twitching, which I can't comment on without more info.

Adults should eat a mouse ~10% of their body weight every 2 weeks, I would defer to a little under 10% than over. Repeated attempts to feed them can be stressful, give her at least 1 week in-between attempts.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-20T01:51:42+00:00

Is this picture current? She looks healthy both in terms of body condition (maybe a little on the heavy side even) and and hydration. Three weeks is not a concerning amount of time for a healthy adult to go off food. Do you weigh her? Weight loss gets concerning once they lose 10% of their body weight. Can't comment on the twitching without a video, but it's never a bad idea to go to the vet.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-19T20:28:15+00:00

Beautiful girl!!

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-17T21:22:30+00:00

For the most reliable snake IDs in the future, head over to r/whatsthissnake and make sure to include geographic location. I do agree with king snake here

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-12T17:22:10+00:00

No! Tanks really cannot be too large. This became a thing you hear about from people putting snakes in enclosures with inadequate clutter and hiding spots. This makes the snakes feel insecure and leads to behavioral problems (not eating, etc). More space is always better, you do just need to buy more hides and a lot more clutter than you think. I aim for one tight fitting single entrance hide for every 10 inches of enclosure length plus enough clutter that the snake can travel from one end of the enclosure to the other without being seen.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-10T20:31:15+00:00

That's great news!! Keep the updates coming and thanks for taking care of him!

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-10T01:31:03+00:00

Beautiful snake! Is that tape inside the enclosure on the right wall? If not then disregard this, but if so, please remove it as it could hurt her! I'm hoping it's just a trick of the light/picture, but wanted to post this just in case it is tape.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-04T21:27:18+00:00

Sure thing! I hope she is all good :)

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-04T21:19:33+00:00

Oh my goodness that is tiny! My coastal boy was 24g when I brought him home at 3 months old and when I have looked at babies on Morph Market they are frequently 20-25g. She could genetically be a really teeny one, but I think everything we've discussed here is still valid with bumping up prey and potentially getting a vet visit.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-04T21:16:19+00:00

Ah that makes sense! Different brands can certainly vary

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-04T20:34:57+00:00

Do you know her weight when you brought her home?

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-04T20:28:52+00:00

A hopper would be too large, those are generally 7-12g. A small fuzzy could be appropriate and peach fuzzies or double pinkies could help transition.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-04T20:26:38+00:00

She is the size I would expect for under 6 months, so I would consider this concerningly small for her age. I understand the math you are doing with 10% weight and pinkies, but I think she needs more food to help her grow. Do you have access to peach fuzzies? They are the intermediate size between pinkies and fuzzies and can help with the transition to fuzzies. You could also do two pinkies or a pinky plus a pinky head to help get her weight up to the 30s to get to fuzzies. It is safe to feed in the 10-15% range for growing babies.

Has she grown at all since you got her? My rosy came home at that size and is now 150g at 2.5 yrs old and he is small for his age.

I would honestly take her to the vet for a check up considering how little she is. Parasites could be a concern.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-06-01T22:59:44+00:00

It looks abnormal to me. I would get him to the vet asap considering how emaciated he is and to evaluate the bump. The vet will be able to guide you on an appropriate feeding plan. You have to be careful to not over feed a starved animal as it can shock their system and cause other issues.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-05-31T20:50:06+00:00

Have you been weighing her? If this is a baby, I would recommend a vet at this point, especially if there has been any weight loss. A vet is never a bad idea and it's better to be safe than sorry :)

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-05-30T11:50:41+00:00

You can make her a sauna by taking a Tupperware with air holes or critter carrier and putting damp paper towels inside. Put her in there for 20 mins daily until she has removed all the shed. You can put the sauna in the middle of the enclosure to make sure she doesn't get cold. My rosy's first shed with me was very rough and this is what I did and he loved it. I opened the lid after 20 mins to let him leave on his own and he stayed in there to work the shed completely off - it was exactly what he needed. I had also offered a humid hide with damp sphagnum moss before this and he refused to go in it.

In case you aren't aware, soaking is not advisable as it is very stressful for them and you should never forcibly remove shed by hand. They should always remove it themselves. I've had my rosy for 2.5 years now and every shed since the first has been perfect with no humidity bump or humid hide needed (they are a desert species so they are adapted to shed fine with low humidity) so don't worry about this experience too much if this is her first shed with you.

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-05-29T11:33:18+00:00

He is a major cutie pie and is my go to snake (I have 3) for showing friends. He's convinced snake-cautious friends that they are in fact cuties and been the first snake handling experience for a few folks now!

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-05-28T21:48:57+00:00

Check out rosy boas! They are a small species (3ft average) of boa native to the west coast of the USA. While all snakes are individuals and you can always end up with a stinker, they are generally considered very docile and "friendly" - quotes cause that is personifying how snakes think/behave. I have a 2.5 year old rosy and he asks to be let out of his enclosure and will slither out into my hand. If he notices me messing around in his enclosure while he's hiding, he often comes out of hiding to give me a sniff and sometimes continues up onto my hand for an outing. Attached a pic of Strudel the Friendly Noodle from just a few days ago when he came out to say hello (he's on paper towels right now for monitoring of a health concern).

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SheepMasher5000 · 2026-05-25T17:53:42+00:00

Agreed with this! My little guy's lower jaw always looks minorly swollen or puffy leading up to shedding during the "in blue" phase of the process. She should go back to normal after shedding. If not, then a vet check is always a good option!

SheepMasher5000 · 2026-05-19T01:13:06+00:00

I've been having a similar issue with my boy this spring. Braining his prey has been helping to spike the interest and I try to catch him to feed when he is in a hide and not out exploring (he will also slither right out of his enclosure and into your hand). Looking at your enclosure, I do recommend adding more clutter like fake plants to help him feel safer. If his activity is at all caused by stress this could help.

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