Obesity in reptiles is an alarmingly common problem. And we are seeing more and more arrive here at CJS. As with most pets, it happens unintentionally, and the weight gain either goes unnoticed or is praised as “cute.” However, what looks normal for some species is not normal for others. Corn snakes are supposed to be slender, while pythons are supposed to look a little chunky (or a lot, depending on species). Symptoms scale wrinkling/folding space between scales “puddling” of weight toward the belly “squishy” belly, rather than firm the body may appear segmented love handles forming in front of the cloaca Cause inactivity fatty prey items large prey items being fed too frequently feeding too much to prevent “aggressive” behavior Treatment If you have a oner weight reptile, the first step to take is to evaluate what you’re feeding it. Could using rats rather than mice be the problem? Are you feeding too often for its age? Could the prey items be a little too large? Are you feeding too much? If that’s not the case, then the animal is probably not getting enough exercise: Add additional enrichment items to the enclosure Handle more often, encouraging movement (although not so much to cause stress) Create “obstacle courses” for the animal to explore outside of the enclosure Encourage climbing up/downstairs with supervision (I kid you not) In some cases, NOT ALL! let the animal swim in ~4 inches of water in the bathtub (supervised) As you correct your pet's diet and encourage him/her to exercise, use a kitchen scale and a bowl to weigh them weekly and after each shed. Chart the numbers in a spreadsheet or in a notebook. If your pet still isn’t losing weight after a couple months, consult your veterinarian. Check out this link for more information a very good read https://www.petmd.com/reptile/nutrition/body-condition-score-reptiles if you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to drop us a message. #repost #reptilesofinstagram #reptiles #cornsnake #beardeddragon #rescue #reptilerescue #animalcare https://www.instagram.com/p/B68ILmQFQGY/?igshid=k8kz62m5mh0z