reed snake

Question
Recantly our rope snake died on us, he became very dark in color, and acted like he was going limp. We just got aother one for company for our other snake as he seemed lonely. its been about 2 weeks since weve had the new one and at first our old one was really active, now hes turned to a darker colour and sometimes when hes swimming he looks like hes dead!! Can you tell me if hes dieing too, or is this some sort of mating thing?  

Answer
Hello,

Unfortately, I know little about the mating patterns of rope snakes. However, if your first rope snake was like this before the other one even arrived, it probably is not mating.

The best first step to do is test your water for nitrites and ammonia. Make sure these are at safe levels. If they are, then it could be a disease or just unusual behaviour.

Darker coloration is usually considered a sign of healthy fish. However, if this darker coloration is accompanied by wasting away or lifelessness then it could be a sign of parasites in the blood. You should ask your local pet/fish store for a medicine that contains metronidazole or methylene blue. If you can't find either of these, then you may want to try a medicine that gets rid of parasites or one specifically for hemoparasites.

Watch your fish carefully. If they are eating well, moving enough and look to be of normal body weight with good fins and no excess mucus on the skin, then they should be okay. If they aren't doing any of the above then you should treat for hemoparasites.

I hope this helps.

Good-luck,
From Stephanie