Heart disease in snakes

The heart is a muscle which collects blood full of oxygen from the lungs and pumps it around the body. It also collects blood full of carbon dioxide from the body and pumps it back to the lungs. This cycle goes on continuously.

In mammals the heart sits in the chest cavity and is divided into four chambers. The right atrium collects blood full of carbon dioxide from the body, sends it down to the right ventricle which then pumps it to the lungs. The left atrium collects blood full of oxygen from the lungs, sends it down to the left ventricle which pumps it around the body. Blood is constantly being pumped from right to left, via the lungs and travels around the body inside a series of tubes of varying diameters; these are known as blood vessels.

The heart of a snake differs from that of a mammal in several ways. It is specially adapted to suit the life of a reptile. The heart is located roughly one third to one quarter down the length of the snake’s body. Inside the heart of the snake there are three chambers; these are the right atrium, left atrium and the ventricle. There is also an extra chamber outside the heart called the sinus venosus which collects blood.

Snakes can move blood to wherever it is needed in the body. Remember how the mammal heart always pumps blood round the body from right to left? Snakes can change the direction of the blood so that it can flow backwards.  This is one of the ways that snakes can survive if they are short of oxygen or if they become dehydrated.

It is essential to ensure your snake’s housing is maintained at the correct temperature; if it is too cold, its heart cannot beat fast enough to keep the blood pumping to all the vital organs. The temperature of your snake’s vivarium is dependent on species.

It is also vital to provide a good source of UV light and a balanced diet. The heart is a muscle and needs a constant supply of calcium to enable it to beat properly.

Heart disease is seen in snakes and is most common in corn snakes.

The heart is a muscle and when diseased it enlarges and does not pump blood properly around the body. Snakes with heart disease are often quiet, do not move around and do not eat. It is often possible to see the enlarged heart as a swelling one third down the length of the body from the head.

Ensuring your snakes diet, temperature and humidity is all correct can help prevent heart disease.

If you think your snake has heart disease he will need treatment from your veterinarian.