Small soft lump lateral from cloaca on female corn

[D'n'D]

Hi all,

My Elsa, looks healthy, eats, poops, shed completely, now last night, after I collected her poop (2 days after her feed) I noticed a small lump on her side, just in parallel with her cloaca. I'm concerned and I'm thinking to take her to the vet. She has never laid eggs/slugs, no mating, nothing changed in her life. She's on dry aspen.

See pictures. Any idea what this could be?

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=2230&pictureid=16660

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=2230&pictureid=16659

[Karl_Mcknight]

it could be a cyst, a fluid filled sack that a doctor could drain, an infection caused by a small scratch, bite or cut that was not properly cleaned. (If you feed live mice or rats, they do claw and bite while being constricted. Or she could have rubbed against something sharp or rough and nicked or cut herself. Anything like that can easily get infected.) It could even be a tumor of some type.

A Few questions to consider -
Did it appear suddenly or has it been growing slowly over a long period of time? Is it soft and mushy or does it feel hard and tight? Are there any areas of the cage or her furnishings that are rough or sharp in texture? Do you feed her live animals?

I think if it was me, I'd plan a vet visit just out of curiosity to at least find out what it is and see if it's treatable.

[D'n'D]

Hi Karl, thanks so much for your reply. I booked a visit for Monday morning as I only noticed it last night after I collected her poop. There isn't anything in her cage to scratch on to - i was quite careful in setting up her viv. And there is no sign whatsoever of any damage to her skin. She only eats frozen rats, never fed her anything live. The swelling is soft, more like a liquid of some sorts or maybe puss. I hope it is nothing serious, it would be a blow to lose her. She's my darling who helped me get over snake phobia.