Swollen Belly (not from eating)

[zwyatt]

I got my butter mot out today for feeding and noticed that a small section of her belly was swollen. I took a peek at her yesterday and didn't notice it. Although, I could have missed it the way she was coiled up.

Last shed: 12/17
Last feed: 1/6 --> A couple of days after eating I noticed something that looked like a possible small regurge. It was greyish in color and just not anything like poop. So I treated it as a regurge and was just going to feed her a pinky head with Nutribac today when I noticed this.

My first thought was she was puffing up as she has a bit of an attitude. I quickly realized that wasn't the case and got my camera to get some pics.

She acts completely normal and looks normal except for the bulge. The only thing in her tub is water dish, aspen, and two hides. There's nothing that I can imagine that she could have eaten. There doesn't appear to be any discoloration around the area that I could see. She doesn't have any direct contact with any other animals. She's in a rack between two other hatchlings.
The lump is well above the vent at least a couple of inches.

Can anybody help me with what do I do with this?

[Mary-Beth]

That is very strange. I don't know what it is though, sorry.
Good luck.

[sbourget]

How does the puffed up area feel when you gently feel it? I've found that with my snake I can sometimes feel the pinky skull 6 days after eating, perhaps your snake simply ate a mouse with a thick skull that it hasn't broken down completely.

[zwyatt]

How does the puffed up area feel when you gently feel it? I've found that with my snake I can sometimes feel the pinky skull 6 days after eating, perhaps your snake simply ate a mouse with a thick skull that it hasn't broken down completely.

The best I can tell, it does feel slightly solid. Though, it's been 8 days since she last ate. If what I saw (on 1/8) was a small regurge then presumably there wouldn't be anything left in her belly. :shrugs:
Plus, back on the day when I first noticed what looked like the regurge I looked at her more closely than I did yesterday and I didn't notice any bulges. Although, I didn't take her out that day so that she wouldn't be further stressed.

[carol]

I would isolate that snake and get a fecal exam done asap. :(

[zwyatt]

I would isolate that snake and get a fecal exam done asap. :(

How do I go about a fecal since she hasn't eaten recently and isn't pooping? I don't feel like feeding her is the right thing. Perhaps I should just make an appointment with the vet and go from there?

[carol]

Sometimes they will poo even if they haven't eaten in awhile. I'd put her on papertowels and check often to see if she left a present. If you do find something scoop it into a ziploc and keep it in the fridge until you can get it down there. I would ve very concerned about a parasite infection and a trip to the vet would definatley be in order. I hope it turns out OK for you!

[princess]

How does the puffed up area feel when you gently feel it? I've found that with my snake I can sometimes feel the pinky skull 6 days after eating, perhaps your snake simply ate a mouse with a thick skull that it hasn't broken down completely.


I'd have to think you're feeling something other than a pinkie skull after that period of time. With a young corn kept at a good temperature for digestion you would expect to have no visible bump in the belly after 24 hours for a moderate sized pink or perhaps 48 for a big meal. Also, pinkies don't have very well formed skulls, the growth plates are very clearly separated and (as gross as it sounds) you can quite easily crush a pinks head flat with nothing more than finger pressure....boys and girls, do not try this at home :rolleyes: .

Otherwise zwyatt, I'd say it sounds like an obstruction. I hear a couple of drops of vedgetable oil can help loosen and lubricate the digestive tract but I'd get a vets opinion first.

[zwyatt]

Sometimes they will poo even if they haven't eaten in awhile. I'd put her on papertowels and check often to see if she left a present. If you do find something scoop it into a ziploc and keep it in the fridge until you can get it down there. I would ve very concerned about a parasite infection and a trip to the vet would definatley be in order. I hope it turns out OK for you!

Thanks! I already just switched her over to paper towels after my last post and moved her down to her own shelf in the rack. She's several tubs away from any other snakes. I'm afraid that's about all the more isolated I can get her right now without compromising temperatures.

[zwyatt]

Otherwise zwyatt, I'd say it sounds like an obstruction. I hear a couple of drops of vedgetable oil can help loosen and lubricate the digestive tract but I'd get a vets opinion first.

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that my local herp vet will be open Monday.

[ratsncorns]

My Okeetee had that problem. I took her out and she had this strange lump. It was kinda soft but a little hard. I waited a couple days then fed her... it disappeared. Not sure what it was, but it looked very similar to your girls bump.

[SnakeLuvrs]

can snakes have hernias?

[zwyatt]

My Okeetee had that problem. I took her out and she had this strange lump. It was kinda soft but a little hard. I waited a couple days then fed her... it disappeared. Not sure what it was, but it looked very similar to your girls bump.

Thanks for sharing. Good to know that this may not be something too serious. Hopefully, my vet will be in tomorrow so I can get a check-up just to be safe.

[Taceas]

U of I has a vet school I'm pretty sure, they don't see patients for a reduced fee? Just an idle thought.

I don't know what the lump could be. I have my thoughts, but barring other symptoms I doubt that's the case.

Let us know what you find out.

[zwyatt]

U of I has a vet school I'm pretty sure, they don't see patients for a reduced fee? Just an idle thought.


They definitely do have a vet school. I'm not sure about seeing patients. I know health care for students is reduced, if not free, but I'm not sure that extends to pets and the vet. The few things I have heard of the vet school treating, for dogs and cats of family friends, weren't cheap. It could just be a matter of the procedures that were being conducted.
My sister will most likely be attending the vet school next year and already knows a lot about it. She's never mentioned reduced fees and takes all her pets to other vets. It is something that I may have to look into though.

[Susan]

As already mentioned, keep her in strict quarantine as much as possible and get her to the vet ASAP. Also, keep your eye on your other snakes over the next month or so. I sure hope it's nothing serious, but there's a chance it is.

[zwyatt]

I had a vet appointment this afternoon. Unfortunately, since she hasn't been fed for 10 days she hadn't pooped since discovering her swollen stomach on Saturday. So there hasn't been a fecal exam yet.
The vet said it's tough to tell at this point if the swelling is harmless/natural or if it could possibly be a thickening caused by parasite (i.e. cryptosporidium). He suggested that I feed her and try to get a fecal sample (as opposed to mechanical washes to try to get sample out of her stomach). If she happens to regurge bring that in too. I asked about quarantine and he said he would. This leaves me with some other thoughts/questions:

I've read about crypto and how it is spread. I know that if it happens to be what is causing this that it is a very serious problem. My problem is with quarantine. I've got my new bloodred already in the living room in quarantine, which really leaves me with no other rooms to quarantine. She is in a 12qt sterilite in my rack right now on the bottom shelf all by herself. All the other snakes are at least two shelves up. If I had an extra 10 gallon tank I could buy another UTH and try to find somewhere to set her up. Then I would also need to make another rheostat. The main problem with moving her elsewhere is the heating issue. My apartment temp is only 70-72 and I can't risk a regurge at those temps without an extra heat source.

Can a UTH be used with a sterilite?

Should I go out and buy a new 10gallon tank, lid, rheostat, and UTH?

If I keep her two shelves away, have all separate utensils (feeding dish etc) only for feeding/caring for her, and practice immaculate hygiene will she be okay staying in the rack for a few days?

I'm really sort of at a loss with what step I take next. Any advice would be appreciated if you can think of any other options I might have. I sort of have the feeling that the general (experienced) consensus will be to get the new tank and supplies and not take any chances just in case. :shrugs:

[Roy Munson]

I hope it's nothing serious, Zach. You can use uth on Sterilite. I like to have something between the pad and the tub, like tile, or glass. I'd place the pad under 1/3 of the tub. After you set it up, you've got to carefully monitor the temps on the warm side. You can use additional layers of tile, or just about any other flat thing laying around to tweak the temps. Since the tub won't be racked, you should probably use binder clips and/or weight for additional security.

Keep us posted, and good luck with the little girl.

[zwyatt]

Thanks for the well-wishes and advice, Dean.

In the end I went with my gut and just outfitted her in a 10 gallon in a separate corner of the living room from my new bloodred. It's the best option I had. I feel much more comfortable this way. I couldn't have stood it if I hadn't done everything possible and the rest of my guys and gals caught something. Hopefully, all of this will have been for nothing and she'll check out okay. I also have thrown out all of my deli's and other utensils that have been used for feeding. Her sterilite is soaking in ammonia now just to kill anything off that may or may not be present.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and kind words.

[Susan]

Any updates? I sure hope she's doing well!

[zwyatt]

Any updates? I sure hope she's doing well!

Thanks for asking. It's still a little rocky right now, unfortunately. I waited to feed her a small pinky a day after the vet trip, but she only kept it down about a day. She's always been a little more nervous than most and I think the trip to the vet and being handled and such didn't sit well with her. Maybe it would have helped to wait longer. :shrugs:
Anyways, I took the regurge to the vet, as he said it's sometimes possible to tell something (parasite presence) from the regurged item and told me to bring it in if she did happen to regurge. So I'm waiting to hear back from him.
In the meantime, I'm giving her as much alone time as possible and hope she can keep down her next meal.

On the other hand, the swelling doesn't seem to be as pronounced as before. Seeing as the verdict is still out on what the cause is, I don't really know what, if anything, a reduction in swelling means. :shrugs: But I'm hoping for the best.