many strange bumps

[tbtusk]

Well, I just had Flare out and he's doing great. he's moving around a lot, out crusing in his viv, eating, and digesting normally.

While holding him I noticed that he has quite a few small bumps along his sides. He has five on one side and four on the other. They start maybe 2/3 to 3/5 of the way down his body and end a ways from the cloaka, maybe 4 or 5 inches away. They are small enough so that they're hard to see unless you have pretty good light on them, but they are definitely there, and big enough to get me wondering. Because he seems so healthy and has so much muscle tone I'm not to worried about it right now, but I'm definitely curious, and would like to make sure everything is actually okay.

There is no discoloration, nothing besides the bumps. Any ideas?

I'll get some pictures in a little while, but I don't have time right now. Thanks for any ideas.

[JoannaD]

Photos would certainly help. I know in garters there is a parasitic worm that can make it's way to just under the snakes's skin and cause small bumps. I think it would be very unusual for there to be that many though. Are you sure that they are not a form of a blister and that it could be from too much moisture in the enclosure?

To be safe you can put Flare on paper towels and make sure the enclosure is not moist. If you can get a fresh stool sample I believe that many vets - even none reptile vets would be able to see if there was evidence of worms/eggs in the feces.

I don't know how far you live from the Wilderness center where the NEHS show was a few weekends back but perhaps the vet there would be willing to look at Flare and some stool. He seemed to be helping some of the other folks out!

Good Luck,
Joanna

[tbtusk]

Thanks so much. I live an hour away form the center, so at the moment there is no easy way to get it checked with the vet there, but we know one vet that may do the test.

Anyway, I will definitely try to get a stool sample. I had noticed that his stool had been a little more "stringy" if you know what I mean, than usual, but I never saw a fresh sample so i couldn't see anything clearly wrong with it when I spot cleaned the cages.

I have not sprayed his cage or moistened it in anyway for a number aof weeks and recently replaced the bedding with fresh, dry aspen but the humidity in the 4 vivs have been staying at 50% or so. Would that be moist enough to form blisters? I would have assumed humidity would have to get up above 60% or so.

[JoannaD]

I doubt that humidity would harm the snake. The old aspen may have been wet though and the blisters could be showing up now. I don't have any experience with either problem but those were things that came to mind when you posted.

I am hoping others with more experience than I will give other suggestions as to what the bumps could be.

Joanna

[Savvy19]

Probably a stupid question, but could He be a She with a clutch inside?

[tbtusk]

Not a stupid question at all, but no I've had a gravid female and these bumps are too small, defined, and irregularly spaced.

Also he hasn't been with another snake since who knows when. He arrived with me in november and he never was with another snake after then. He's 6 and came from Kathy Love, so I would doubt he's miss-sexed. Thanks for the idea but that can't possibly be the problem.

[tbtusk]

Sorry for the delay, but I finally got some pictures. I hope you can see the bumps. I'll edit them/circle them or something if this is too hard to see. Also these are the larger bumps. I figured the smaller once might be too hard to see on the photo. They stick out as much as these but they are only under 3 scales or so instead of the 5+ these are under.

One bump in the middle of his curve:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p39/tbtusk/Flarestrangebump5-04-2007004.jpg

2 bumps inside curve:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p39/tbtusk/Flarestrangebump5-04-2007003.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p39/tbtusk/Flarestrangebump5-04-2007002.jpg

1 bump on outside of curve:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p39/tbtusk/Flarestrangebump5-04-2007001.jpg

So Joanna, do these look like the worms you thought it could be?

Thanks again

[Okeetee_Corn_Snakes]

Looks like it may be fat deposits. He looks a little overweight. How often do you feed him? and how much/big are the food items? How much does he weigh? I hope its nothing serious!

[tbtusk]

Okay, thanks. I had thought he was fine, but maybe not!! I feed him one small rat (sorry I don't know the weight), although he often refuses that and takes a large mouse instead (weird huh) once a week, skipping occasionally. I guess I will change that to once ever 10 days!! I had though he was mostly muscle. He is a strong snake and the angle of his sides and the 2 ridges next to the back bone had seemed okay, all though I hadn't really looked carefully recently.

Here's a picture from a few days ago to see what you think.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p39/tbtusk/Snakeregistration5-20-2007005.jpg

Actually, now that I think about it,the bigger bumps do remind me of fat deposits a little One of our dogs had 2 or 3 a few months ago and it seems like the same thing, although on a dog they are more round feeling, and they seem separate from the body almost, so I'm not sure what it would be like for a snake.

Thanks

[tbtusk]

Oh and I happened to weigh him yesterday, so good timing. He was 478 grams.

[Okeetee_Corn_Snakes]

I am unsure about the picture of him in the tub. He actually looks ok. I am still new too this but I remember when I was feeding dez every 7 days and it turned out to be too much. He started getting a thicker tail so I just went to every ten days. He is doing a lot better. But to me the spaces inbetween the scales of your other pics looks like he is overweight. Lets see what other users have to say =) and good luck!

[Tula_Montage]

A lot of rats will make your corn extremely fat! I occasionally feed up females on rats and they gain double the amount of weight they would if I fed a mouse of the same size.

He looks chubby. I would suggest one adult mouse every 10-14 days. You can keep him on that routine for the rest of his life, it will do him no harm whatsoever!

[Okeetee_Corn_Snakes]

Yay! I am glad I was somewhat right in my guess that he was just a little over weight! (Sometimes I am afraid I may be wrong in giving advice and stuff in these health forums. I take it as a sign I am becoming more learned in herpetology...well...snakes anyways :grin01: )