Can't tell if it's a lump or she's just flexing.

That lump is back... or not? I am having a difficult time telling because she does that wavy belly thing along her whole underside when running over my fingers, so the lump disappears whenever I try to get a closer look. But then again, it's clearly visible in the photo.

Sadly, she did regurg a mouse tail, some fur, and a foot last Monday (Sept 8), about a week after being fed (Sept 2). At least, I think it's regurg--I didn't witness it and there's no way solid body parts could come out her booty, right? I should have chased her into one of the hides, because I did notice that she didn't spend time in either of them for the first day after eating (she sat behind the lower heat hide), but I thought little of it because she was still technically above the heat mat (whoops). I've been following Kathy Love's regurg guide and have been waiting the 8 days before feeding her again (should I wait longer? It looks like her guide is for younger snakes...). She also let loose a large mound of normal-looking poop this past weekend (Sept 13). But is there still food in her even after 2 weeks since eating, you think?

I will be seeing a reptile specialist at the local animal hospital this Thursday (wish I could schedule earlier, but they were booked!) to see what they think it is. I will update on what I find out!

I wish I could take better photos, but she is pretty fidgety whenever she sees the camera/phone (like, wanting to crawl on top of it instead of stay in my hand!). Snake, I'm trying to figure out if you're okay--KEEP STILL!!!

Came back from the vet today with more positive feelings than the last several days. Without ruling out bacteria, the vet said that her condition doesn't look severe and is likely just gas from improperly digested food. She recommended upping the temperatures of the heat pads, especially since the weather is getting colder, and also giving her a warm bath twice a day. She said to do this for several days to see if the swelling goes down, but if it doesn't, bring her back in for antibiotics.

Buuuuut, on our way home from the vet Pancake made this in her travel case (attached). It's very runny like diarrhea--something to be concerned about?

I just received the result of a gram stain test that I applied for on Monday:

60% gram negative

I don't really know what that means other than it's bad and she'll be needing antibiotics and further fecal tests to determine the best approach to kill whatever's infected her. It's not crypto, is it?

You can't tell if it's crypto from a grams stain. That poop looks like a normal "nervous while traveling" poop.

I _think_ a good grams stain shows equal amounts of positive and negative bacteria- not an abundance of one or the other. But your vet will let you know.

A snake with crypto with be thin and triangular shaped. You can feel the stomach as a large lump when you run your fingers firmly down the body.

If your snake has never been in contact with other snakes, it is VERY unlikely that she would have crypto.

Fur does sometimes goe through undigested. A week is a very long time for a regurge. Photos would help if she does it again.

Nanci said:

You can't tell if it's crypto from a grams stain. That poop looks like a normal "nervous while traveling" poop.

I _think_ a good grams stain shows equal amounts of positive and negative bacteria- not an abundance of one or the other. But your vet will let you know.

A snake with crypto with be thin and triangular shaped. You can feel the stomach as a large lump when you run your fingers firmly down the body.

If your snake has never been in contact with other snakes, it is VERY unlikely that she would have crypto.

Fur does sometimes goe through undigested. A week is a very long time for a regurge. Photos would help if she does it again.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the response!

When the vet was unable to detect anything unusual when she firmly felt the snake, so I am assuming that's good?

She is a single snake child, thankfully.

The fur came out on a strip of undigested skin, along with a foot and the whole mouse tail. I was too panicked to take a photo, but will definitely take one if it happens again. So it's possible for a snake to poop out whole, undigested mouse parts?

She started antibiotics on Sunday and the next shot will be tonight. I dropped off another stool sample on Friday for culturing and I will hopefully know the results by the end of the week. I feel terrible for letting her fall ill despite doing my best to take care of her. I'm crossing my fingers that the culture results aren't too bad!

The final culture analysis came in today: the vet concluded that she simply has an overgrowth of digestive bacteria in her intestines. No parasites, just gas! I was told to continue using the remaining antibiotics and if she still doesn't clear up after several days, to administer some infant gas relief drops (1 drop every day). Weak stomach muscles could also be cause for her puffy appearance (oh no, someone needs to go to the gym!).

Has anyone else had to administer infant gas drops to their snake before? Prying open her mouth is gonna be fun, oh boy...

After doing a search in the forums, I saw Nutribac brought up a couple times. Should I try this? Or will it just make her condition worse (increasing the bacteria)?

I wonder if you could put the drops on or inside (slitting the mouse and dripping it inside the wound) a mouse… but that's just me thinking out loud.

I have never had to administer drops before, but if I were you, I would grab a partner to help you. You can use the flat edge of a safety pin to pry her mouth open, and then either you or your partner can put the drops in.

I've never heard of baby gas drops for a snake. I have had a snake with "gas" (which made her feel squishy, without any visible swelling). She was treated with antibiotics, and the vet recommended increasing her feeding frequency to get her gut moving more.

I would ask the vet about the Nutribac. Typically, birds and reptiles are given probiotics after a course of antibiotics, to reestablish bacteria.

Thanks for the input! I'll get in touch with the vet later today about using Nutribac.

Update

It looks like the mixture of antibiotics and baby gas medicine worked! (though I only managed one dose of the gas drops because of her feeding schedule)

I don't have any photos because she's being difficult, but her underbelly is completely flat and her entire length is a consistent thickness. It looks like the bloat is completely gone (it was still kind of there last night, when she defecated).

I will continue to keep an eye on her throughout the next several days to make sure it's not a fluke, but I am really happy right now because this is the first time I've seen her looking this good a month!

That's great to hear!! I'll have to remember this thread just in case!