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Distended belly. Don't know what else to do...

rejohnson53

rejohnson53

New member
My snake has recently been recovering from a parasitic infection which she was treated for by the vet. Right before bringing her to the vet for diagnosis, I had noticed two small lumps in her stomach area. The vet told me that she was not impacted, and that the lumps were likely gas bubbles, nothing to worry myself about. She had lost a lot of weight over the 2 months of illness, and the vet told me to work her back up from f/t pinkies since it had been so long since she had eaten.

I noticed that her belly would get a larger lump than I would have expected each time she ate, but she was passing feces which looked healthy, mostly several small deposits over the course of the week instead of one large pile. 8 days ago I fed her her 3rd hopper since her recovery started. She ate it like she was starving, and developed a HUGE lump in her belly.

She threw it up the next day. This week she has thrown up three times and pooped twice. She stays on the cold side of the tank and will flee from the heat pad whenever I try to move her to warm her up, even though it's only 92 F over the pad. (Her warm and cold hides are identical flower pots.) The lump in her belly is still huge. I took these pictures with my phone (sorry, she was REALLY squirming):

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Also, she flinches when I touch her, abnormal behavior for her.

I'm worried about trying to feed her within the next few days, but I'm still trying to get her back to a healthy weight. Should I see if she can keep a pink down? I am not giving NutriBac yet because I have never used it before, but I can get some if you guys recommend it. All I'm doing right now is changing her water and checking on her every day, and hoping. I'll take her back to the vet if she doesn't improve, but she was there 3 weeks ago for a follow up and they saw nothing wrong with her. It has me very confused.

Please please please, any advice as to what to do next would be greatly appreciated!

Snake age: Unknown, less than 2 years.
Length: 34 inches at last measurement.
Weight: 90g (at her most underweight right before recieving parasite treatment. Haven't gotten her weighed in a few weeks, but she's a bit heavier now.)
Morph: Snow
Habitat: 20 gal glass aquarium with screen top, aspen shavings substrate. 2 hides, UTH and heat lamp (for the winter).
 
The vet took fecal samples on two separate occasions. The first sample tested showed only flagellate parasites. The second sample, taken maybe 3 weeks ago, was clean of any parasites, and the vet declared her parasite free. The swelling started just before the first vet visit.
 
I would take the snake back to the vet. I would venture to guess the snake is not in the clear and that it was just not shedding the parasites at that time. If the snake is positive for crypto it can go through periods where it isn't shedding them. I would recommend getting some NutriBac and no do not feed if the snake is still regurging.
 
She stays on the cold side of the tank and will flee from the heat pad whenever I try to move her to warm her up, even though it's only 92 F over the pad. (Her warm and cold hides are identical flower pots.)
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A Corn's ideal maximum is 90. Whilst 92 isn't the end of the world, it's likely to be much hotter than is comfortable for her (especially as she's already feeling off-colour) and that's probably why she's moving away when picked up and placed on the hot surface. If you can get it to mid-80s, that might make her more inclined to use it.

Having said that, most of mine spend their time at the cool end of their tanks and rarely venture over to the warm side for any length of time.

You can't force a snake to be in a particular temp zone. Thermoregulation is something they have to do for themselves as only they will know what temp they need at any particular time. All we can do is provide the best conditions possible so that they're able to access the right temps at any time.
 
I would take the snake back to the vet and have them do a gastric lavage to get a sample to send off for PCR testing for Crypto. Feed the snake 3 days before the visit so that if it is Crypto it will be shedding the Oocystes in the stomach. It is a much better and more conclusive test than a fecal swab.
Do you have other snakes? I would remove that one from the area they are in if you do. And I would wear gloves while handling it. It may sound like over kill but if it is crypto it is highly contagious and easily spread to other snakes.
 
I highly suspect crypto as well. A regular fecal exam performed in the vet's office isn't going to be able to diagnose it. An acid fast staining would have had to have been performed and most vet's aren't set up to do that in-house.
 
Nanci said:
92 is fairly high for the UTH, also. It should be more in the 82-84 range.
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My vet informed me that a corn's ideal temperature can range from the low 80s to maybe 98 F, and that her warmest hide should be 95ish. That's the range I've been shooting for.

How do snakes even contract Crypto? From my understanding it can't be transmitted by mice and she has not come into contact with another snake for well over a year. The only place I can think that she could have been exposed was the vet's office, but she was showing signs of bloating before then.

I have started her on NutriBac in her water and I'm contacting a local herpetologist while I wait for a veterinary appointment to open up.

What are the other symptoms of Crypto besides a swollen belly? And can her symptoms be caused by anything else? An overgrowth of gas-producing bacteria, maybe?
 
I disagree with your vet about the optimal temperature. In my experience, that is far too warm, and you yourself have observed that your snake refuses to stay in that area.

Crypto is shed by a carrier in the feces, and transmitted to other snakes when they ingest the parasite, most usually in a contaminated water bowl. _If_ your snake has crypto, it can persist in a sub-acute state for months or even years. It's quite difficult to halt the regurgitation cycle once started, and, if you keep other snakes, they have a high risk of eventually contracting crypto themselves. The kindest course for the animal who tests positive is euthanasia.

There are a couple ways to test for crypto. The most accurate test is a PCR test of either a fecal or gastric lavage. This will run about $100, but then you know. The acid fast test _may_ catch crypto on the first try, but if you get a negative result you need to repeat the test two more times, because it is dependent on finding shed oocysts in the sample. If the parasite is not shedding at the time, you get a false negative.

The only cleaning product which kills crypto is ammonia. It can also be killed by steam.

What was the parasitic infection that your snake was treated for, some type of worm?

Can you tell if the swelling you see in your snake is the stomach?
 
rejohnson53 said:
My vet informed me that a corn's ideal temperature can range from the low 80s to maybe 98 F, and that her warmest hide should be 95ish. That's the range I've been shooting for.

How do snakes even contract Crypto? From my understanding it can't be transmitted by mice and she has not come into contact with another snake for well over a year. The only place I can think that she could have been exposed was the vet's office, but she was showing signs of bloating before then.

I have started her on NutriBac in her water and I'm contacting a local herpetologist while I wait for a veterinary appointment to open up.

What are the other symptoms of Crypto besides a swollen belly? And can her symptoms be caused by anything else? An overgrowth of gas-producing bacteria, maybe?
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Regurging, loss of condition, offensive feces are symptoms as well as the tell-tale thickening of the gut wall. Mites are a vector for crypto and can easily be transported home in bedding bought in a reptile shop or on your clothing.
 
Janine, I had not previously heard that mites could be a vector for crypto. IBD, yes. I am unable to find a reference.
 
It's also really worrisome that she continues to "throw up." Virtually always, when a snake regurges a meal, that is the end of it. She's pooping, so she doesn't have a complete obstruction. Are you familiar with the regurge protocol? Basically, you don't feed her for 8-10 days, and then start with a prey half the size of what was regurged. So for her, something like a small fuzzy/ large peach fuzzy. And put Nutribac on all her meals.
 
As Nanci mention, regurge protocol.... wait between meals, use the nutribac. I wonder if the snake has a twisted gut(not sure of the proper term)? This could easily be why the snake is bloated and regurging. But your vet could tell you for sure. I understand everyones jump on Crypto but usually the snake will stop eating and loose their appetite. Don't take it the wrong way, have your snake tested for Crypto. But also have your vet take a look(x-Ray) its gut and see if there is a blockage or twist. Best wishes for your snake and you....
 
But if the snake has pooped twice in one week, she can't have a complete bowel obstruction. If she had a "twist," she would be dead within days without surgery.
 
Nanci said:
But if the snake has pooped twice in one week, she can't have a complete bowel obstruction. If she had a "twist," she would be dead within days without surgery.
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I have snakes that poop more than twice a week. The fecal matter can be leftover to. I often have males that have more than just urine in there poo months after they stopped eating on there spring mating adventures.

Here is a good question, Is the poo all urine or is there actually fecal matter in the poo? Has the snake lost its appetite?

I disagree with the twist statement, I have a friend with a RTB that went 6 weeks before they finally found the cause, then (yes you are correct) surgery was needed. It ended up to be to late, and it passed.
 
Yes, I've been following regurge protocol religiously.

Yes, there is fecal matter in the poop. The poop is pretty healthy looking, strangely enough.

And she definitely still has an apetite. She still acts hungry now. Before she regurged last week, I was feeding her large fuzzies and she was swallowing them before they even hit the floor. Acted like she was starving, but that was understandable as at the time she was still recovering from the parasitosis. The only parasites found in her system one month ago when she was first treated were flagellates. Apparently LOTS of flagellates, more than expected. Vet said that they cause nausea and vomiting. She was doing great after the treatment except for the slightly bloated stomach.

A local herpetologist recommended that I take her completely off of food for maybe 2 weeks and see if the swelling goes down. He said that after deworming at such a high parasite load, the gut can get a little screwed up from all of the dead parasites decaying in the stomach, and that the snake needs time. I've put NutriBac in her water.

The food that she had been keeping down before last Monday, mostly fuzzies, appeared slow to digest, and she didn't poop until maybe 5 days after each feeding, and then continued to poop over the next 3 days or so (rough numbers).

I have turned the temp down in the tank to 85ish. It won't get much cooler in my climate unless I turn the air conditioning on.

I still don't know where she could have gotten crypto from. She is my only snake, and neither she nor I nor anyone in my family has come in contact with another snake for maybe a year. I disinfect her waterbowl and fill it with fresh water periodically. I own no other reptiles.
 
rejohnson53 said:
Yes, I've been following regurge protocol religiously.

Yes, there is fecal matter in the poop. The poop is pretty healthy looking, strangely enough.

And she definitely still has an apetite. She still acts hungry now. Before she regurged last week, I was feeding her large fuzzies and she was swallowing them before they even hit the floor. Acted like she was starving, but that was understandable as at the time she was still recovering from the parasitosis. The only parasites found in her system one month ago when she was first treated were flagellates. Apparently LOTS of flagellates, more than expected. Vet said that they cause nausea and vomiting. She was doing great after the treatment except for the slightly bloated stomach.

A local herpetologist recommended that I take her completely off of food for maybe 2 weeks and see if the swelling goes down. He said that after deworming at such a high parasite load, the gut can get a little screwed up from all of the dead parasites decaying in the stomach, and that the snake needs time. I've put NutriBac in her water.

The food that she had been keeping down before last Monday, mostly fuzzies, appeared slow to digest, and she didn't poop until maybe 5 days after each feeding, and then continued to poop over the next 3 days or so (rough numbers).

I have turned the temp down in the tank to 85ish. It won't get much cooler in my climate unless I turn the air conditioning on.

I still don't know where she could have gotten crypto from. She is my only snake, and neither she nor I nor anyone in my family has come in contact with another snake for maybe a year. I disinfect her waterbowl and fill it with fresh water periodically. I own no other reptiles.
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The snake could have had it when you got it, crypto can lay dormant for a long time before showing signs of it. My friend who's snake I showed a pic of took over a year to show signs of it. It is better to make an error on the side of caution. Best of luck with it.
 
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