Food Bulge Post Shed
Hello All,
Been lurking awhile reading some great information here and elsewhere, but now I have a question. First, a little background. I am the proud parent of a beautiful (almost) 6 month old male "Extreme" Okeetee from SMR. He has been doing very well since I received him in late February: feeding every 5 days, pooping, active, receptive to handling (no less than 60 hours post feed), etc. I gave him a full week to settle in before handling/feeding. I last fed him on 3/14 and about a day later I noticed the tell-tale signs of pre-shed. Much less active, dull colors, etc. He spent the entirety of the shed in his cool hide (70-74F probe thermometer). Last night he successfully shed in one full piece including eye caps and tail (yay!), had a good poo, and then returned to his warm hide (83-85F via UTH - probe thermometer). This morning I took him out to ogle his fresh beauty, and noticed he still has a bit of a post-feed belly. Now, this is 10.5 days post feed. It isn't an "I just ate a pinky" bulge, but it's definitely noticeable by feel and visually. Should I be concerned? I don't know why he decided to spend the entire shed in the cool hide, but I didn't disturb him nor try to coax him to the warm side. Should I wait to feed him until the bulge disappears? Is a 10 day old undigested meal likely to cause issues? He seems completely healthy otherwise. Although this is my first reptile of any kind, I'm very meticulous. I try not to worry over every little thing because snakes have been around much longer than us and know what to do, but I do have a slight concern over this length of digestion. Thanks! |
Can you post a picture? A bulge would not be from feeding at this point. Generally if the food isn't digested by day 3, it will be regurgitated, but it wouldn't still be a lump in the belly.
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Out of curiosity, what type of bedding is he on? Also, do you feed him in his enclosure or in a secondary tub?
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So it wasn't exactly easy, but I think this picture shows the location and size of the bulge. I marked in with red lines the start and end point. The pic itself is terrible...bad light, etc. Maybe it will help though.
https://i.imgur.com/YvFJI6l.jpg |
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Have you tried a warm bath?
Off topic, he is quite the looker! SMR really puts out nice snakes. |
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Yes, the photo I posted really doesn't do him justice. His yellows/oranges are much more vibrant than that picture. I know that the orange color in corns tends to develop over time...but I received him at 4 months old and was really surprised at just how striking he already was. |
Sounds good. One other question if I may.... is the bulge squishy/mushy feeling or is it firm?
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It sounds like a warm bath may help.
If the bulge gets worse or doesn’t shrink, however, within a week, I’d schedule a visit with your vet. |
Just a quick update. I took my boy out for a bit of a handling session this morning. I really spent time feeling this widening in his mid section. From the sides, I almost can't tell a difference from the rest of his body. Maybe just a slight widening of his skeletal structure. When I feel it from his ventral side, it's very soft, almost as if it's just empty space. It definitely doesn't feel firm at all like an obstruction or poop, but I'm also no vet.
I'm going to keep an eye on it for the weekend. If there's no change I'll schedule a vet visit. |
On a side note, his name is Popcorn. I came up with it initially as an idea and my daughter said that his colors really "pop" so the name stuck. My wife calls him Waldo because it's always "where's Waldo?" Since he hides mostly...
And he's very much warmed up to us. I do most of the holding while the kids let him climb over their hands and go "whoa...so cool!" For whatever reason, he's particularly fond of my watch. He always gives it at least a twice over. |
How is Popcorn doing (what a great name!)? Did he ever get that bath?
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I fed him Friday, no issues. He pooped three days later. I bathed him today in a Sterilite container with lid/air holes in bottled spring water at 85F, decreasing to 82F naturally after 15 minutes. He didn't like it lol. He kept looking through the container at me like "what have you done to me daddy??" :-) I gave him a decent sized rock to grab onto but he basically never stopped moving the whole time. Obviously that's half the point anyway.
He didn't poop then and there has been very little if any change to his bump. I emailed Don @ SMR and he thoroughly discounted the possibility of Crypto since in his massive collection and 50 years of experience, he's never had a case. I trust him 100%. Great guy. He suggested the wait and see approach and that the baths certainly won't hurt regardless. In the absence of any other symptoms of illness, I will continue the daily baths, except for around meals. |
Thanks for the update!
Don is great! We have a couple of beauties we got from him, too, and he is always so helpful. I definitely trust him as well. |
Based on your descriptions and the fact the snake is still eating, it is *extremely* unlikely to be crypto. Crypto swelling is often larger, more distinct, quite firm and the snake either won't eat or regurges.
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