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Husbandry and Basic Care General stuff about keeping and maintaining cornsnakes in captivity.

Food Bulge Post Shed
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Old 03-25-2021, 10:34 AM   #1
adamant365
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!
 
Old 03-25-2021, 10:48 AM   #2
hypnoctopus
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.
 
Old 03-25-2021, 11:20 AM   #3
LyraFamily
Out of curiosity, what type of bedding is he on? Also, do you feed him in his enclosure or in a secondary tub?
 
Old 03-25-2021, 11:30 AM   #4
adamant365
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.
 
Old 03-25-2021, 11:32 AM   #5
adamant365
Quote:
Originally Posted by LyraFamily View Post
Out of curiosity, what type of bedding is he on? Also, do you feed him in his enclosure or in a secondary tub?
He's on cypress. I feed him in his enclosure on a large paper plate. He has been consistently pooping including a good sized poop last night after he shed.
 
Old 03-25-2021, 12:19 PM   #6
LyraFamily
Have you tried a warm bath?

Off topic, he is quite the looker! SMR really puts out nice snakes.
 
Old 03-25-2021, 12:39 PM   #7
adamant365
Quote:
Originally Posted by LyraFamily View Post
Have you tried a warm bath?

Off topic, he is quite the looker! SMR really puts out nice snakes.
I have not tried that yet. I may give him a day to just relax now that I've rudely interrupted his daytime nap twice and then check on him tomorrow. If no change, I will try a warm bath.

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.
 
Old 03-25-2021, 02:06 PM   #8
LyraFamily
Sounds good. One other question if I may.... is the bulge squishy/mushy feeling or is it firm?
 
Old 03-25-2021, 03:08 PM   #9
adamant365
Quote:
Originally Posted by LyraFamily View Post
Sounds good. One other question if I may.... is the bulge squishy/mushy feeling or is it firm?
I would say moderately squishy. Not hard like, say your wrist bone nubbin, but not very squishy like the pads of one's palm. I'd say somewhere in between. I hope that makes sense. I honestly didn't squeeze it too hard. Nor is it really possible to convey the actual texture with words, but I'm trying
 
Old 03-25-2021, 03:53 PM   #10
LyraFamily
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.
 

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