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Snake ate paper towel, concerned about impaction

C

courtiecrunch

New member
Hi folks!

I have a 6 year old corn snake who eats frozen rats, which I've been feeding to him (not actually sure of the sex) on a piece of kitchen paper towel for all six years of his life. His last feeding (about 8 days ago), I fed him in a rush and wasn't able to watch him eat, and I came back home and found that he had eaten both the rat AND the piece of paper towel that it was on. The paper towel is regular white kitchen towel, one sheet (the smaller sheets, not the full size ones).

Now, he had one (small) bowel movement a couple days after eating, and today I could smell a poop in his tank, but after sifting through the aspen shavings that I have him on, I only found a small wet area, and no poop, and no paper towel either. I was hoping he'd be able to pass it, or maybe it would just break down inside him. But I'm worried about impaction.

Anyway, I've been keeping an eye on him, and I've noticed somewhat of a bump near his hind end. I'm not even sure if there is a bump, or if I'm just being hyper-attentive and noticing things that I haven't noticed before. I'm considering taking him to the vet to get some x-rays done to see if he's got the paper towel stuck in there.

I'm just wondering if anyone here has any advice? Has anyone been through this before? Would paper towel even show up on an x-ray? I work at a vet clinic, and the vet there doesn't specialize in herps, but he's seen his fair share and is comfortable/confident working with snakes. Thoughts on that too?

To make matters worse, I'm leaving in two days for a volunteer job that I can't really cancel on last minute, and I will be gone for two weeks. I'm not really sure what I will do if we need to do surgery or something to remove the paper towel :(


Additional info:
- Snake is about 4 feet long
- 40 gallon tank
- heat pad/lamp at one end
- UV lighting
- lots of hides/caves/etc
- aspen bedding in which he loves to tunnel
- Snake's name is Nake, and he's the most cuddly snake I've ever met :)
 
Welcome !

I've had snakes including corns accidently eat paper towel (and bark, wood chips) with no issues. No worries. He should be fine :)
 
While Daddio is hopefully right (he actually is one of the reasons I ceased the practice of cohabbing my corns - thanx there Daddo!), maybe while you're gone, you can ask that vet who seems to think he or she is good with reptiles to keep on eye on your little sneaky one? All they would really have to do is change the water in the enclosure and make sure your snake is okay.

Just a suggestion.

Besides, two weeks is a little bit of a stretch to leave your snake all alone, no? :eek1:

Just sayin'. :p
 
I think he'll be okay. I think, if the paper towel was going to cause a problem, he would have regurged it. It has to break down to leave the stomach. I posted a pic maybe my first year of keeping snakes with a snake eating on a paper towel in her deli cup and someone warned me not to do that, for this very reason. Now they eat in bare containers. It's just not worth the worry.

Some unsolicited vacation advice: I'd leave two bowls of water, BIG ceramic dog bowls, in case of pooping in the water or your home getting too hot. I'd turn off all electric snake accessories like the UTH and lighting, to prevent a fire when you're not home.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone! I should mention that my partner is going to be home while I'm away, and she can look after Nake and my other pets for the two weeks I'm gone!

I think I may take him to the vet today just for my own peace of mind. I'm really hoping nothing is wrong, and that the lumpiness I see near his hind end is just normal. It's just about time to feed my snake again, and I'm worried about doing so if he really is impacted, because that will just make matters so much worse. I'm really curious what the vet will do if they end up having to keep Nake there for any amount of time, since they don't have any enclosures that are suitable for snakes.

Anyway, I can update here later if you folks want to know what ends up happening!
 
I think that's very wise. That was a large piece of paper towel that Nake swallowed. Looking forward to updates. Best wishes.
 
Hey folks!

I know it's been a long while, but I just wanted to update and say that my snake is fine! I ended up taking him to the vet, got some xrays done, and the vet suggested feeding a very small piece of food to try to get his gut moving. I fed him one small mouse, and he had a bowel movement a few days later. Never saw the paper towel, but the bit of swelling I saw on his side seems to be gone. I fed him again a couple days ago with a larger piece of food, and no issues yet.

Thanks for all your support!
 
Great news!! Glad he's okay!

I saw a snake on national news a few years ago. It was a big boa or python, and had been fed a rabbit in his viv, and had also swallowed an electric blanket that the owner was using for heat! He had to have surgery, but recovered.
 
Glad to hear he is doing well :)

Most likely the towel has broken up into shreds and is being passed bit by bit mixed up with his stool, hence you are not seeing anything resembling it coming out. It can be quite hard to spot recognisable objects in snake poop I find; I have a snake that occasionally eats his own shed skin and then passes them intact, but if I didn't know what I was looking for, I wouldn't spot it (gross, I know).

Do keep an eye on him though - I have heard of hatchling snakes (a boa and a false water cobra) dying from impaction after eating kitchen roll, but I believe that was in greater quantities, and besides and adult snake would doubtless be better able to cope. I don't mean to scare you, especially as it sounds as though you've already done all you can and should with the vets, etc., just saying to keep an eye on him for a while longer and be on the lookout for fasting and swelling. If he's already eating and pooping though, I'm sure he's fine.
 
I so glad it all came out in the end! (Sorry, I couldn't help it). :roflmao:

Seriously, glad your snake is okay!
 
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