weight problem?

[Kel]

Yes it's a real shame that this is still knocking about the UK after all this time. The gene pool has expanded with US imports, but I guess they're going to be the rarer morphs because of the cost of importing. The more "traditional" Normals, Amels, Anerys and Snows are more likely to be derived from historical bloodlines and so might be more prone to the problem - wonder if anyone's done any kind of study? Has anyone seen this problem in other morphs?

I guess the main issue for a breeder is that it doesn't seem to manifest until the snake is mature. Unless you know your snake's parentage in detail, you'll have no warning. Even if you stop breeding at that point, it's too late to undo the damage or trace owners of the hatchlings to warn them and so it's passed to another generation.

Sorry, I don't know of any shows in the north west yet either.

 

[Missy]

but know it still happens sometimtes with a bad gene pool from plenty of in-breeding. I hope this isn't the case with Skitzy, i really do, as their would be nothing that could be done for her.

Keep us updated on the progress and let us know what the vet says.

in-breeding? does that mean incest?
oh my, i hope that isnt the case with skitzy either, and i cant even remember where i bought her from therefore i do not know her parents.

cannot wait to get her to the vet to put my mind at rest, soo many things are going through it now.
thanx yet again for all your help guys.

 

[Missy]

A friend of mine was unlucky enough to lose one of his a couple of months ago to this problem. She had fat lumps which appeared really quickly (in the space of a month), surrounded her kidneys and caused kidney failure. The PM showed abnormal fat deposits elsewhere inside her body but they weren't visible externally. She was only three years old, so it's still here. Hopefully the condition is starting to die out as owners stop breeding from Corns that show this problem.

oh my thats so horrible, shes so precious to me i am so crossing my fingers that this isnt thew case with my little one.

Missy - I really sympathise with what you're going through. Could the vet be persuaded to take a biopsy of the lumps to see if he can confirm whether they're fat deposits? I'm not sure whether you can draw a conclusion from the findings so far. As my friend found, fat deposits can cause kidney failure, so it's possible that that any kidney problem could be a secondary symptom rather than a root cause. I'd have thought your supplier would have gone out of business by now if he was selling suspect food - it wouldn't just be your Skitzy affected. Could you ask the vet if he's seen any other cases in your area recently? It would certainly be worth following up on.

Please keep us posted and the very best of luck to you. My thoughts are with you.

how do they take a biopsy of the lumps then? does that mean an operation?
i really hope she doesnt have to be operated on, my missy had 3 operations in the space of 2 years and she was only 8, skitzy's still a baby to me.

my supplier is in a couple of towns away from my town as you cannot get any mice from my area so have to travel quite a way for them, also we only have one vet that even knows about snakes, thre isnt many in my area but will ask him anyway and see what he says.
thanx for all your help

 

[Kel]

Hi Missy. A biopsy shouldn't need an operation. It will just involve the vet taking a small sample of the lump with a thin needle - it's very quick and doesn't need any anaesthetic. This can then be examined under a microscope to confirm what the lump is made of. However, it could be that your vet is confident with his diagnosis and might advise against. See what he thinks.

in-breeding? does that mean incest?

Essentially, yes. In-breeding is where closely related Corns are bred together, for example, if you're trying to strengthen or perfect a particular colour morph or pattern. It's actually quite common in the Corn breeding community and is successful as long as the bloodline is strong and doesn't contain any problems. However, when issues like this metabolic disorder are present in the bloodlines, in-breeding can actually amplify and perpetuate health problems. No reputable breeder would knowingly do it, but in the case of things like this that sometimes don't become apparent until a Corn is older, it can happen accidentally.

 

[Missy]

Hi Missy. A biopsy shouldn't need an operation. It will just involve the vet taking a small sample of the lump with a thin needle - it's very quick and doesn't need any anaesthetic. This can then be examined under a microscope to confirm what the lump is made of. However, it could be that your vet is confident with his diagnosis and might advise against. See what he thinks.

thank you for that kel i will cetainly ask my vet about that.

Essentially, yes. In-breeding is where closely related Corns are bred together, for example, if you're trying to strengthen or perfect a particular colour morph or pattern. It's actually quite common in the Corn breeding community and is successful as long as the bloodline is strong and doesn't contain any problems. However, when issues like this metabolic disorder are present in the bloodlines, in-breeding can actually amplify and perpetuate health problems. No reputable breeder would knowingly do it, but in the case of things like this that sometimes don't become apparent until a Corn is older, it can happen accidentally.

hmmm now i really really hopew this isnt the case with skitzy she layed 11 healthy eggs in 2002 in which i sold them all to my reptile place and kept one for myself, which is Diaga.
if this is the case then a few people are not going to be happy with their purchase, havent a clue who he sold them onto though.
anyways will definitely keep you all informed.
thanx