Lump in Jungle

[rubysnake]

hey, ive been away for a few days and came home to find my jungle has a lump in him like he's just been fed. he was fed a week ago today (sunday) and im pretty worried.
he's off to the vet tomorrow but being bairnsdale i wont find a herp specialist
i'm hoping i got get a few ideas off here.
the power hasnt been off and his temps are good he's never had this problem before and the heat in run off a thermostat.
im moved him into a smaller tub since his other one is quite large to give him more heat and given him a warm bath. he doesnt seem to mind the lump being touch but i dont no? he can move from head to tail.
he seemed to do a small poop since ive been watching him.
any ideas or ideas how i can help him
thanks

 

[Ewan]

rubysnake it really could be a number of things. Was the food lump gone from the last feed before you went away? Maybe you could take a pic and post it up.

If it is an undigested meal it needs to be removed or it will become septic and poison your snake. There are other things that might cause this appearance such as a tumor or a large cyst or abscess. You really need to seek a good reptile vet to diagnose this abnormality.

 

[rubysnake]

ewan, the lump wasnt gone before i left so thats what makes me thinks its a undigested food.
the size of the lump is slightly smaller then the fuzzy would have left in him.
and the food is the same size as usual for him.
how does someone like the vet remove the food?
i read a thread about food that didn't digest fully poisoning a snake so im heading to the vet tomorrow morning.hopefully they can put me in touch with someone who knows more

 

[PhilK]

A normal vet would be able to deal with this with your help. You probably won't need a herp specialist unless something really weird turns up.. They will perform a palpation and/or an X ray initially mate, and any vet can do that. Don't panic too much and make sure you tell the vet the full history.

 

[Helikaon]

i guess the question is,,,, is the lump in the stomach or is it somewhere else??

 

[rubysnake]

thanks phill. i feel awful because ive been away. yep i will and hopefully all goes well.
helikaon i think it may be slightly past stomach more towards his tail end? but im not brilliant on a snakes anatomy so i maybe way off im sorry.

 

[Helikaon]

you need top post a good clear picture. also what does the lump feel like, is it solid is it soft, is it symetrical did it jsut appear or has it been there since last feeding

 

[rubysnake]

ill go take a pic, its rather solid, ive been away since feeding so i presume its still from last feeing

 

[webcol]

Could the snake have constipation? Sometimes when they cant digest properly (sometimes from lack of water) they can become constipated and eventully this can turn into a hard mass. When did it poo and pee last? Does the snake have access to enough water?

 

[rubysnake]

hes has water up the hot end and cold end, both large dishes. he normally poos/wees when we pick him up and he hasnt. when i soaked him he pooped a tiny bit. here are some photos. if it is constipation what can i do?

 

[webcol]

from the look of the photo, it looks like the lump is slightly of to one side?
If it is constipation then soaking it in warm water and putting her out on the grass may help.

 

[Helikaon]

those pictures are very interesting. that will deffinitely need to be seen by a vet. it will be interesting to see what they say once they get to see and examine it in the flesh. it almost looks like gastric hypertrophy caused by crypto but seems to far caudal. when was the last time you wormed your snake, it may have a large population of round worm. i hope it isnt crypto becuase that would not be nice.

oh has the lump moved towards the tail at all since you noticed it?

 

[Helikaon]

but i guess overly all internal lumps in snakes look the same, so will need some tests done. lets hope it is nothing to bad. keep us updated.

 

[shax]

deleted.

 

[shax]

Crypto

those pictures are very interesting. that will deffinitely need to be seen by a vet. it will be interesting to see what they say once they get to see and examine it in the flesh. it almost looks like gastric hypertrophy caused by crypto but seems to far caudal. when was the last time you wormed your snake, it may have a large population of round worm. i hope it isnt crypto becuase that would not be nice.

Do Snakes get cyryptosporidium? Are these classic symptoms then. I thought Crypto was purely a human pathogen?

 

[Helikaon]

Do Snakes get cyryptosporidium? Are these classic symptoms then. I thought Crypto was purely a human pathogen?

yes snakes can get crypto it can cause actue gastric hypertrophy, where the stomach becomes a solid visable lump, i know treatment is just about nonexistent. you can test for it in a feacal sample but you need some weird stain like an acid fast stain or something. whihc i know we dont have at the vet i work at.

interesting stuff though

 

[rubysnake]

from the look of the photo, it looks like the lump is slightly of to one side?
If it is constipation then soaking it in warm water and putting her out on the grass may help.

yep ive been soaking him

those pictures are very interesting. that will deffinitely need to be seen by a vet. it will be interesting to see what they say once they get to see and examine it in the flesh. it almost looks like gastric hypertrophy caused by crypto but seems to far caudal. when was the last time you wormed your snake, it may have a large population of round worm. i hope it isnt crypto becuase that would not be nice.

oh has the lump moved towards the tail at all since you noticed it?

i think its moved towards the end a little, but its still a hard mass.
he hasnt been wormed since ive had him so ill get onto that and do all my snakes.
its vet day today guys ill let you know. thanks every one your info has been great. fingers crossed

 

[keeper]

Good luck hope all goes well for the little fella

 

[webcol]

Goodluck

 

[rubysnake]

Good luck hope all goes well for the little fella

Goodluck

thanks guys. no luck today. but got onto a herp vet in bdale so im amazed. i couldn't see him untill tomorrow at 11.30 will post with any info i get thanks again