Bulging Hatchling

[Adam Chandler]

A little background: I've got a 8 month old hatchling that was a problem eater, since coming out of the egg it wouldn't eat anything and eventually it lost weight to point where I had to start assist feeding. After a few assist fed meals a fuzzy mouse I had left overnight disappeared. I was convinced I had forgot to put one in so I put another in that night and the next morning darned if that fuzzy was gone too. In the last 6 weeks it has turned into a voracious eater, a complete 180.

Now since it's started eating it hasn't been having normal deification. It'll swell up to the point I think it's going to pop. I was concerned about constipation so I gave it a warm soak and still nothing. So after soaking for awhile I put a little pressure near the vent and some urates and liquid began coming out of the cloaca, followed by feces. I was relived there was no constipation but about a week later it was swelled up again. Since I had seen there was nothing blocking the path I tried to wait it out for a normal deification but the swelling just kept getting worse to point I was concerned about a rupture so I repeated with warm soak and then some pressure on the belly near the vent, which again started the purge.

Now, a week later the same thing, it is swelling up again, already to a unnatural level in the lower quarter of it's body. There's nothing blocking the tract, this little guy/girl just seems unwilling to let it go. It's gotta be uncomfortable for em'.

Anyone experience anything like this before?



Temps and humidity are fine, everyone else in the hatching rack is eating and defecating fine (even to excess!).

[thegamejr]

did you find out what was causing it?

[kc261]

It may just be not quite right, and that may be part of why it was so hard to get started eating. Although, the fact that it is eating well now doesn't quite seem to fit that picture.

I really don't think it is a good idea to squeeze it out on a continuing basis. Once, to help massage out something that is stuck, yes, but I think there has to be some danger that the pressure you are applying could also force things in the wrong direction.

I wonder if stimulating the vent would do anything? Many species of mammals have to be stimulated by their mother licking them in order to go when they are newborns. I'm not at all sure that idea would transfer to a snake, though.