Cloaca bulge?? Round bulge.

[MYT4U]

Hey guys I'm new to this forum but I have a question. I just bought a female Lesser & she's very sweet & I've noticed a bulge right near her cloaca, vent, or whatever you want to call it. There also seems to be some soft tissue (not raw) around there as well. It seems that she is having trouble to defecate because I just noticed dried poop on there from her previous owner's care but I cleaned it off. Please help.

[capykat]

Soaking the snake in a bit of warn water helps with bowel movements. But be careful to always watch her and don't make the water too deep, i've heard stories of snakes drowining in half an inch of water.

[piedlover79]

A picture would help....but it sounds like a vet visit may be in order if there evidence of swelling and poor defecation. That bulge could be an infection.

[MYT4U]

Let's see if this link works for a pic.

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...1d&oe=5782A6CD

[MYT4U]

Here are some more.

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...12&oe=578387E4

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...70&oe=57828F72

[MYT4U]

I posted the links

[piedlover79]

I highly suggest a vet visit. Do you know how long it's been like that?

[MYT4U]

I'm going to schedule a visit next week because the vets in my area are closed right now & tomorrow. When I touch that area it feels kind of squishy & she shown no signs of pain even though you can see that it's inflamed a little bit. I contacted her previous owner & he said he used aspen bedding for her so I have no clue if some aspen is stuck in there or not. I haven't even had her for a week yet.

[O'Mathghamhna]

Good call with the vet visit--in the meantime I would keep her on paper towels so you can monitor for signs of discharge/residue, and prevent anything further from irritating the area until it gets fixed. I've heard impacted bowel is typically very hard; if the area is squishy it's possible she might be gravid. My BP female became gravid even though she hadn't mated with another snake and she bulged quite a bit like that near the tail when she got closer to delivery. Good luck.