Need a little advice

I tried feeding my male Snow, Apophis again tonight, but he is refusing once more for the third week in a row. I am seriously getting concerned about him, because he has never turned down food before. I've been watching him closely for any signs of an RI...nothing that I can tell. I've checked his mouth...no sign of mouth rot. I've triple and quadruple checked his setup and everything is perfectly fine and hasn't changed (70 on cool end, 85 on hot, several large hides, aspen bedding a few inches deep to burrow in, corner water dish that is fresh every day). At first I thought he might be constipated, but he has left me a couple of messes within the past week. I'm really at a loss. So, as I was handling him tonight after trying to feed him, I noticed something really odd. It almost looks like his hemipenes are swollen. :oops: I don't know if this is something normal that male Corns go through during this time of the year....or if there really is something wrong with his rear end. I took a couple of pictures to show you what I mean. I spent an hour looking over his body around the belly area, looking for any sign of lumps (undigested food), and didn't find anything else but this, so I really didn't know what else to do other than to ask if anyone else has this problem and whether or not it is normal. I'm rather embarrassed if it is normal, but this will be my first "breeding" season with him, so I'm a little new to this. Anyone got any help or ideas, suggestions?

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1700/apophis028.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/93/apophis029.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8/apophis030.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Becca Granger

I tried feeding my male Snow, Apophis again tonight, but he is refusing once more for the third week in a row. I am seriously getting concerned about him, because he has never turned down food before. I've been watching him closely for any signs of an RI...nothing that I can tell. I've checked his mouth...no sign of mouth rot. I've triple and quadruple checked his setup and everything is perfectly fine and hasn't changed (70 on cool end, 85 on hot, several large hides, aspen bedding a few inches deep to burrow in, corner water dish that is fresh every day). At first I thought he might be constipated, but he has left me a couple of messes within the past week. I'm really at a loss. So, as I was handling him tonight after trying to feed him, I noticed something really odd. It almost looks like his hemipenes are swollen. :oops: I don't know if this is something normal that male Corns go through during this time of the year....or if there really is something wrong with his rear end. I took a couple of pictures to show you what I mean. I spent an hour looking over his body around the belly area, looking for any sign of lumps (undigested food), and didn't find anything else but this, so I really didn't know what else to do other than to ask if anyone else has this problem and whether or not it is normal. I'm rather embarrassed if it is normal, but this will be my first "breeding" season with him, so I'm a little new to this. Anyone got any help or ideas, suggestions?

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1700/apophis028.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/93/apophis029.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8/apophis030.jpg

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Are you sure he is a him? It kinda looks like a snake with eggs almost ready to drop them.You say you were breeding was he(or her) the one getting bred?

No, sorry, you misunderstood me. I am not actually breeding him, but this is considered their "breeding" time of year, right? He is definitely a male and lives a solitary life. I got him back in September, so this is actually my first "breeding season" with him, so I'm not sure if this is just normal?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Becca Granger

No, sorry, you misunderstood me. I am not actually breeding him, but this is considered their "breeding" time of year, right? He is definitely a male and lives a solitary life. I got him back in September, so this is actually my first "breeding season" with him, so I'm not sure if this is just normal?

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Ahh ok :P.

I think you have a female there who is about to drop some unfertilized eggs, my dear. :) They sometimes do this even if they have never been exposed to a male. Females also go on a hunger strike when they're gravid.

I can say with certainty that your snake does not have swollen hemipenes because the hemipenes of the male are actually stored BELOW the vent. :)

Give her a lay box, a tupperware container filled with damp moss, and watch for a shed as it will be the pre-lay shed. Give her some space, check on her only once or twice per day, she needs some privacy! Beware of egg binding however!

If you never intend on breeding her, and don't mind that he is actually a she, keep the name and call her a him. :)

Mine did a similar thing in April. I finally offered her pre-killed and she snapped it up. Turns out she had simply gotten tired of f/t. If she doesn't drop any eggs, you may try the p/k food.

Those are bizarre lumps. Gravid females don't swell like that, though I suppose that could be it.

If you're 100% sure its a male, then those obviously aren't eggs. And him not feeding is normal this time of year, but if those lumps don't go down soon, its time for a vet trip IMO. Good luck!

Thanks for the input, everyone. Apophis is definitely a male. He was probed when he was a little younger, so he is definitely not about ready to lay eggs. And if he is, I think I am going to be rich. :D ;) On another site for Corn snakes, someone mentioned that they think he is overweight...and that the "swelling" is actually fat pockets that have developed.

I've set up a vet appointment for Wednesday, so hopefully I can find out what's going on with him and get it taken care of ASAP. I am continually checking on him, but he's still his usual lovable self. I'll let you all know what I find out. :)

Probing is never a 100% sure thing.

Unless you see hemipenes or you have a snake that has laid a clutch, there's always a slim chance that they have not been correctly identified..

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Probing is never a 100% sure thing.

Unless you see hemipenes or you have a snake that has laid a clutch, there's always a slim chance that they have not been correctly identified..

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Usually with males it is. With males, the probes go so deep, that if a probe goes that deep, then you know its a male (unless you used too much force and punctured the female). The problem is when it probes female, but it could be a "shallow" male or you just didn't got deep enough with the probe.

So its usually when the sex is determined to be female, in both probing and popping, that there is room for error.

Back to the OP, even fat deposits I've never seen look like that - they tend to be more round and evenly distributed. A trip to the vet is a good idea - let us know what they say.