Over fed ? Bloated? Idk! Please help!

this is Monty. I recently switched him over to eating f/t fuzzies from rat pups. He gets feed about every 10 days. He's a great eater never misses a meal. Just in the last week he has started to look "fat". More twords the rear. I just gave him a warm bath to see if he would poo and he did. So I know he's not blocked. My question is does he look normal to you guys? Or am I over feeding him? Or does he just need to poo more? He just looks so stretched out in his behind. Am I overthinking this? Or does he looked bloated? Should I be concerned or any suggestions? He is about 10months to 1 year old. Only about a foot long.
https://ibb.co/hwaLN8

He totally looks bloated to me too...since you know he's not constipated, you should get him to a qualified herp vet a.s.a.p. to see what's going on...does he feel
squishy in that area? Could be fluid...?

How much are you feeding him (every 10 days)? I can't imagine you are feeding him enough to do that...I think something else is going on.

What did his stool look like? hard or soft? If you can, "next time", save it for vet to check...it has to be fresh (& probably not underwater but you can ask?).

Yeah, looks bloated to me too, but it could be the picture. Can you get a pic of him on a flat surface and taken from above?

Here's another pic of him. He's very active and his stool was white and looked like his normal ball of stool.
https://ibb.co/e7wiaT

and also, the bloating was only in the very back and then when I fed him again now he's bloated all the way to the middle Of his back? Is what I'm feeding him too big? This was only his second fuzzy.

He's either very fat or very bloated from gas or fluid...no way to tell from just an online photo. For a snake that is only a year old or less, you'd have to feed
him a ridiculous amount of food to cause this, since they are normally growing lengthwise at the same time. I wonder if there may be a metabolic problem.

Those creases on his side are typical of snakes that are obese but I'm not convinced it's fat. You say he's "very active"? Is he your first snake? (any others to
compare activity levels to?) I suspect he's in a lot of discomfort...I know I would be...he's not drinking salt-water, is he? (do you use a water softener at your
place?) With snakes, you have to read between the lines...increased activity can mean he's hurting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

and also, the bloating was only in the very back and then when I fed him again now he's bloated all the way to the middle Of his back? Is what I'm feeding him too big? This was only his second fuzzy.

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I don’t think this has anything to do with prey size or overfeeding, I’ve seen a stuffed ball python and it doesn’t look like this, he looks way too swollen and puffy. You need to get him to a Herp vet ASAP.

I completely agree with the others. I have no hands on experience with what you're dealing with, so obviously can't help. But, since we're only viewing online there's only so much we can do. If it were my pet, I'd be getting into the vet asap.
I wish you the very best of luck. Please keep us posted.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

and also, the bloating was only in the very back and then when I fed him again now he's bloated all the way to the middle Of his back? Is what I'm feeding him too big? This was only his second fuzzy.

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Can you show a picture of him next to an outline* of his typical prey size? (or both sizes that he's been fed?) *I suggest an outline rather than the actual prey so he
doesn't get any ideas to grab it...

I typically feed snakes not by weight, but by the middle of the rodent being slightly less that the widest part of the middle of the snake...but if your snake is already "fat",
this method won't help, you'll continue to feed him too much. Again though, I'm NOT saying it's your doing at all...it may not be.

I still think he should see a vet ASAP, especially because it's rapidly getting worse, from what you said, and food just doesn't do that.

Has he been exposed to any sort of chemicals? cleaning products?

Again, we cannot fix or even solve this online, please call a vet now.

When I hold him he's squirming around. He stays in his hot hide most of the time. He still switches from his cool to his warm. He is my first snake but I also rescued another one that is about 5ft long since I got him back in December. His tank set up has a under tank heater on his hot side with a hide and the cool side has a fogger that only goes off 30 seconds on every hour with another hide. He did great on rat pinkies. I've only noticed this since I started him on fuzzies. He is squishy. Not hard. I appreciate all the info you are giving me! I'm going to see if I can find a herp vet in my area.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

... He is squishy. Not hard..... I'm going to see if I can find a herp vet in my area.

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"Squishy" is what I thought...it's either gas or fluid build up, either is serious issue. Don't waste any more time getting him to a vet if you expect him to survive.

I have seen this a few times with BP in some cases it urine + fecal matter which accumulate due to a blockage often causes by a huge piece of urate.

This can be massage out very gently, once the piece of urate causing the obstruction passes the rest will go out easily, again the trick is to massage gently not to cause any injury or rectal prolapse.

Sometime it's due to dehydration causing the urate to harden leading to a blockage sometimes it is due to a more serious digestive issue which rarely resolve itself.

I made him a vet appointment. We will see what they say. Now I'm worried about the little guy. He's my buddy 😔💔. Thank you all so much for your input.

We're keeping you & Monty in our good thoughts...keep us posted too, please.

In the meantime, it probably wouldn't hurt to try another lukewarm bath, as the swimming motion might help something shake
loose, if Deborah is correct. Also, snakes can absorb some water thru their skin, & may also drink water while soaking.

I'd use the bathtub, or something big enough so he can actually make swimming motions, just not deep water, it must be shallow...
and be right there, don't let him panic or exhaust himself...remember that whatever is causing this internal pressure may also make
it harder for him to breathe due to pressure on all internal organs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

his stool was white and looked like his normal ball of stool.

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Urate is white, not stool/feces.

Sounds and looks like he's really blocked up and overstuffed.
Good luck! hope he passes everything, glad you're going to the vet.

You guys. My heart is breaking. I definitely think he is blocked. I tried a luke warm bath and tried massaging him a little. ( nothing harsh). He has a very hard ball inside him right at his vent. It's a pretty good size and I can move it. He acts like he's trying to "pass" it but can't. I feel like this is all my fault. I let him swim around for a while to see if anything could come out. I'm afraid to push too hard he already looks stretched down there where he's trying to push it out. I don't want to hurt him. Some more stringy white stuff came out but nothing else. I don't know what I did wrong. But now he's paying the price. 💔

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

You guys. My heart is breaking. I definitely think he is blocked. I tried a luke warm bath and tried massaging him a little. ( nothing harsh). He has a very hard ball inside him right at his vent. It's a pretty good size and I can move it. He acts like he's trying to "pass" it but can't. I feel like this is all my fault. I let him swim around for a while to see if anything could come out. I'm afraid to push too hard he already looks stretched down there where he's trying to push it out. I don't want to hurt him. Some more stringy white stuff came out but nothing else. I don't know what I did wrong. But now he's paying the price. 💔

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Don't beat yourself up, you clearly didn't intentionally harm him. There's no way of even knowing it was preventable yet. Just do what you can to help him out and we're all here supporting you and wishing you both the best.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

You guys. My heart is breaking. I definitely think he is blocked. I tried a luke warm bath and tried massaging him a little. ( nothing harsh). He has a very hard ball inside him right at his vent. It's a pretty good size and I can move it. He acts like he's trying to "pass" it but can't. I feel like this is all my fault. I let him swim around for a while to see if anything could come out. I'm afraid to push too hard he already looks stretched down there where he's trying to push it out. I don't want to hurt him. Some more stringy white stuff came out but nothing else. I don't know what I did wrong. But now he's paying the price. 💔

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Oh hon, you didn't "do" anything wrong! Any more than a person can stop a family member from getting a kidney stone... Let the vet help with this. I've had
one snake out of countless & many years keeping that had this happen...it's not typical constipation, but a blockage due to the formation of a "stone" of urate
crystals. I was able to help mine without a vet (long story later) but you definitely want the vet to help...he/she can break this up so it can pass. (I didn't at
first think of this with your snake because you said she passed stool and didn't mention feeling any hard lumps...) This will in all likelihood end well, but your
snake does need vet help, so try to relax until then, you've done the best & all you reasonably can. BTW, this "stone" is sometimes referred to as a "cloacalith"
ie. stone in the cloaca. Do nothing else right now, wait for the vet, ok? hugs! (this is not the worst thing it could be, ok?)

Thank you all for your kind support. I've been crying my eyes out. I just love him so much. I will let you all know as soon as I get home with him. I had to call 5 different vets to find someone to take him. I just hope they can help him.

I've also seen this kind of look with a stuck shed but I agree if you can feel something inside of him that large the a blockage does seem most likely. :(


I once managed to get it to the vent and then break it up using a spoon to ease one of my females through it but I can totally understand if you would prefer to have a vet do it as urates can be very hard to "break apart" and it is a very sensitive area for the snake. Should you try and do it yourself I would advise two people so one could restrain the snake and another work on it over a large container. But a good herp vet should be able to deal with this far better than a normal owner with a pair of needlenose pliers. :/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyeah

....He has a very hard ball inside him right at his vent. It's a pretty good size and I can move it. He acts like he's trying to "pass" it but can't...

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Listen, the fact that you can move it around is a GOOD thing! It's most likely just a "cloacalith" and not a tumor (which wouldn't be so mobile & more apt to need
a surgical intervention etc.). So think positive, ok?

Thank you all so much. His appointment is tomorrow at 3:30. I will let you all know as soon as I find out. (That's the only time I could get him in 😔)

BTW, how big does the lump feel? dime-sized? bigger or smaller? Just wondering...

Anxious to hear. Let us know how it went!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hilabeans

Anxious to hear. Let us know how it went!

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Me too...really hoping this snake gets some relief! He has to be so uncomfortable!

Update?

Well I just got back from the vet with Monty. (I was supposed to go on Friday but had a severe migraine and there was no way I could have driven. But that is a different story!) They removed a huge bowel impaction from him. They were able to give him an enema (yikes) and retrieve all the impactions. There were 3 large chunks. The biggest being about the size of a quarter. But much larger in thickness. (Pictures below if you dare! Lol). She is still concerned about the swelling she said the impaction could have him irritated. Or it could be a parasite (but I've had him for 8 months and he's never had an issue) or it could be an infection from the impaction (this is what I think it is) or he could have some other underlying issue that we haven't diagnosed yet. She said he is very small for his age. But we covered all the bases. He was wormed there and I am giving him antibiotic injections once every 3 days. For a grand total of $130. Lol. But he is worth it.
Hopefully he will continue to feel better. For now he's resting. While mama does a few upgrades to his habitat! Thank you all so much for your input and well wishes!!
https://ibb.co/dr5vhJ

Way to go. If you got out there with just $130 spent you are doing awesome.

Wow. That snake must feel so much better.

Yeah, $130 is relatively inexpensive. I once paid nearly $300 only to learn that my previous vet was incompetent with reptiles and there was nothing worry about!

So $130 to address a life threatening issue is a great deal. Best wishes to you and your ball. I sincerely hope he gets better.

just got done reading the whole thread and looking at the pix. that's a cute and fat lil guy. didn't look like a sausage butt to me tho and i'm super happy to hear his impaction was removed. was that just solid, hard fecal matter. he also looks to be in shed, so hopefully he will let loose w/ the shed.

BTW how do u feed Monty? in enclosure? what kinda substrate do u use? snakes will be ok w/ swallowing a lil bit of substrate here and there, but they won't pass chunks of mulch, husk or shavings like a wood chipper. hopefully this was just a one time incident and u most def have your heart in the right place.

Wow, I feel so relieved, it's almost like I was at the vet- :rofl: I'm so glad for the happy update, we've all been worried about Monty (& you). :dance::pinkele::bounce:

Yay!!! Ugh, was so worried about you and sweet Monty. You're a good mom to take such great care of him. Pay attention to substrate and let us know what you think caused the impactions.

Thank you all so much for caring about my sweet little guy. I did use reptile bark as substrate and I did feed him in his cage. I always watched him eat though and I've never seen anything stuck to his dinner as he was swallowing so I'm not really sure. I'm thinking a bigger water bowl and higher temps in his cage. He is pretty tender "back there" and he is so swollen he is bulging out his rear. She assured me that it was not a prolapse and that what they had taken out of him caused that bulge. She said if it did not go back in that I could use sugar water or straight sugar on his rear end to help the swelling. But when I checked on him a couple hours ago he was resting peacefully in his hot hide and his vent was not protruding anymore. I also cleaned his caged thoroughly and dumped all his substrate. He will just be on good old clean paper towels until we get through this. She also mentioned that lower temps in his cage could have caused a slowing of his digestion in turn causing the impaction. There's just no clear answer to why. But I'm now just trying to correct it. It means a lot to me that I have a place to go with my concerns. You have no idea how much I appreciate all of you ❤️

Awesome news, I'm so glad to hear he's doing better.


If your vet didn't suggest it or you aren't doing it already, offer his f/t feeders wet. More water in the front end = more out the back end, which can help keep his urates from getting so hard that he has problems passing them.

And when you feed him, use a "plate" under his food...doesn't have to be a real plate, can be paper plate or cardboard, shoebox lid, anything to keep
the substrate from sticking to his food. Don't use paper towels, as moisture makes them stick & get swallowed too. So happy you found a good vet to
help him thru this.

Yay!!!!! I'm so stoked to read Monty is doing well.

Keep up the good work!!!
Also, I second what bcr229 said about wet feeders. I feed all of my snakes this way.

Same here: I thaw my rodents directly in water (not in plastic bags as some suggest). It washes off some of their scent, but certainly not all of it.
Most snakes don't care either way, but if they're used to feeding fresh or dry-thawed, they might hesitate a little but normally "adjust" just fine.
On the other hand, whenever I've worked with wild caught snakes, you can almost see a smile on their face when their prey is wet.

I thought you might like to see how the swelling has gone down a little since yesterday. The first picture is today the right side picture was before I took him to the vet. His vent has now closed and he is getting ready to shed. I thaw directly in water as well. I do dry it off with a towel (that I've deemed my "rat towel" lol) and he has never missed a meal. He is a great eater. I will feed him wet from now on. Thank you for the tip! I'm sure he won't care. He was holed up in a paper towel tube today so he doesn't seem distressed or anything. I'll include that cute pic too. Keep the great tips coming every one! ❤️
https://ibb.co/b8Bgrd
https://ibb.co/d6PjBd

He still looks puffy (& presumably sore) but much better, and time will help him heal, I'm sure. What a little cutie! He's been through a lot, just needs TLC now.

I can see the swelling in the upper part of his body has gone way down. Looks like everything is just working its way down and hopefully out of his little body. He does look better.