lumpy ball python--help!

I'm very new to bp's--leopard gecko person really. but as I am known for having reptiles in my neighborhood, I became the obvious choice for someone to leave a bp on my doorstep. night temps around 45 and it was there when I woke up :( the poor thing just seems sick so I have spent the last 3 days trying to learn everything there is to know about these snakes, and I have to admit I am stumped. my vet can't get the snake in until tuesday with the holiday weekend and I am honestly concerned about the snake making it until then. has anyone had experience with a snake being lumpy before? it seems the lumps are fluid filled pockets. I tried reading up on blister disease, but it doesn't look at all like the pics I have seen. it is only on the sides, not the belly, and is not red. I believe the snake also still has eyecaps on. I hate to give up on any creature, so I am turning here for help!

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I've got him in a 20 long with aspen bedding, plenty of cardboard box hides, two water dishes, and a temp of 82 low 92 high by overhead. humidity is at 57%. no whistling, wheezing, or liquid from the nose

It is hard to tell from one pic, but my first guess is that is a stuck shed.

That would not explain fluid in the pockets. Are you sure it is fluid?

sounds like you've got the setup right. I don't know what the lumps would be but he definitely looks dehydrated to me. I don't know if maybe the dehydration could cause that? Hopefully somebody more experienced comes along! good luck!

If it is just a bad shed, I will be much relieved! I appreciate the help. If there is a specific way or angle of photo that would help more, let me know. I have to say I didn't imagine I would ever be a snake photographer!

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It definitely feels like fluid. if you lightly press it, it relocates and swells more away from where you are touching.

Well, I'm not expert enough to go declaring it "just" a bad shed. But my girl's second shed after we had her got stuck because I hadn't done a good enough job of adjusting her enclosure for the drier winter air. I knew she was in shed and knew her humidity had been a little low so I thought I might need to help with a soak or something. Then one day I looked into her enclosure and I thought she was dying! She looked horrid! I also might have been an overreactive new keeper! But a soak did the trick and it all came off.

With this BP, you know there has been more than just a low humidity. Being on your doorstep (possibly overnight) in cold weather couldn't have been good! But BPs have survived things like that. This link has a story about a snake that was "stiff and ice cold" that survived. http://www.ralphdavisreptiles.com/co...all_python.asp

One thing I'd look for is how is the snake acting? Do you know enough about BPs to know if it is acting normally?

Also the description of fluid filled lumps does not match "just a bad shed", as I said before. At least not the bad shed my snake had. Air trapped between layers of skin MIGHT move around the way you are describing, but it seems to me if there was air under there, then the snake shouldn't be having trouble getting it off.

I really don't know. In most cases if I suspected a bad shed I'd recommend try a soak and see if the snake sheds and fixes the problem. But this poor snake might have much more going on and I'm not qualified to make any recommendations in this situation. I hope some of our more expert people see this thread soon!

I think a stuck shed is the least of your worries. A stuck shed would never look lumpy like that. It usually does the exact opposite and makes the snake look wrinkly and dehydrated. I know there are a few different kinds of things that can cause blistering, but I have never seen blisters severe enough to look that way. It almost looks like those are pretty far beneath the skin like maybe in the muscle tissue or right on top of it. I have to try to diagnose alot of stuff at work before we take them to the vet, but this one is tough for me...

I agree with Corrupter here, this def doesnt look like stuck shed. Looks to me like some sort of muscular distrophy or something close to that. Maybe fatty tumors?

We had one left on our deck that wriggled itself into a ponytail elastic...looked very much like that....I soaked it and the shed came off, leaving it "crimped" looking....though it didn't have fluid...tough call

I think this is much more serious than stuck shed. I had a snake that developed a systemic infection (hers was due to an immunodeficiency) and it looked very much like what I see in your photos. The pockets she developed were filled with pinkish fluid that was very high in white blood cell count due to the infection. Note the red area towards the snake's belly in this photo: http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1467/img1447il9.jpg. My snake had the exact same redness from the infection which spread and became darker and brighter red quite rapidly.

I would recommend that you call your vet first thing in the morning and explain to them that this is an emergency and see if they will see you ASAP. Systemic infections are deadly serious and if that's what this is the snake will likely not make it until Tuesday, and if it does the stress of the vet trip and treatment may be too much for it.

How could somebody leave a snake on a door step overnight and at those temperatures to boot? Geesh! Well, at least the poor thing is in better hands now.

I don't have a clue what it is but I wanted to wish you the best for this little fella. I'll be checking back for an updated post. Hopefully you can talk your vet into making time before Tuesday. If not, is it possible that maybe you could find another vet, even if you have to drive further?

Good Luck!

It almost looks as if someone had some kind of a harness on it. Like those stupid snake walker things. It looks like it grew "around" something that was wrapped around it.

well I called....they are seeing if they can fit me in as a walk-in this afternoon so **fingers crossed for the best**

Hey munky, sorry to hear about this mess. Poor thing, I hope he makes it.

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Originally Posted by munky

well I called....they are seeing if they can fit me in as a walk-in this afternoon so **fingers crossed for the best**

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Oh good! I'm crossing my fingers too!

I'm curious for an update on the snake, but since it is likely to get a lot of stress visiting the vet this afternoon it is probably best to leave it alone for now.

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Originally Posted by mlededee

I think this is much more serious than stuck shed. I had a snake that developed a systemic infection (hers was due to an immunodeficiency) and it looked very much like what I see in your photos. The pockets she developed were filled with pinkish fluid that was very high in white blood cell count due to the infection. Note the red area towards the snake's belly in this photo: http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1467/img1447il9.jpg. My snake had the exact same redness from the infection which spread and became darker and brighter red quite rapidly.

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I can't see any redness at all on my monitor. But that's part of why no one can diagnose things over the internet.

i think it may be a skin infection my friends had one and it looked alot like that

I hope you can get in to the vet today! Some people are so irresponsible. Leaving him on your doorstep in that cold weather!:mad:

He looks very skinny to me also. He probably hasn't been eating with whatever is wrong with him.

I have seen this condition before when I worked at a pet store that imported something like 500 CH baby balls every season. Unfortunately I do not know the cause of the lumpiness, but they all also had stuck sheds and just a very dehydrated look to them as well. Personally, I would soak your baby in warm water for a bit then get it set up in a warm tub with a moist paper towel and a water bowl until you can get more advice from your vet.

Looking for an update!!

sorry for the delay in posting, it's been a busy couple days. the vet wanted to keep the snake overnight to observe it and wait for all the test results. he said there is definitely more than one problem, so we will have to try to break it down and see what needs worked on first. his biggest concern is the infection and getting it under control, so antibiotics for that. but he also said the snake is dehydrated and he said it is young and from the looks of it has never eaten. I hadn't even noticed (not being a snake person) but the snake was not flicking its tongue. he gently opened the mouth to check for mouth rot and it seemed almost sealed with dead skin. thankfully he doesn't have mouth rot and once he had cleaned away some of the dead skin he did flick his tongue. soooo....now it is just a wait and see. the lowest priority is to get him eating, but he is going to give the snake a tube feeding at the next visit. I'm soaking him 2x a day now in nice warm water for 1/2 hour...I will get some updated pics as soon as possible. thanks for all the support! it makes it a lot easier trying to do this knowing I have somewhere to turn.

oh, wow! seems like the vet has a good handle on the situation. what did he say about the lumps?

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Originally Posted by munky

sorry for the delay in posting, it's been a busy couple days. the vet wanted to keep the snake overnight to observe it and wait for all the test results. he said there is definitely more than one problem, so we will have to try to break it down and see what needs worked on first. his biggest concern is the infection and getting it under control, so antibiotics for that. but he also said the snake is dehydrated and he said it is young and from the looks of it has never eaten. I hadn't even noticed (not being a snake person) but the snake was not flicking its tongue. he gently opened the mouth to check for mouth rot and it seemed almost sealed with dead skin. thankfully he doesn't have mouth rot and once he had cleaned away some of the dead skin he did flick his tongue. soooo....now it is just a wait and see. the lowest priority is to get him eating, but he is going to give the snake a tube feeding at the next visit. I'm soaking him 2x a day now in nice warm water for 1/2 hour...I will get some updated pics as soon as possible. thanks for all the support! it makes it a lot easier trying to do this knowing I have somewhere to turn.

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WOW. Sounds awful but like the vet knows what s/h is doing. Thanks for the update. Keep us posted.

Glad to hear you got the little guy in to the vet. Hope that with the antibiotics it will be doing much better soon! Please keep us updated!

Thanks for the update and keep us posted. Good luck!

:taz:a small victory!!:taz:
The fluids have been drained and the snake has been resting. The vet said it is hydrated enough to try a solid feeding, so I went ahead and tried a fuzzy (left them alone together in a paper bag) and within a few hours the snake had eaten! The vet says we should be on the way down after climbing a hard hill, and that unless there are any complications that come up, we should be fine. I'm thrilled because I am definitely getting attached to the little thing. As for the fluid, it was nearly clear and there was no pus to it, which the vet said was a good thing. Apparently it is hard to give antibiotics if there is a lot of pus. I will try to get some more pictures on here, but I'm waiting a few days so I don't upset his dinner--definitely don't need that. In the meantime, it seems the worst is through :)
(oops forgot to add! 2 retained eyecaps were also removed by the vet after soakings didn't take them off)

wow, sounds like great news. good luck with the little guy!

Awesome! That's great to hear that he is getting better. You have done an awesome job with the little guy. Keep it up! ^_^

Good! Here's hoping for the best for the little guy. :gj:

So glad to hear the little guy is doing better! Kudos to you! Maybe you will no longer be "just" a leopard gecko person :D These little guys are the best - I love my balls! (and they scared the crap out of me when I first got them):banana:

I am so happy to hear this! I was starting to get worried with so long without an update!

Victory dance! :banana::carrot::pinkele:

We do need pics though! I'll be looking for those once the guy has had enough time to digest.

:banana: Yea!!!! That's so awesome. I was worried about him. :banana:
Yes, when he's digested post pics!

congrats! i just read the whole thread and i'm so glad that things have progressed so nicely. good luck with everything and keep us posted! Be sure to post some pictures when he gets better :)

pics finally! we got an all clear today--no more follow ups unless the problem comes up again--yayyyyyy! I figured I would get some pics while I had "lester" out (as my 3 year old decided he should be named)
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it's a lot harder to take any pics because of all the energy he has now, which is fantastic :)

Wow!! He looks so much better! He is awfully tiny, but he is looking good! Once you get a couple more good meals into him and he starts to gain the weigh he should have already had on him (people irritate me...leaving the poor thing on your doorstep...), he will be looking great. Amazing job you have done with him!! ^_^ Glad he is in a good home.

Awesome job! :fest2:
Thanks for cleaning up someone else's mess! and you have a new buddy now. Can't wait to see him with some weight!

im happy for you and lester, thank goodness he's doing better! those were some scary pics!

:clap:Great job helping Lester get healthy! :gj::gj:Lucky little guy seems to have found a wonderful home!:clap::clap::clap::D

Poor little thing well I guess its lucky that they chose your doorstep to leave him/her on. well good luck and keep the updates coming.

He's so tiny! :O I hope he eats well for you!