Blood python puffing neck

[UrdnotWrex]

Hey all--I've got a 1-year old short tail that's recently started demonstrating some odd behavior...her neck has been 'puffing' out--it's not swelling or a growth of any kind, it's just filled with air; sort of like a bullfrog. She will periodically expel the air with a 'pfff' sound and the inflated portion will return to normal. Then, it will re-puff, then return to normal again, etc. She has also started propping her head up vertically on the walls of the terrarium which she hadn't typically done before, however she doesn't do this constantly, just periodically now. She did eat a large meal this past Sunday. She's not making any wheezing, clicking, or odd breathing noises besides the periodic puff of air (which does not occur audibly every time the neck skin deflates). There is no mucus or fluid coming from her nose or mouth, and when I curl her lip back the inside of her mouth looks normal. She has a very strong feeding response and flicks her tongue a lot (which is forked and extends fully). She did have a less-than-stellar shed on her last shed as she retained some skin on her face as well as eyecaps. I took her to the vet but they hardly gave me any information--just told me to rub vaseline on her face and put her in a shoebox with warm damp towels periodically to help the bad shed. Has anyone else ever seen this puffy bullfrog neck phenomena in their python?

[bwt501]

I will notice this from time to time with my bloods/short tails, usually in the period leading up to a shed and following a large meal. During this time the skin is less elastic and does not rebound into shape as it usually would. I just had this with a large female of mine last week and it corrected itself with a shed. As long as you dont feel a mass or see fluid expelled from the throat when the site is massaged, you are fine. And as far as the vaseline suggestion, dont do it. Petroleum based ointments make sheds worse and incomplete. A good 2 hour soak or overnight on wet paper towels will take care of any residual shed.

[Ham]

I have seen my bloods, sort of puff their throats out, not like a bullfrog though, just like it is hanging down and is puffy. But when I press on it, there is no fluid or anything, so I dont worry about it, I am pretty sure it is normal, but yes I really notice it when they are getting ready to shed.

[Crazy4Herps]

Yep, as has been said, puffing is normal in short tails, often as a defensive response to stress (such as the stress of having some stuck shed removed). You have nothing to worry about.

[Ang]

I have a rescue Egyptian Royal (we think) Ball python. I've had her since last September, she was dangerously undersize and weight. She was covered in deep cuts and scratches from a cat attack, This forum helped me with those, but I never posted, as I was afraid she'd die. Well, fast forward to now, starting at 19 inches and eating pinkies, she has grown to a happy 40 inches, and ate her first medium rat Saturday.

I worried that it was too big, but the guys at the petstore where I buy my frozen told me it would be fine.

She managed it, but when I got her out tonight to socialize, her throat was doing the bullfrog thing.

You guys came to my rescue again, reassuring me that she'd be fine. She hasn't shed in over a month, so considering the huge rat she just ate, she should be shedding soon, maybe this time she'll even manage to do it in one piece. The damage has made her sheds less than tidy and stellar.

Thanks so much.

[jfmoore]

UrdnotWrex,

The symptoms you describe - puffing out of the throat and abnormal body posturing with the head and neck elevated - indicate that your snake is having difficulty breathing. Whether that is due to some disease process or something more benign, I could not say. But it is not normal. Of course, that's not to say that we don't see it all the time in captive specimens.

You don't describe any of the details of this snake's set-up, but it's possible your snake is just suffering from too-low humidity. That certainly happens in the winter time more often than in the summer. Also, it's normal during part of the shed cycle for the nostrils to look plugged up simply due to the thickening of the lining which will come off (assuming all goes well) along with the rest of the shed, leaving the nares nice and clear again.

I'm not sure about your vet's competence if s/he's recommending vaseline as a shedding aid. Soaking in a little water (no more than half way up the animal's side) should do the trick.

[lingooisit]

I have had animals puff their necks, and in one case, I had to go the vet. That boa had a respiratory infection. I had a tree boa and she was just puffing out to be aggressive. It all depends. I've also had cases of low humidity that cause symptoms like you are describing.