Broken ribs??

[Ruby]

Not sure what broken ribs look like.
Should I take her to the vet?

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[Ruby]

I'll send a couple more photos.

[Ruby]

Should I schedule an appointment as soon as possible for an x-ray?

[Bogertophis]

I don't know what that is- the only broken ribs I've seen in a snake appeared as a concave area (more than that ^) when the snake moved in a serpentine motion- it was visible only when the snake turned the right way. But do I remember you saying you dropped her (or she fell?) recently?

If there's any chance of broken ribs in a snake, they should not be handled. Encourage them to crawl into a container as needed, but do not pick them up- because broken ribs can be easily pushed into internal organs- causing bleeding & other damage, even death. There is no way to splint broken ribs in a snake- you have to have a vet confirm it, & allow a long time (with no handling- ask the vet how long?) for the snake's ribs to heal as they are. That's IF that's what you're dealing with here.

The internet is no place to diagnose a snake- if you think she might need a vet, by all means, get her checked out. The vet you see should be both qualified and experienced with herps- this may help you find one nearby: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

[Homebody]

I would imagine that broken ribs would be tender. Does she react defensively when you touch her? Is her movement hampered in any way?

[Bogertophis]

I would imagine that broken ribs would be tender. Does she react defensively when you touch her?...

Not necessarily, & if she has broken (aka "fractured") ribs, you shouldn't push on them to see if they're tender- it could cause internal injuries & bleeding.

I don't know what that is, but I doubt it's broken ribs. It's affecting too large an area. If it were broken ribs, we'd be talking about half a dozen ribs or more. I don't think a fall would do that...

Not necessarily. It could be any number of broken ribs, IF that's what this is.

[Homebody]

Not necessarily, & if she has broken (aka "fractured") ribs, you shouldn't push on them to see if they're tender- it could cause internal injuries & bleeding.

Not necessarily. It could be any number of broken ribs, IF that's what this is.

I'll defer to your experience. When I said, "I imagine", I meant that quite literally. I have no experience with broken ribs, in snakes or otherwise.

[Bogertophis]

I'll defer to your experience. When I said, "I imagine", I meant that quite literally. I have no experience with broken ribs, in snakes or otherwise.

Well that's okay- medical questions like this are best answered by a qualified herp veterinarian anyway, not here or anywhere online. There's no substitute for their knowledge & experience, or especially for seeing the snake in person. As far as what pain a snake perceives from an injury like broken ribs, I'm not at all sure that they have the extensive nervous system to perceive it the way humans or other higher animals do. Maybe they don't?

The only snake I've had with broken ribs was a w/c rosy boa, that was passed along to me as a rescuer. His ribs had healed that way (a little concave) & had done so well in his past- it didn't stop him from eating & surviving & moving around in the meantime, without medical help- so it makes me think this might not have been so painful as the same injury might have been for us? And obviously, there was no way to ask him. I assume that he avoided repeating any motions that might have hurt him while he was healing?

I have a hunch that where most of the pain (for a snake) comes in is when broken ribs get pushed further inward, into other organs & all that. When the ribs are allowed to heal in place (without doing collateral damage) they get stronger, even if they don't look quite right. Obviously some breaks are much worse (more damaging) than others too. As with humans & other animals- you can have a hairline fracture- just what it sounds like, with no displacement of the bones, or all the way to compound fractures with terrible displacement of the bones, & where on the body it occurs can also make some fractures worse than others. Like if ribs heal in such a way that they restrict the animal's breathing or digestion.

[Bogertophis]

How about dehydration*? What's the humidity kept at? Water bowl available at all times? (*Just a possibility, not a diagnosis- & no idea why it would be localized like that.)

[Ruby]

Perhaps it's fractured?
Yes she fell about a week ago and I didn't notice anything different until now.

I fed her a rat pup this past friday.

Yes Im probably going to take her to a vet, just wanted to check if anyone has seen something like this.

I'm not home right now, but when I do get home I'll check; when I handled her she didn't seem to act abnormal.

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