Huge lump - worried!

[Lolo76]

I just checked on Kipling, my baby JCP, and he has a HUGE lump in his belly... I fed him one f/t "fuzzy" mouse (slightly bigger than a pink) two days ago, and the same meal last week. He was on Carefresh substrate until recently, and possibly ingested some substrate during a previous feeding - but he was switched to paper towels before this week's feeding. I'll try to get a picture, but could this possibly be an impaction? Or does he just need to poo? It's only about halfway down his body, and probably twice the width of his girth at that spot. Really worried, although he does seem fine otherwise. Any help would be appreciated!

[Lolo76]

I just checked on him, and it's not as bad as I originally thought... hopefully I'll find a nice poop in the morning! Here are some pictures:









Should I feed him something smaller next week??

[Kaorte]

It is kind of concerning that he would still have such a large bump 2 days after feeding...

If it is still there in a few days, a vet visit might be a good idea.

[Lolo76]

Thanks... he seems fine otherwise, moving around and tongue-flicking as usual. Guess I'll call the vet this weekend if it doesn't go away, and/or if he doesn't poop.

[Lolo76]

Btw, I read that a lukewarm bath can help them poop... should I try that?

[dr del]

Hi,


I don't know anywhere near enough about carpets to be any help I suspect.

It looks quite high up in his body for poop - where is it in relation to a carpets stomach position?


dr del

[Colin Vestrand]

ironically i had a similar thing happen to a carpet and it went away... i assumed it was some sort of blockage above the stomach, causing the prey item to not get to where it needs to go. it was there for a couple weeks... anyway, this was quite some time ago and he hasn't had any problems since it went away.

dr del, i agree, too high for the 'stomach', yet too low for an enlarged heart...

good luck! a quick xray would definitively tell ya though... judging by whether he's otherwise 'okay' doesn't really work for reptiles though - CNS is completely different than mammals.

[Lolo76]

Thanks all for the replies! I posted the photos on my Morelia forum, and somebody suggested he'd been chillin' on the cool side... that was probably true due to the placement of his tub, so I moved it around to where the hide is directly over the heat tape. He's been in there on & off for the last 2 days, and the lump does seem to be getting smaller. He also passed a urate last night, which seems to have helped his swollen belly as well. I'll give it a few more days, and then call my vet if there's no more progress.

[Lolo76]

Good news - I went to check on Kip tonight, and he'd left me a giant poop. The lump is barely noticeable now, so I think we're out of the woods. Here are few photos of my happy little guy...

Hanging out on his branch... he loves this thing!

[chau0046]

Carpets are notoriouse for eating very large prey. Sometimes it looks painfull. But out of all my experience producing and raising like 100 offspring. they usually pass what they swallow. mind you i never use loose substrate for carpets either. 3-4 times their girth is not uncommom for my voraciouse feeders belly after a feeding. and at that size it takes some time to digest and pass. Happy everything turned out.

Mat