Hair poking out of vent?

[kiiarah]

Hi everyone, I could use some insight into a rather strange situation that has come up with Shesha. I was holding him this evening and while brushing his eco earth bedding off his belly I noticed what looks like either a hair or a piece of coco fiber stuck to his vent. I first tried to pull it off of him thinking it was just something he had picked up off the couch but it is actually stuck in his vent. I can only assume it is somewhat long since it isn't budging. If he did swallow a hair how on earth did it make it all the way to his vent undigested? Is it possibly a piece of eco earth wrapped around his spur? There is about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch visible and the rest is up somewhere under his anal scale. I felt along his belly and he has no lumps or evidence of impaction. Is this a wait it out situation? Anything to be concerned about?

[DVirginiana]

That's weird. Can you snap a picture?

If it's a thread of cocohusk, I probably wouldn't pull it. Those little strings are very abrasive, and I wouldn't want to risk injuring anything. If it didn't resolve itself in a day or two, I'd snip most of it off so it can't get caught or drag on anything at least. If there's no blockage, it should come out when he poos.

It may be good to switch to coco-fiber instead of coco-husk. That way there are no chunks or strings like that in it. Eco-earth is the brand I use for my frogs.

[kiiarah]

I got a picture of what I am refering to.

[kiiarah]

I am currently using the eco earth bagged bedding. It has no long fibers but does have some short ones. I only tugged at it the one time when I hadn't realized it wasn't loose. I have left it alone since then, just seems so odd.

[DVirginiana]

Looks like cocohusk to me. Doesn't seem long enough to catch on anything though, so that's good. If it's not moving I'd give it a couple days before trying to force it. My frog had a similar thing happen when I first got her, only it was sticking out of her mouth and she couldn't get it down; Even though I was as gentle as I could be pulling it out, it came out covered in blood where it had cut the inside of her mouth/throat (she's fine btw, it didn't do any serious damage, that was six years ago).

I'd say nothing to really worry about for now, just keep a close eye out for any irritation or swelling or anything.

EDIT: I use the eco-earth blocks, but that should be the same as the bagged. It's usually good, but sometimes I've even found bits of tarp or small rocks in it, so I guess fibers shouldn't be surprising

[kiiarah]

How could it get so far down his digestive tract though without dissolving, is it just that tough? Do you think it is likely that any damage was done when i pulled at it initially? I didnt move it at all, it was stuck firm so should lacerations not be a worry since it didn't actually drag farther out? What would I need to do if it doesn't resolve with his next bowel movement?

I guess I am not really freaked out that he could have swallowed a fiber. I am freaked out because I can't understand how it is physically possible for it to be poking out where it is with no signs of deterioration.

[DVirginiana]

I get to use my plant biology degree today!

So coconut husk is made up almost exclusively of lignin. Almost nothing on the planet can digest lignin (termites, beavers, a few detritivores, and some bacteria are about it). It won't look any different going out than going in. Cocofiber isn't safe because it's digestible, but because the particles are so small that they can pass through the system without blocking it up, and it doesn't swell up in the digestive tract. You just can't really see it in poop because it's small and brown.

Yeah, even if you had pulled it, I think the damage would be really minimal. I personally see no way that wouldn't be resolved with the next poop, but if it somehow isn't, that might be the time to gently try and pull it out.

(Also just make extra sure it's coming out of his vent and not just wedged between the scales).

[kiiarah]

That is really interesting. I wonder how he managed to push it down that far ahead of any pending bowel movement *scratches head*. How would I tell if it was wedged between his scales, I am scared to mess with it too much and it is so tiny it is really hard to grab.

When I do manage to get a hold of it and try to shift it to see if it is just trapped between scales he yanks his tail away. :/

[DVirginiana]

I'm kind of stumped as to how it would come out ahead of a bowel movement too.

You may need to get someone to hold him while you do it, but you can usually very gently separate up the vent and belly scales. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems it's just wedged in there somehow.

If you're worried about stressing him, it definitely isn't a problem right now, so you could just give it a couple days and see if it resolves itself.

[kiiarah]

I am more just worried about accidentally hurting him since he flinches so much if I mess with it. It may just be a "hey don't touch me" response, but it could also be a pain response and I have no idea which it is. Supposing it is wedged somehow, what would be the safe amount of time to just watch and let it resolve on its own. Is there a cut off point where intervention would be recommended? I mean for instance if he sheds and it was stuck between the scales it would resolve with that right? If it is in his intestines somehow is it safe to wait possibly weeks until he has a bowel movement?

He doesn't flinch or act like he is in pain if I press against the surrounding area or otherwise touch his tail, he only gets wierd if I move the fiber itself. However, I wonder if this is a good sign, as one would think internal injury or swelling would mean tenderness or discomfort around the entire area.