Help: Black Rat Snake Rehab Saga Continues...

[MelissaFlipski]

Continued from http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=64709.

After a bout with a mouse and bite (no puncture), Lefty now officially refuses live food. However, I got him to eat three f/t fuzzy mice last night.

He has some new swelling on his ventral scales near his heart. No discoloration, just puffiness. I can't tell if it is fluid or what, but it's soft. Ideas? Here it is; it's about a foot from his head and about 5" down from his wound.


Also, within the past week or so, when I touch him (whether near his wound or not), he frequently has muscle spasms on his first 1/4 of his body - nervousness or another symptom??

Boy, am I getting in deep. Please help with any ideas. Thanks!

[MedusasOwl]

After all the Ma-tsu dramas, my first thought was parasite... If the muscle spasms are a pain thing, then it's probably not what Ma-tsu had. She didn't even notice the thing. Although all my colubrids do a head jerky thing we call flirting over here when we pet them which involves leaning into the touch too. But sounds like that's not what he's doing?

Wish I could be more help!

[MelissaFlipski]

Someone said it could be an enlarged heart. I feel his pulse near it, but not IN it. It went from zero to swollen over night.

[Mindibun]

Oh goodness...

My boyfriend is fond of the saying, "when it rains, it pours" and I guess that applies here. That snake is having so many problems, the poor thing.

I have no idea what that could be but I would say that swelling of any kind usually results to a trip to the vet around here...

[MelissaFlipski]

I have been doing some research, but found nothing conclusive on the swelling. There have been cases in colubrids of heart swelling after feeding (but usually only if "powerfed") and of a hole in the heart causing swelling due to blood leakage (but I think the latter is in young snake and they grow out of it).

He is also in blue. I am hoping for the best for his healing to hold up and not expose his wound as much as before.

I am considering taking him to a vet and have already contacted the one that called in the medicine for him two weeks ago.

Anybody else have any ideas?