Sick ball python

[Asherah]

i'll be sure to BAMP (bump) this thread in the morning when more users (and more experienced users) will be online.

you're doing so much for your friend and their snake. i thank you for being so proactive on their behalf.

I'd appreciate it. Hopefully the vet will have seen her by then and her owner knows what's wrong!

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[Bogertophis]

You mentioned that the snake's last 3 outputs were all liquid...that does suggest a GI issue. If she swallowed substrate, she might have perforated
something internally. (always want to feed on a "plate"-can be a shoe box lid etc.- when using wood shavings in cage...which btw I have never used)

Sure hope the vet can help & that this snake makes it...

[tttaylorrr]

You mentioned that the snake's last 3 outputs were all liquid...that does suggest a GI issue. If she swallowed substrate, she might have perforated
something internally. (always want to feed on a "plate"-can be a shoe box lid etc.- when using wood shavings in cage...which btw I have never used)

Sure hope the vet can help & that this snake makes it...

just to provide a conversation to help OP: a snake would have to ingest a LOT of substrate for it to be a huge issue like it is. i mean, snakes digest bones; a bit of substrate shouldn't cause something like this (keyword: shouldn't).

tho you bringing up that fact that OP said the snake has had liquid feces is a whole other piece of this sad puzzle.

[Bogertophis]

just to provide a conversation to help OP: a snake would have to ingest a LOT of substrate for it to be a huge issue like it is. i mean, snakes digest bones; a bit of substrate shouldn't cause something like this (keyword: shouldn't).

tho you bringing up that fact that OP said the snake has had liquid feces is a whole other piece of this sad puzzle.

Snakes cannot digest wood shavings. In the wild, snakes certainly do ingest some debris along with their prey...and even in a cage full of wood shavings, I don't
think the snake could have ingested very much. (Not like the bearded dragon that I saved years ago...he was ONLY fed large crickets -the hind legs of which are
very hard to digest- & kept on shavings, which he consumed in desperation, wanting veggies & which left him starving, impacted & unable to digest or pass anything.)

Anyway, when snakes feed, sometimes a little substrate gets swallowed, but most is knocked off in the swallowing process. What I'm getting at here though is the
possibility of the snake having swallowed a small splinter* that might have punctured him internally, causing infection etc. It has happened before- not to me, & for
that reason, I never use wood shavings of any kind. I know some are safer than others, many like to use aspen, that's their choice...it's just not mine.

*I was watching a really good medical mystery series last year: this guy got REALLY sick with severe GI pain etc...turns out he had accidentally swallowed a metal
bristle from the brush he cleaned his BBQ grill with- it was embedded in the meat he had for dinner...obviously he didn't chew thoroughly & it ended up perforating
his colon & resulting in a major medical emergency. So think about a snake...they don't chew & their enzymes cannot digest wood, so if a sliver were to make it as
far as the metal bristle that guy swallowed did and perforate his gut, I'd imagine you'd have symptoms like this poor suffering snake?

I've used wood shavings for literally decades, for all the rodents I've raised. They are mass produced, they are pretty good at having a consistent flake or chip size,
but there are still pieces that get by their processing...always. Just saying. So if an unlucky snake managed to ingest such a piece, it still might soften up & be
passed along with the stool...or maybe not, and in some percentage of cases it could do some internal damage.

[tttaylorrr]

So if an unlucky snake managed to ingest such a piece, it still might soften up & be passed along with the stool...or maybe not, and in some percentage of cases it could do some internal damage.

yes, it's not outside the realm of possibility. i appreciate the discussion.

[Bogertophis]

I have no crystal ball, of course...that's just one of many possibilities.
That medical series was all true stories reenacted, btw- some of the weirdest things ever, called "Monsters Inside Me", mostly about parasites & infectious diseases, a documentary cross between medical mysteries & horror. Weird stuff really happens, our local hospital has a collection on display near the emergency room of all the weird things they've removed from people... No wonder doctors develop a macabre sense of humor?

I hope the vet can figure it out & be able to help in time. Snakes are so stoic, we may not get much warning about how sick they are.

[Asherah]

Early morning update. She says the bumps are gone and color has improved since the soak. No bm, and no thrashing/spinning that she has observed so far.

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[Craiga 01453]

Early morning update. She says the bumps are gone and color has improved since the soak. No bm, and no thrashing/spinning that she has observed so far.

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I just read this a little while ago, was hoping for an update before replying. So thanks for the update.

That's certainly good news, hopefully the vet can shed some more light on the subject. I'll be sending positive vibes and watching for updates.

[Asherah]

I just read this a little while ago, was hoping for an update before replying. So thanks for the update.

That's certainly good news, hopefully the vet can shed some more light on the subject. I'll be sending positive vibes and watching for updates.

It is good news, but certainly adds to the mystery! I'll update as I get information.

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[Craiga 01453]

It is good news, but certainly adds to the mystery! I'll update as I get information.

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No doubt. I certainly don't think the snake is "in the clear", something is definitely not right. But I've got no experience there, so can't offer advice other than the animal still needs to see a vet.
Thanks again, I'll be looking forward to updates as you get them.