Possible Cataracts in 2.5Year Old BEL

[dakski]

Happy Thanksgiving.


First, it is possible they are cataracts, but I am not qualified to access that. Additionally, I do not think it would be a huge issue if they were. I would also add, that if it is cataracts, it is probably not from anything you did.

It is possible that the eye issue is from a shed, but I do not see stuck eyecap, etc.

Secondly, I've done some reading and cataracts can occur in snakes. Usually it is due to age, but Ball Pythons seem more susceptible than some other snakes.

Vets (qualified) can perform something called Phacoemulsification, which is surgery that fixes the cataract. It is usually done in only one eye and has risks and a long recovery. The reasons for one eye is the risks and recovery, but also because they can compensate well and can do very well with one eye.

Probably not a road you want to go down.

Snakes can compensate well and ball pythons do not have great eye sight to begin with. Further, and this is my opinion, they probably do better than other snakes because they do not rely on vision as much and have heat pits to help them identify prey.

On the prey side, do you feed frozen/thawed prey? If you do, great, it will be much safer for your BP if visions problems exist and worsen. If you do not feed F/T, now would be a good time to switch.

Additionally, I would be aware of potential vision impairment and be careful when taking your snake out your enclosure. Make sure your BP is aware you are there and going to pick them up. Hook training is a great way to do this.

Finally, getting a vets opinion makes sense if you want to know for sure what is going on. However, I would say, "do not cry until you are cut." In other words, if your BP is not having issues, and may never have serious issues, do not worry about doing anything about. Just be cognizant.

Bottom line: Find out what it is, if anything (to make sure it isn't serious), but you probably won't want to do anything about it, IMO, if it is just vision impairment.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[bel_owner]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for the quick and detailed response. And I think we are on the same page. "Do not cry until you are cut" is a good way to put it. I don't think I would do any eye surgery. I can imagine it probably isn't a very practiced procedure on snakes (compared to more common pets and humans), and it comes with extra difficulties because of their size and anatomy. Also, out of all the creatures, BPs would probably deal with blindness very well. Nonetheless, thanks for bringing up Phacoemulsification; it's good to have some idea and specifically a name for what treatments are out there. It makes sense to do it on only one eye.

While I think the idea of her losing her sight does seem sad, as she often climbs (with supervision) and periscopes from high places, I think she is very familiar with her room, and I think I can set up an environment where she can still thrive if anything were to happen.

Thankfully, she has been on F/T rats for most of her life and takes them very well. While she isn't very bitey, I think hook training is a good idea--thanks again.

I spent the day calling up most of the vets in my city (Vancouver, BC) and the surrounding areas to find someone who handles reptiles. I will probably do a phone/online consultation when they are free next week. I'll basically send them what I posted here to double-check that there isn't anything too serious. And before I bring her in person, I'd rather wait until after she sheds to see if it resolves on its own. No need to bring any unnecessary stress for her, since she is otherwise doing fine and unfortunately the vet is not that close.

As an update for her, it doesn't seem to be affecting her too much, she still notices me opening the door from across the room while she hides in the clothes bin that she likes to explore.


https://imgur.com/a/SLmmi4D (couldn't attach it for some reason)