Pink discharge coming out of the vent?

[fehlend_mich]

Today I was checking out my snake and she's having some sort of pink discharge from her vent. It doesn't look bloody or watery and I've never seen anything like it before. 2 days ago I fed her 2 small frozen pinkies, and it almost looks like a tiny version of one of them. Any idea what it could be?

[SatanicIntention]

I'm sorry to have to ask; the pinkies were thawed, right? Just wondering, why is she on pinkies? Babies can eat adult mice/rat pups out of the egg.

Has she been to the vet and had a fecal sample checked for parasites? Any sort of discharge is not good. I would get her to the vet and see if they can find out anything. Can't say I've ever heard of a pinkish discharge. It may be a form of diarrhea from parasites. Sometimes the fecal sample won't show any infestation, but the parasites may be in a stage where they aren't producing eggs or they are in a burrowing-through-tissue stage in the life cycle. She might not be absorbing any nutrients and it is just passing straight through her.

Did this just start today? Has she been acting any differently? What are temps and humidity? Has she been stressed at all? Is the discharge slimy? Is it clear/transparent, or are there particles in it? Is it blood-tinged, or is it just pink? Is it profuse, or barely noticeable(as in just slightly around her vent)? How did you notice it(is she kept on paper towels and you saw it, or were you holding her and felt it)? Alot of questions, I know, but I don't want to miss anything that may have caused this. Just want to make sure I have the bases covered.

All in all, I would take her to the vet if it persists any longer. Also, if this happens again the next time you feed her, it may signify a greater underlying problem. Hope you get it all sorted out and she gets well.

[elevatethis]

Yup, save the feces and go to the vet.

[Adam_Wysocki]

2 days ago I fed her 2 small frozen pinkies

Pinky mice?

Pinky mice are too small for ball pythons of any age.

-adam

[fehlend_mich]

First, yes pinkies, this is the first time I've been able to get her to feed and had read that if you cut the top of the head off a pinkie that she would probably eat it, and thankfully she did (as I was had tried *everything* else). Of course they were completely thawed... Thanks for all the input.

[fehlend_mich]

Did this just start today? Has she been acting any differently? What are temps and humidity? Has she been stressed at all? Is the discharge slimy? Is it clear/transparent, or are there particles in it? Is it blood-tinged, or is it just pink? Is it profuse, or barely noticeable(as in just slightly around her vent)? How did you notice it(is she kept on paper towels and you saw it, or were you holding her and felt it)?

It had just started, she had only seemed a bit more active. Temp is 85 and humidity is 60%, it doesn't seem like she's been stressed... Not slimy at all, not clear and no particles, just pink. Definately profuse. I noticed it because I was checking temp and humidity, because I don't yet have a thermostat, and was going to handle her... I use papertowels as substrate... I looked at the temps and such but noticed that she was on top of her hide and her tail was sticking up slightly and that pink thing was sticking out, the only thing I can really compare it to is what it looks like when a cat gives birth. I'm taking in a fecal sample to her vet tomorrow, thanks so much for your help Becky.

[SatanicIntention]

85 is wonderful for the cool side, but the warm side needs to be 94-95. If it is not warm enough, she cannot digest and may get a respiratory infection from now being able to warm herself properly. Are you measuring the temps accurately? Digital thermometer?

I may not have gotten you right, is it a liquid or is she everting herself? Are you meaning pink insides? If she is everting herself, it may be a number of reasons; passing gas, getting ready to go to the bathroom, impaction and can't pass anything. If she has prolapsed(insides can't go back in), then you can put a sugar solution(mix sugar and water until thick/pasty) that will reduce the swelling and hopefully will allow the organ to go back inside. If she is just everting herself for the fun of it(passing gas) then it will resolve itself and be fine. Sometimes they evert themselves after a bowel movement.

Has she remained everted? Is anything red, looking irritated? If it is dry, then you may want to soak her in warm water and see if that helps resolve it. If not, it will just help keep the organ lubricated until you can get to the vet.

Also, if she has only eaten pinkies for you, then I would NOT try to handle her until she eats a good couple more times, and appropriate meal sizes. Getting weight on her and getting her healthy is more important than getting her used to you right now. If you can't get her temps up with the set up you have now, different means will be necessary. Temperatures are very important for these guys, and any fluctuations aren't appreciated. Once you get the temps in the appropriate ranges, thermostat or not(try a dimmer-Home Depot, WalMart, Lowe's), then try to feed her an appropriate sized meal such as a live small adult mouse or a rat crawler. The word "live" is important, as babies rarely get started on anything but.

Hope the vet can help out a bit.

[fehlend_mich]

I didn't know the temp was supose to be that high [and boy does that make me feel like a moron], I had been told between 85-90, I'm glad I know now though. The vet said that it looked fine and everything's back to normal. I'm going to try to get her to eat a f/t adult mouse on Saturday (because I've tried *many* times with live) so hopefully all will go well.

Again, thanks so much.

[SatanicIntention]

Glad everything is back to normal, and hopefully you can get her to start eating bigger prey . Tell her she needs to be a chunky monkey and cheer her on :-D

Just remember, the temp is supposed to be in the 94-95 range in only a portion of the enclosure, not the entire thing. She has to be able to cool down if she needs to. Around 82-84 on the cool side, and 10 degrees higher on the warm side are good goals to aim for. Hopefully her being able to get warmer will entice her to start eating on a regular basis. Good luck with the little booger.