Four Year Old Female, What is This?

[BigByrd47119]

Alright well Ill start off by saying no pics as of yet. I don't own a camera worth a crap so any pics I take will probably not help any.

I just bought (48 hrs ago) a four year old female anery from a local reptile rescue here in Galloway Ohio. She is my second from this rescue and I have been very happy with both so far as both have fantastic personalities and no injuries or other defects! Until I took another look that is...

This new female apparently laid a viable clutch just a little while back (they had her for the last 6 months and I didn't ask when she laid) and she appears to be in great physical condition, no fat, all muscle, perfect weight. Since she had laid a clutch I checked for any possible retained eggs or anything of that sort along her belly. There was nothing worth mention.

Then tonight when I checked on her I noticed something odd. She has what appears for all the world to be egg-shaped bulges sticking out of her sides. There are four in total but they only stick out on one side with each lump alternating the side that it sticks out on. I checked along her belly and sides once again for any obvious lumps and there were none. The bumps don't appear to cause her any discomfort and even feel a bit "fatty," or at least less muscular than the rest of her.

I'm thinking tumors, but I REALLY hope they aren't! Anyone else have any suggestions as to what it may be, and if not, what are the tell-tails of a snake with a tumor?

Thanks for everyones time and I apologize for the long post! I look forward to hearing back!

~BigByrd

 

[crackerhead]

You really need to post a picture.
From your description it sounds like when eggs "train wreck" in the oviduct. They pile up behind the stuck egg and look exactly like derailed train cars zigzagged down the body. I hope I'm wrong because that's not a good situation and it doesn't repair itself. Surgery would be indicated in such a case.

Terri

 

[BigByrd47119]

You really need to post a picture.

Terri

Alright, So I did take some pics, and they turned out better than I antisipated! Here they are.

Pic one is of the smallest bump, pics two is the biggest, and the last one shows two of them. The paper plate is to help the bumps stand out more in the pics. These are all in the lower 1/3rd of her body but a bit before the vent area.

 

[Dorgrim]

Do you have a pic of your snakes whole body? as well as the belly scales near the bumps?

Reptiles have fat pads that can bulge if the snake is over weight but usually that only if its extreme.

Odd looking....the fact that its lower down on the body is rather curious, and doesnt make me worry too much...

hmmm

 

[bitsy]

at lumps will generally feel quite soft and squishy and tend to "squelch" under your fingers if you gently try to move them around. Stuck eggs or tumours will feel much more solid and are less likely to move.

 

[crackerhead]

Thanks for the pictures. With the clarification of the photos I don't think it's eggs. Eggs that are stuck are far more pronounced, dramatic looking.
A whole body picture would be nice. It would allow for an overall conformation of the animals state in general. From the photos she looks a little thin, which is to be expected after laying eggs. The bumps look like fat deposits. I agree with Bitsy that fat deposits are softer than most tumors. These bumps could be cysts and you won't know anything about their nature till you have a biopsy done. Unless you have money to burn on vet tests, I'd continue observe her, feed her well and hope they are nothing that is causing her pain. If they grow or change you then have to make a decision about care.
Good Luck.
Terri

 

[bitsy]

These bumps could be cysts and you won't know anything about their nature till you have a biopsy done.

That's a good point. A vet will usually be able to aspirate the fluid contents of a cyst with a needle, but a fat lump is solid and won't respond to that. Should be easy enough to tell them apart. However, fat lumps seem to be the most common "soft lump" problem that I've seen discussed.

 

[BigByrd47119]

Thanks to everyone for their help! This is the first time I have ran across something that has genuinly worried/bothered me.

at lumps will generally feel quite soft and squishy and tend to "squelch" under your fingers if you gently try to move them around. Stuck eggs or tumors will feel much more solid and are less likely to move.

In that case I think I am probably dealing with fat lumps. Any way to get rid of them or are they more or less a non-issue aside from worrying the crap out of the snakes owner?

Do you have a pic of your snakes whole body? as well as the belly scales near the bumps?

No I don't, but I can get some tonight when I get off work. As someone else mentioned, she does seem a little thin, although not dangerously, therefor I will make sure to get a accurate weight/length tonight as well.

 

[bitsy]

Any way to get rid of them or are they more or less a non-issue aside from worrying the crap out of the snakes owner?

Once they arrive, they do seem to be a permanent fixture. As long as they're not affecting her internal organs, she should be fine and in my experience, they won't bother her at all. They may be the result of some kind of feeding problem before you got her, or they may just be "one of those things".

I've had a Corn develop them when she was on exactly the same feeding regime as all my others. Apart from the lumps she wasn't overweight, so the vet put it down as a metabolic disorder.

Once you get her settled in and established on a sensible feeding routine, you might try to give her a bit of extra exercise to firm up her muscle tone (as long as that doesn't stress her). But generally, this sort of thing won't make fat lumps go away.

 

[SnakeAround]

I've a girl with bumps exactly like that, my very experienced reptile vet said immediately after looking at the pics; 'fatty bumps, don't worry'. Just observe if she keeps doing okay!

 

[BigByrd47119]

Ok took some measurements this morning. She weights in at 646 grams and almost exactly 4 feet. I think her muscle tone is excellent although when shes in just the right position you can "kind of" see her spine. Its nothing drastic however.

One more question, I'm pretty sure shes a Anery A but...what do you think? Eyes are steel grey, perhaps a bit darker. Yellowing is very mild and is only on the upper 1/3rd of her body.