Normal or No?

[KatieA602]

A little over a month ago I got his adorable lavender corn snake from a breeder. Lately however I noticed the area before her tail (before the cloaca) looks larger, I gave her a warm bath because I thought constipation, and that might still be the case since she didn't 'go', but I have found excrement in the tank when spot cleaning. She is very active and an avid eater, for the past two weeks I've been feeding her 2 thawed pinkies since she still acted hungry (searching for more) after feeding. I just want to know if this a potential problem or normal. I have included pictures (as best I could she doesn't sit still). Her tank set up seems fine, water dish, heated side and non, plenty of hides, aspen bedding, etc. so I don't believe it's environment related.

 

[mishima25]

She does look like having some poo in there. Are you following a feeding plan according to your snake's weight? They always look hungry and would eat more than they should, that's why it's important to have some feeding plan or they get fat and start developing "hips". Since yours is pretty small I don't think she's fat yet.
You should take a look at the Munson plan threads in this site and adjust them to your snake. It's a very aggressive plan, that's why you should adapt it to a slower pace. Also, it's recommended to get an electronic scale in grams and weigh your snake regularly and prey every time, so that you know how your snake is growing and what you should be feeding her.

 

[sian.kelly]

Their tails do start to taper off after the cloaca (I think it tapers off quicker in females?) so after the cloaca the tail can look much thinner than the body does before the cloaca.

If it is poop, she'll go when she needs to. Some poop regularly and some don't but I've found that a longish handling session is usually enough to make my corn poop.

I think it's probably just the way her body looks and some angles (like the top picture) make it look more obvious. Hope this helps! [emoji4]


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[KatieA602]

Thank you! She is female and her tail does taper off after the cloaca, it just seems like more of a difference than usual, but her behavior hasn't changed and its not round like a lump, so I will keep an eye on it, if it seems to get worse or effect her I will get it checked out. Thanks for the input.

 

[KatieA602]

She does look like having some poo in there. Are you following a feeding plan according to your snake's weight? They always look hungry and would eat more than they should, that's why it's important to have some feeding plan or they get fat and start developing "hips". Since yours is pretty small I don't think she's fat yet.
You should take a look at the Munson plan threads in this site and adjust them to your snake. It's a very aggressive plan, that's why you should adapt it to a slower pace. Also, it's recommended to get an electronic scale in grams and weigh your snake regularly and prey every time, so that you know how your snake is growing and what you should be feeding her.

I have looked at the Munson plan, she is about 19-20 grams, which on the chart says 2 pinkies about every 5 days, so I believe I'm good on that. But thank you for referring the Munson plan to me, it's very helpful. I'm keeping watch over her for any changes and signs of distress, but lots of thanks for the advice!