Odd bumps in my corn. PICS INSIDE!!! PLEASE HELP!!

[jamesbernatchez]

Alright some background info might help. She is around 2 1/2 years old and she eats 4 pinkies every 10-14 days. I dont think she is big enough for fuzzies. I know she is a female because she laid 3 unfertilized eggs about 3 or so months ago. She eats no problem(even out of my hand sometimes) goes to the bathroom ok and is relativly active. Within the past 3 weeks ive noticed she has a lump or bump in her body. Depending on how she sits it is either very noticeable or you cant really see it. Her tank is always between 72 and 90 depending on which side she is on(its a 20gallon tank) And usually fresh water every week or so. About 2 weeks ago i noticed that she had gone to the bathroom alot like maybe 7 times(i cant exactly remember but i know it was alot) in a week. Me and my girlfriend were playing with her and cleaning the tank and she looked fine. the next day(a little over 1 week ago) she had an enlarged section in her body. Depending on how and when you look at it, it seems like its there and othertimes it seems like its not there. Im stumped. I dont have alot of money to take her to the vet but im worried. Is it possible its an egg. Here are pics. Please let me know what you think:

Just so you know. She went to the bathroom about 4 days ago and hasnt eaten in about 10. I watch her drink all the time. Im worried that something is wrong. She doest mind if i touch it. It doesnt seem to hurt her. And she is still active and such. The pics were taken today and in a few of them i marked with an arrow the place i notice the bump. I cant tell if its her stomach or not.

I just made the light holder yesterday for her.

If i had to guess she is about 25 or so inches long.

Hope you can help me. Thanks again.

 

[CornCrazy]

2 1/2 years old??? And still eating pinks??? I have yearlings that can eat adult mice!

I cannot see the bump well enough to give my opinion on it. If you are concerned, then I recommend that you take her to the vet and have her checked out.

 

[danvega]

I have a corn snake similar to that size and she eats hoppers to sub-adult mice with no problem. They are able to eat prey that is 1 1/2 times the largest part of their body (with the exception of the lump in yours)---you should do a search for that.

Anyways, I know your question was not concerning the feeding, but rather the lump. It is hard to tell from your pics. There are a few posts on fatty deposit lumps already that have pics and info, so you may want to compare your snake's lump to the pics on those posts.

Here's some questions though: What does the lump feel like? Is it soft, hard, pliable? If you shine a bright light on the underside/side of the lump can you see anything (ie. outline of an egg)?

 

[jamesbernatchez]

The lump is relativly soft. If i touch it it doesnt feel hard, more squishy. If i let her slither through my fingers and not open them anymore then the size of her body in front of the lump she is able to squezze through no problem. im gonna take a pic of a fuzzy next to my snake so you can see if she would be ok eating it. It seems to big to me but i dont have that much experience with snakes. I had a ball python for a few months but decided I didnt want to care for 2 snakes that young and returned it to where i bought it(Petco) Thanks

 

[Roy Munson]

72 is ok for the cool side is ok, but 90 is too hot, even for the hot side. Bring that down to the low to mid 80s. I would also change out the water at least twice per week, if not more often. Move her to a couple of fuzzies a week asap for a month or two. That'll fatten her up. Then you can move her up to one small adult, and take it from there.

Edited to add: And of course, get that bump checked out by a herp vet.

 

[jamesbernatchez]

Alright. Here is a pic of the smallest fuzzy i had next to my snake. Is it too big or do you think its ok to feed her? My girlfriend is gonna call a herp vet tomorrow to find out how much it will be have my girl checked out(my snake that is) Im not exacty very "wealthy" at the moment. LOL. Hopefully everything is ok!

 

[ultimuttone]

IMO your snake looks plenty big enough to handle the fuzzy .

 

[Wilder]

That snake is more than capable of handling the fuzzy. Start feeding her the smaller fuzzies for a few feedings, then move up to slightly larger fuzzies. Her growth has been badly stunted by not having enough nutrients, but she can hopefully make it up by getting on fuzzies. I know it seems hard to believe they can swallow these 'huge' things -- I was worried about feeding my first snake large food, so I know how it is, but as long as the food is no wider than 1.5 times the width of the snake's widest point, you are fine.

As for the lump, yes, contact a vet. Better safe than sorry, and if your pet needs the care you can scrape and save and find a way to pay it. That's part of 'parenting' (pet owning.)

 

[jamesbernatchez]

Its wierd because my girlfriend has just started feeding hers fuzzies with in a month or so and its ALOT bigger than mine. We usually feed it around the same amount. O well ill start feeding her fuzzies and hopefully shell grow big and strong. Thanks. Ill post when i have an idea of whats wrong and how she is adapting to fuzzies.

 

[amcgltdchix]

Bumpy Snake

Some snakes are prone to lipomas (fatty tumors) that are benign, but look bad. Do make sure its also not a constipation issue.

But I agree with Terri(a fellow vet tech! WOOHOO!! GO TECHS!), take him to a vet to have it checked out. They can do a fine needle aspirate and an xray.

Good Luck!

 

[princess]

Just so you know she can actually do it....

This is one of my females when she was about the size yours is now eating a 4 week old young adult mouse. The big difference though is that my snake was about 8-9 months old at the most in this picture and one of my slower growers.

Pick a mouse that's about 1½ times the width of your snake at her widest point and let her enjoy the feeling of a full belly.

 

[JenC]

My female hypo, an 05, is on hoppers and was NOT over fed at all. I give her (and my others big enough to take down hoppers) what I think and know she can handle. Trust me, You baby could probly take down a nice mouse.

To me, your girl may have what amcgltdchix had stated. Get her checked ASAP

 

[MegF.]

Lipomas are benign fatty tumors, but I can't imagine that your snake would have enough extra fat to make one! You definately need to start feeding more. My female was a slow grower and she's still eating large adult mice at 2 1/2 years old.

 

[Tracee]

Lipomas are benign fatty tumors, but I can't imagine that your snake would have enough extra fat to make one!

That was my first thought too.. Can an underfed snake (and I dont mean that to be offensive) possibly make these fatty deposits?
Just to be safe, get your snake checked out by a professional. Hoping for the best

 

[slorenz]

if its squishy i wouldnt be to worried as long as her stool is fine. My snake has it and i took it to the vet they are fatty deposits from power feeding or feeding alot

 

[Tracee]

if its squishy i wouldnt be to worried as long as her stool is fine. My snake has it and i took it to the vet they are fatty deposits from power feeding or feeding alot

That's precisely our point - there's no way this snake is overfed, it's still on pinkies!

 

[jamesbernatchez]

Alright guys heres an update:
I fed her the fuzzy after you guys thought it was fine. She ate it no problem and seemed happy. Today after coming home from work I noticed she had regurgitated it and was hiding in her cave. I dont think it was too big but i wonder if it has anything to do with the bumps i see. I read in Kathy loves book about a diesase(sp?) it was inside the stomach and caused the snake to have a swelling stomach and regurgitate food. The snake would also loose alot of weight! I really hope this is not the case. There is no cure for it and they say you should put the animal to sleep so they dont suffer. I have a vet appointment for wednesday. Hopfully he can help! I will not feed her for until at least the weekend but she now will not have eaten for almost 20 days!!! What do you guys think??

 

[jamesbernatchez]

I always thought she ate alot. She never seemed to beg for food(my girlfriends snake does, its really funny) Hopefully everything is ok and ill start feeding her fuzzies (1 every 6 days for the first 3 or 4 times to 2 every 6 days for a while. If she doesnt mind and doesnt regurgitate is that a good idea??

 

[KatieL]

Hi There,

I'm really sorry to hear that she regurged that for you. I also doubt that it was a size issue as I have a snake the same size as yours (she just hit 1 year old this past week) who is eating hoppers and adult mice.

Usually after a snake regurges its reccommended to wait 10 days so that the snake's gut flora has time to build up again, feeding again too soon could just cause another regurg. I would feed her as soon after the ten days as possible though to try to get her up to speed.

I'm glad to hear you are taking her to the vet. It sounds like that's the best thing to do now - especially if it may be affecting her eating (which it may or may not be, a vet would be better able to tell you than i would).

As for feeding advice I'd say your proposed idea doesn't sound too bad. You may want to give her an easy meal after the regurge though. Try her pinks again (maybe with slits in the back if you can handle that) and if she holds those down okay switch back to the fuzzies.

Best of luck with her at the vet!

Katie

 

[jamesbernatchez]

Thanks so much. I just looked at her and the bumps arnt really noticeable anymore. I remember last time she had the bumps she went to the bathroom alot and it went away. Maybe its a constipation issue. Im still bringing her cause i want her checked out. Ill update soon to let you all know whats up. Thanks for all the help so far!!