Fatty tail or?.....

[UserNameIsValid]

Hey guys, so my ball, Monty, hasn't eaten in four weeks, hasn't pooped, but has peed like normal. Except for his lower third. It's super fat and you can see the skin under his scales. Just wondering if anyone knows what this could be or if it's normal.

[UserNameIsValid]

Also just expelled this pretty dark urine 😬

[Minkness]

Not normal, may be compacted.

Is it hard? If hard, get to a vet ASAP. If soft, attempt to give mineral oil orally and 15-20 min soaks in luke warm water along with gentle massages towards the pooper.

[REM955]

You say compaction because of the time since a poop and the bulge near the vent?

[Albert Clark]

Firstly, what type of enclosure is Monty in and what are the temps, humidity and substrate you are using? How are you heating the enclosure? What are you feeding him and how often? Are you sure Monty is a male? Has he ever been bred? How are you monitoring the temps, ambient and hot spot and the humidity percentage? Impaction is a possibility but ball pythons can hold on to feces for extended periods of time for various reasons. The urine and urates look normal to me.

[UserNameIsValid]

Firstly, what type of enclosure is Monty in and what are the temps, humidity and substrate you are using? How are you heating the enclosure? What are you feeding him and how often? Are you sure Monty is a male? Has he ever been bred? How are you monitoring the temps, ambient and hot spot and the humidity percentage? Impaction is a possibility but ball pythons can hold on to feces for extended periods of time for various reasons. The urine and urates look normal to me.
He is in a 29gal breeder with a 80-70 degree variant with a 90 hotspot. 60 percent humidity. I have a 60 watt heat heat lamp and a 30 gallon heat pad. I offer him a 18gram adult mouse once a week. Not sure he's a male, but have had him since he's a juvenile, about a year now. I monitor the heat and humidity with dials. I have one one each end along with the middle and hotspot. I have a humidity dial in the center as well. I feed him on paper towels, so I doubt it's an impaction. I'm just wondering why his tail area is so swollen ☹

[Minkness]

Could be parasites.

Take him to a vet. Compaction or not, that's not bormal and it'd e better to diagnose sooner rather than later.

[sirtalis]

Do you have a screen top on the cage

[sirtalis]

Oh and how are you measuring the temps

[Albert Clark]

Ok. Are you controlling the heat with a thermostat? The reason I ask is so we can make sure the husbandry is correct. As far as the temps, do you use thermometers and hygrometers with probes or are you using the circular aneroid types? The snake is most certainly not gravid then since you have had him for a year. And also since he was a juvenile rules out that this is a ball python who is gravid. I don't know for sure if this could be a ball python who is in the stages of building follicles and hasn't been bred which would mean this is a female ball python. That may be a possibility. Do you feed live or f/t and do you monitor the feedings? This is important bc there has been cases of ball pythons swallowing paper towels along with their meal. Which could be a form of impaction. Long shot IMO. How long has the protrusion been evident to you?

[AwesomeGuy376]

I would just say husbandry. I've also seen people online who soak their snake to get rid of constipation if you wanted to try it, but please take him to a vet just to be safe.. Hope it gets fixed!

[Albert Clark]

Certainly the exotic vet will be the definitive recourse bc we can speculate all day on this situation. I thought we could try to get a sense of several possibilities.It does look suspicious but just trying to rule out a few things.

[UserNameIsValid]

Ok. Are you controlling the heat with a thermostat? The reason I ask is so we can make sure the husbandry is correct. As far as the temps, do you use thermometers and hygrometers with probes or are you using the circular aneroid types? The snake is most certainly not gravid then since you have had him for a year. And also since he was a juvenile rules out that this is a ball python who is gravid. I don't know for sure if this could be a ball python who is in the stages of building follicles and hasn't been bred which would mean this is a female ball python. That may be a possibility. Do you feed live or f/t and do you monitor the feedings? This is important bc there has been cases of ball pythons swallowing paper towels along with their meal. Which could be a form of impaction. Long shot IMO. How long has the protrusion been evident to you?

yeah, i have a Zilla thermostat hooked up to the light and mat. i use the circular aneroid type thermometer/hygrometer. I feed hime f/t and always monitor the feedings, I noticed it about five minutes before I posted on here :/

[Albert Clark]

Today is there any change in the size of the swelling/ protrusion? Also, can you post a picture of the underside/ belly of the snake? It's not unusual for a ball python not to have a defecation in a months time. They usually go when they have to. Even not feeding for one month is normal but when it's associated with a suspicious protrusion /swelling of the abdomen is problematic l. Your husbandry sounds great. I would invest in a probed thermometer/ hygrometer for better accuracy and also a ir gun to monitor your surface temps. Feeding f/t also lessens the likelihood of parasites.

[Andy_G]

If it were a female I would say that it's probably eggs in there...but that isn't the case here. I would get that thing to a vet ASAP. When a snake is that constipated, and make no mistake...it is very severely constipated...soaking and passing stool can actually compound the problem and/or cause a severe prolapse. Please keep us updated and best of luck.

[Aaron_S]

If it were a female I would say that it's probably eggs in there...but that isn't the case here. I would get that thing to a vet ASAP. When a snake is that constipated, and make no mistake...it is very severely constipated...soaking and passing stool can actually compound the problem and/or cause a severe prolapse. Please keep us updated and best of luck.

I agree. The snake needs an x-ray to properly diagnose this problem right now.

Husbandry will have to be checked over to stop future similar issues but right now it needs a vet. Hopefully it doesn't prolapse.

[Minkness]

What Andy and Aaron said

[UserNameIsValid]

Today is there any change in the size of the swelling/ protrusion? Also, can you post a picture of the underside/ belly of the snake? It's not unusual for a ball python not to have a defecation in a months time. They usually go when they have to. Even not feeding for one month is normal but when it's associated with a suspicious protrusion /swelling of the abdomen is problematic l. Your husbandry sounds great. I would invest in a probed thermometer/ hygrometer for better accuracy and also a ir gun to monitor your surface temps. Feeding f/t also lessens the likelihood of parasites.

His belly is flat up until the protrusion, where it swells out. He feels like an inflated balloon, and I can hear gurgling sounds, almost like gas.

[Albert Clark]

Wow! Certainly the definitive evaluation and diagnosis will come from the exotic vet. The consensus here is that it's a potential impaction/ constipation and we can talk about it forever but what we've done now is cover the bases and looked at some possibilities. So when the exotic vet begins taking a history of present illness you will be able to give the pertinent information that will be crucial in conjunction with the diagnostic testing to make a definitive diagnosis. Make sure to see a exotic reptile vet who can give you the best information. Usually it the Center for avian and exotics whe re you can reference them in your area. Please keep us updated on the progress. Great job and good luck.

[UserNameIsValid]

So I soaked him for about a half hour with warm water, and massaged the affected area. I could feel three lumps inside him, which he passed after awhile. They were huge! Like the size of his head! After these came liquid feces and gas. Now he's ok, but I'm wondering what could've caused this in the first place. When I look it up everything says IBD, but I've had him for a year, and he's never been around other snakes, nor shared anything with other snakes to catch it. Is it something with my husbandry? Hoping someone knows....

[Minkness]

It probably wasn't IBD. Snakes are like people we can all eat the same thing but it may affect us differently. It could just be that he doesn't digest the fur and bones as efficiently as other snakes. Your care sounds spot on, so I wouldn't worry too much.

I'm glad this worked for you though. Just keep an eye on him to see if it happens again. If it does, you may want to take him in for trsting as there may be an underlying cause.

=)

[Albert Clark]

Well, that's great news and congrats for getting him better. I think it's a good idea to at least get him a wellness visit at the exotic vet and explain what was going on with the python. As far as the IBD is concerned it's a retrovirus and I am not sure if it would cause something like this with ball pythons. IBD is a disease that affects the central and peripheral nervous system of boa constrictors. I think it's quickly fatal in ball pythons if they become symptomatic. Some ball pythons can be asymptomatic carriers.

[Andy_G]

Glad to hear. I hope it's the end of the problem for you.

@Albert - The last time I really looked into IBD, I thought that boas were commonly asymptomatic, but all pythons were taken down rather quickly with it. Has this info changed? I would love to brush up on the subject.

[Sylphie]

My girl that I got 3 weeks ago has the same problem. I'll wait two days more, and if nothing changes I'll try a warm soak too.

[Albert Clark]

Glad to hear. I hope it's the end of the problem for you.

@Albert - The last time I really looked into IBD, I thought that boas were commonly asymptomatic, but all pythons were taken down rather quickly with it. Has this info changed? I would love to brush up on the subject.

Andy, from what I have researched IBD is included in most boids but it is primarily identified in multiple subspecies of boa constrictor. It's included in green anaconda, Haitian boa, Burmese python, Indian python, reticulated python, ball pythons. Even carpet and diamond pythons have been reported to have IBD. The literature does relate the boa constrictor to be the primary species affected and presenting with the disease. There is reported regurgitation as one of the signs and symptoms but nothing on impaction /constipation as OP has stated.

[Andy_G]

I'm aware that virtually all species of boas and python are affected by this retrovirus, as well as the signs and symptoms of the disease, and also that boa constrictors are the primary species affected. The last I had been actively keeping and breeding boids would have been in 2005 or 2006 (and to be honest it's been longer than that since I had ball pythons...not really a ball python guy :)) so I therefore haven't kept up on the subject, and at that time it was known that boas of most subspecies could carry the disease for years without one knowing and be asymptomatic for rather prolonged periods of time, but any pythons that contracted the disease had a very acute onset and were taken down very quickly and usually showed severe signs of the affliction within the first few weeks after contracting the virus. What I want to know specifically is this; has this changed? I wouldn't be surprised because of how quickly it mutates, but I would love to know.

[Minkness]

IBD is a possibility in any reptile btw. I learned that when I attempted a rescue of a gecko years ago. Thin, wouldn't eat, if force fed would regurge, and had dark spots on it's belly. Took it to the vet after it died....IBD.... thank goodness for my STRICT quarintine. I just threw everything that I had used for it away. Tub, tongs, hide, water dish, ext. It is very contagious and known as 'the collection killer' for a reason, AND can cross species contaminate. Very serious stuff.

Impaction can be a symptom as the IBD that is most well known is an intestinal issue that can cause some nuro issues due to improper digestion of key nutrients leading to the brain and other irgans eventually shutting down. There is almost no cure for this, even if caught early. The best you can do is euthanize.

[Andy_G]

IBD is a possibility in any reptile btw. I learned that when I attempted a rescue of a gecko years ago. Thin, wouldn't eat, if force fed would regurge, and had dark spots on it's belly. Took it to the vet after it died....IBD.... thank goodness for my STRICT quarintine. I just threw everything that I had used for it away. Tub, tongs, hide, water dish, ext. It is very contagious and known as 'the collection killer' for a reason, AND can cross species contaminate. Very serious stuff.

Impaction can be a symptom as the IBD that is most well known is an intestinal issue that can cause some nuro issues due to improper digestion of key nutrients leading to the brain and other irgans eventually shutting down. There is almost no cure for this, even if caught early. The best you can do is euthanize.

Dark spots on the belly as well as impaction is a clear cut sign of a cryptosporidium infection. I also find it odd that you mention that the first place it is often found is in the GI tract, as it used to be found within the brain/respiratory tract most often when the specimen is necropsied...but I do find this interesting and can't discount what your vet said simply because I don't know enough. What I know of IBD is from a long time ago. I do however know that with IBD there is no cure and everything used on the animal should be discarded, and it spreads very quickly just as you said. So much can change with these things.

[Albert Clark]

Glad to hear. I hope it's the end of the problem for you.

@Albert - The last time I really looked into IBD, I thought that boas were commonly asymptomatic, but all pythons were taken down rather quickly with it. Has this info changed? I would love to brush up on the subject.

I'm aware that virtually all species of boas and python are affected by this retrovirus, as well as the signs and symptoms of the disease, and also that boa constrictors are the primary species affected. The last I had been actively keeping and breeding boids would have been in 2005 or 2006 (and to be honest it's been longer than that since I had ball pythons...not really a ball python guy :)) so I therefore haven't kept up on the subject, and at that time it was known that boas of most subspecies could carry the disease for years without one knowing and be asymptomatic for rather prolonged periods of time, but any pythons that contracted the disease had a very acute onset and were taken down very quickly and usually showed severe signs of the affliction within the first few weeks after contracting the virus. What I want to know specifically is this; has this changed? I wouldn't be surprised because of how quickly it mutates, but I would love to know.
No, I believe you are correct. There are asymptomatic carriers in boa constrictors however they have been the species identified as the most affected. Certainly ball pythons, like you say, would go down rather quickly.
@ Minkness: IBD is primarily a disease isolated in boids. Boa constrictors and pythons and even king snakes who have been in the company of boids. All species affected have also been reported to have been suffering a MITE infestation . So that was unusual for a gecko to contract it.

[Minkness]

Doh!

I got them mixed up!

You are right about the crypto. Uuuuhg...feel so stupid now...

I do know that the other IBD stuff is right though because that was something I talked to the vet about when all that happened. (Again, years ago)

Sorry for the confusion.

Both are super bad though. =(

Pretty sure this guy just had to poop though. It happens sometimes. Lol

[Albert Clark]

@Andy : Yes, you are correct. I was wrong about the ball python being asymptomatic carriers as they would die rather quickly with IBD. It definitely is the boa constrictor being the species who would be the asymptomatic carrier. Thank you for that correction.