Crotalus Enyo Bowel Blockage

[SWDK]

My Crotalus Enyo has some sort of bowl blockage or constipation. It hasn't pooped in 2 months. The lower portion of its body before the vent is swollen. The problem is I can't find a vet who is willing to work with a venomous snake.

I've been doing regular warm water soaks for 1hr each time. I've recently increased the soaking time to 2hrs. I'm sort of at a loss of the soaking doesn't work soon.

My next option is to tube the snake and manually try to massage the blockage and see if I can get it moving out. Any other suggestions?

[pet_snake_78]

There are lots of venomous keepers in PA, I am sure there must be a good vet.

[SWDK]

Im sure there prob is are vets in my state. I've called numerous vets within 50 miles and no go. Even asked them to point me in the right direction. My vet I take my dogs to recommended an exotic vet, but he doesn't take venomous.

[SWDK]

Good news!!! Went to check on Enyo and she made a little progress. It was some hard crumbly waste. Her lower section near her vent is also much less swollen.

Today was her first 2hr soak so maybe it helped. I'll do another 2hr soak tomorrow to see if I can loosen up some more.

She's also I her hot spot today. It's the first time I've seen her use it in a long time.

Here are some pics.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r254/hiker4twenty/Mobile%20Uploads/04E244FB-19EE-4658-955A-4208DAD05584.jpg (http://s146.photobucket.com/user/hiker4twenty/media/Mobile%20Uploads/04E244FB-19EE-4658-955A-4208DAD05584.jpg.html)
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r254/hiker4twenty/Mobile%20Uploads/9B229E89-834A-478E-A661-E566771B2F45.jpg (http://s146.photobucket.com/user/hiker4twenty/media/Mobile%20Uploads/9B229E89-834A-478E-A661-E566771B2F45.jpg.html)
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r254/hiker4twenty/Mobile%20Uploads/8B65DA27-4C90-4A88-AFDE-2C164CDAF8AE.jpg (http://s146.photobucket.com/user/hiker4twenty/media/Mobile%20Uploads/8B65DA27-4C90-4A88-AFDE-2C164CDAF8AE.jpg.html)

[dannybgoode]

Great news! I wouldn't have a clue where to start with something like that! Whereabouts in PA are you.

Spent a fair bit of time in the East Stroud Stroudsburg area when I was a student.

[SWDK]

Great news! I wouldn't have a clue where to start with something like that! Whereabouts in PA are you.

Spent a fair bit of time in the East Stroud Stroudsburg area when I was a student.

I'm in Mountain Top, PA. It's between Wilkes-Barre & Hazleton. Roughly 50 miles West of East Stroudsburg.

[dave himself]

Glad to see she passed something for you mate, keep us posted on how she's doing. Hopefully she'll leave you a nice smelly deposit soon ;)

[Albert Clark]

I heard that sometimes a large urate can block the cloaca internally causing a blockage. The initial basic treatment is warm water soaks, increasing the ambient humidity and massages to the lower abdominal region. Of course massages to a venomous species is a almost impossible task. But yeah, the other two remedies is a start. Good luck. Keep an eye on the underbelly of the animal for discoloration which will mean that toxins are building up in the intestinal tract.

[SWDK]

She passed another pile of urates that look identical to the one pictured. That's definitely a positive step. She's also still basking on her hot side. Maybe that's helping her get things moving as well.

I'm also wondering if maybe she went into some sort of brumation? She didn't eat, go the bathroom or leave her cool hide for just over 2 months. She's an arid desert type species. Not sure if they would shut down and brumate during the really hot summer months? Everything was fine with her prior to this. She would eat an adult mouse weekly and poop a day or 2 before the next feeding. She shed like normal and moved about her enclosure on a regular basis.

I've got her last September so I don't know how she acted last summer.

[Albert Clark]

Yes, and l've heard it before with nonvenomous as well. The young and the adults as well as the geriatric snakes are all affected by this. You are not alone. It seems the large urates are the common trigger. Snake not taking in enough water. And not enough humidity.