Lumpy hognose

[valkea]

One of my albino hognose hasn't taken a meal since I purchased him. Seller claims he's had over 10 meals in his care but I'm not overly confident in that. When they arrived end of July they were 8 and 7 grams. The 8 gram one has taken meals perfectly and when I last weigh him two meals ago he was 12 grams. I spoke with a few knowledgeable folks and they didn't think a hognose that had taken over 10 meals would be so tiny.

On top of the lack of eating (which isn't abnormal for hognose really) is an odd lump near the back half of the snake. I've been monitoring it and it doesn't seem to be changing in size. He's lost a gram of weight in the month I've had him but nothing alarming. It's been suggested it may be yolk remnants but they didn't think it was likely considering how long I've had him. Person I bought the hog from was unaware of it's hatch date.

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http://imgur.com/3BrqUFf.png
Tried scenting with squid / offering a piece of squid but no luck so Stephan and I went frog hunting. Caught a few and will try scenting with them. Also grabbed a can of Tuna because apparently that's what they were started on.

Hopefully the little dude eats soon. Since he's got some issues going on we're holding off on probing. No need for extra stress and there's no point figuring out if he's a dude or dudette if he's not doing well.

[Andy_G]

Either hardened yolk from the yolk sac that will never break down...or severe constipation. Unfortunately a vet visit is in order. I've had hognose hatch out as small as 3 grams and as large as 12 so he could've been a runt, but this concerns me. Mind PMing me the sellers info?

[REM955]

This looks that bad for a breeder to do?

[valkea]

Thanks Andy, appreciate the feedback. I sent you a PM with some more details.

REM, yeah I'm not super happy about it. I'm not sure if it's just crappy luck or actually something the seller did / didn't do so I'm not going to put him on blast. But it sucks. When I reached out to him he suggested he might have ingested some aspen but whenever I've offered food it's been on a clean surface in his tub. I mean, it could have been but I doubt it.

[REM955]

Well, if you look at my post on Cuddles you'll see a similar theme; selling a snake that shouldn't be sold.
Of course, we do not know all the details as of yet. Nor should I personally.
Best of luck and I hope she gets taken care of.

[valkea]

Thank you REM! Sorry to hear you also ended up with a snake before she should have been sold. It's frustrating for sure. I checked out Cuddles post and she's super cute! I hope she continues to eat for you!

I'm going to try to find a vet nearby (or within a few hours drive) and go from there. I'm also going to try some warm water soaks but I'm not sure it'll make a difference. Poor little dude.

Oh one more thing I remembered, seller told me he shed at least 3 times. Now I've never raised a hognose from fresh out of the egg but that seems like a lot of shedding for such a tiny snake. The other one I bought with this one has shed once since I've had them.

[Albert Clark]

Wow, sorry for the dilemma. That swelling does look suspicious. How old is the little guy? That breeder should really be ashamed of himself. That mid to lower abdominal swelling coupled with the inappetance could be a serious condition. I would put him on paper towels and quarantine him immediately. At least until you get it sorted out and make sure there is no risk to the other parts of your colony.

[Andy_G]

Unfortunately guys the person Valkea got this from is a bit shady and on my personal list of people to avoid. This was probably an issue with the snake before purchase.

Is the area hard or does it feel more like swelling?

[Albert Clark]

Oh! The seller and he's not the breeder. I see. If by chance he does eat something and has a regurge I would think along with the weight loss of a possible crypto possibility.

[valkea]

Thanks Albert! I unfortunately have no idea how old he is. He's tiny (6grams, down from 7grams) and I've owned him a month. He's on paper towels now and has been since I noticed the bump.

It's not super firm, has a bit of squish to it. I'm at work right now but when I get home I'll grab more pics and a better idea of how firm it is. The pics above are from Aug 30th when I noticed it.

[valkea]

I'm not sure if he's the just a seller or the actual breeder. He does own hognose that could have produced this one but I've been warned not to trust what he says. So it's a toss up whether he hatched them out or not.

[Minkness]

Throwing this out there as it worked with my geckos when one was rescued, impacted fron too many meal worms and not enough hydration along with too much calcium. Buuuut, what about forcing a drop or two of mineral oil? It is a natural intestinal lubricant so if it an impaction, it could help get it out.

Crypto may be a possibility, but it's not as likely as hardened yolk or impactoon imo.

So yeah, unless someone has a reason why mineral oil wouldn't work, I'd try that and up the heat maybe to get his belly really working and hopefully pass whatever it is.

[Albert Clark]

Well, I sure hope it's not too serious and he can get over this soon. Sorry you had to go through this.

[valkea]

That's a good suggestion, Mink. I'll see if I can find any info on it being bad but I'll give it a try. I know it's used with horses (had a horse for a while, great for colic!) I'll make sure he's nice and warm too.

Thanks Albert! I really hope the little guy survives.

[REM955]

Thank you Valkea, but she is doing quite fine. He tried feeding live pinkies as opposed to F/T. She just picks them up and eats them. No striking. Well, that's changed, but for a different post. No worries here that I am aware of. You keep focusing all hopes on your little 'un.

[valkea]

Oh perfect! Glad to hear :)

So. When I got home from work I set my little Lump up in a small container with warm water and let him hangout while I showered. Afterwards I very carefully inspected the lump and tried to see if it was at all moveable. At first I thought it was wishful thinking but it was actually moving! I was being as gentle as possible, I'd hate to hurt him. The lump is now just above his vent. A small about of urate came out but the lump remained. I didn't want to keep at it too long so placed him back in his tub.

I'm trying not to be too hopeful but I think it's a good sign.

http://i.imgur.com/pooNYxG.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dLA2WKR.jpg

[Minkness]

Woo! That's good news though! Sending good vibes your way!

[Albert Clark]

Yep! I would venture to agree with that being a good sign. Maybe it's just a swallowed foreign body. Nice work and kudo to you for finding that.

[valkea]

Thanks Mink and Albert! The little one still has his lump but he's much more active. As suggested his heat's been bumped up. I'm going to try another warm soak and gentle manipulating to see if we can get rid of whatever it is.

Breeder/seller did reply to me but insists the snake did eat so it can't be hardened yolk.

[Albert Clark]

Thanks Mink and Albert! The little one still has his lump but he's much more active. As suggested his heat's been bumped up. I'm going to try another warm soak and gentle manipulating to see if we can get rid of whatever it is.

Breeder/seller did reply to me but insists the snake did eat so it can't be hardened yolk.

That's really great! Such a good looking animal too. Looks like it's in the perfect position to be evacuated. Good luck with the warm soaks and massage.

[valkea]

Returned from work to find that he's passed away.

:( RIP little dude

[dannybgoode]

Really sorry to hear that. Don't know what else to put...

[Albert Clark]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt! Are you serious! What the funk! I thought sure he was going to pass that obstruction. Wow, I am so sorry for your loss val. Maybe it was cryptosporidium. Were you considering a necropsy? Sorry.

[Minkness]

Omg.....that is crazy! I am so sorry! Definitely look at a necropsy if you can. If it was breeder error, he better replace him!

Ihg..I am just so sorry....if I could hug you I would. =(

[valkea]

Thanks folks <3 appreciate it. I might do a necropsy or see if Steph will for me.

I heard back from the breeder and he's offered to replace him with either an albino poss het axanthic or axanthic poss het albino. Going to go with the axanthic.

[Minkness]

Well that's good at least! I am so sorry to hear this happened, but at least the breeder is trying to make it right.

Looking forward to pics of the new guy.

[Andy_G]

Sorry to hear that...it's what I was worried about initially and I didn't think you were out of the woods with the update but didn't want to ruin your hopes so I kept quiet. :(

Glad that the breeder is offering a replacement as that's the right thing to do...but may be worth avoiding that person in the future anyways?

[Albert Clark]

Thanks folks <3 appreciate it. I might do a necropsy or see if Steph will for me.

I heard back from the breeder and he's offered to replace him with either an albino poss het axanthic or axanthic poss het albino. Going to go with the axanthic.

Glad that he's agreed to do the right thing and replace the little guy. If you do consider the necropsy be sure to double zipock bag the remains and refrigerate them, dont freeze. Make sure to keep a close eye on your other animals. This hoggie was still being quarantined though, right?

[valkea]

Sorry to hear that...it's what I was worried about initially and I didn't think you were out of the woods with the update but didn't want to ruin your hopes so I kept quiet. :(

Glad that the breeder is offering a replacement as that's the right thing to do...but may be worth avoiding that person in the future anyways?

Thanks Andy, I figured it was still likely to end poorly but I'm ever an optimist.

Definitely will be avoiding him moving forward. Not worth the risk to my collection or the heartbreak.

Decided not to necropsy him, he's super tiny and Steph isn't comfortable doing it and he's got way more experience with dead stuff than me. Whatever it was seems to be right where the lump sat originally. That portion of his body is soft and discolored. Or was prior to me freezing him.

Yep! I'll keep a close eye on everyone regardless but hopefully it's still related to that blockage

[JellyBean]

I am so sorry, for you and this little guy :(:no:

[Albert Clark]

Well, sure I understand. One of the typical signs in Cryptosporidium serpentis is the classic mid abdominal swelling which is where the parasites line the mucosa and proliferate there. I was surprised when you were able to move it and that's what led me to believe that maybe it wasn't C.S. Anyway, good luck

[valkea]

Thanks Jellybean.

Ahh ok! I have another hognose from this seller (arrived in the se box) and that one is totally fine. Obviously not conclusive but at least there's that. I'll see if I can find out anything from his remains.

[Albert Clark]

Thanks Jellybean.

Ahh ok! I have another hognose from this seller (arrived in the se box) and that one is totally fine. Obviously not conclusive but at least there's that. I'll see if I can find out anything from his remains.

Congrats on the new hognose! Glad he looks good out of the box. We are.all rooting for him/her and you.. Lol.

[valkea]

Oh sorry for the confusion! Haven't received the replacement yet. The albino that died I had purchased with another albino. They both arrived end of July.

As soon as the new one arrives I'll post an update :) just waiting to smooth out some details, I don't want to go through that again.

[macandchz]

so sorry to hear about the little snake. have been following his story and i really thought he was going to make it.

[valkea]

In case anyone's curious about what ended up happening with the breeder they've sent me a replacement. Shipped out last night and was supposed to arrive today but tracking shows it's still nowhere near me.

It's like the never ending saga of things going wrong :\ Hopefully the little dude arrives tomorrow in good health.

[valkea]

She arrived safe and sound today and is set up in my quarantine room.

[Albert Clark]

Well, sure I understand. One of the typical signs in Cryptosporidium serpentis is the classic mid abdominal swelling which is where the parasites line the mucosa and proliferate there. I was surprised when you were able to move it and that's what led me to believe that maybe it wasn't C.S. Anyway, good luck. Also, the most important sign in Crypto is the continued and regular regurgitation of meals. Animal also doesn't gain weight due to this and is nutritionally deficient. Coupled with what was previously said in the quoted text.

[valkea]

I thought I'd posted about what I found when I opened him up but apparently not. It was a small fatty mass. He was necrotic inside. Nothing else was found. I've got photos but as they're fairly graphic I won't post them. If anyone's curious I can certainly share privately.