Pics of deformity or whatever it is. Please look! :)

[marisa]

O.k. I got some decent pics of the problem with this snake.

The snake has been out and about for a little under a week now. He has not shed yet, but has eaten a pinky head, and gone to the bathroom a tiny tiny amount. (greenish in color)

I am still not sure if I should allow it to live though. The darker area you see *was* light pink at first, and only became that color over a couple days, and I am not sure if you can see it or not, but whatever that is also left whole areas of scales deformed and misplaced, etc (maybe not shown in pics very well though) Pics:

<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Snakes/babycorn/kink3.jpg">
<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Snakes/babycorn/kink4.jpg">

What do you guys think is going on, and what do you think you would do about it?

Marisa

[Stockwell]

It looks like some prolapsed intestine .That is the umbilicus slit right and not the cloaca?? It's probably bad news.. I'd let nature take it's course and see what happens, but expect the worst.
If that is part of the digestive tract outside the body, it will dry out, and become necrotic and disfunctional, which will probably kill the snake.
If it's upsetting you, put it down. If you find it intriguing, continue to maintain it and see what happens.

[Katt]

Oh wow, definitely looks like a herniated umbilicus. Well basically, the umbilicus hasn't closed up. I don't think that corn is going to make it. To be honest, I would put it down.

[marisa]

Well on one hand I find it interesting because the littly guy has eaten and shows a lot of attitude. He is very active and alert, and because of this I am interested in seeing what happens.

On the other hand, I am not interested in something suffering for my own curiosity.

Ugh. No idea what to do. I'll take another good look at him tonight and decide. Thanks Katt & Roy.

Marisa

[MouseKilla]

Tough call, this is one of those situations where you just have to make an entirely subjective, personal choice.

It gets a little philosophical but I think on the one hand you probably don't want to kill the little thing if it isn't suffering but you also don't want to prolong it's agony if it is. The trouble is of course that you have no way of knowing if it is in pain or not, I don't know how a snake would express pain... would it roll around or twitch? I don't know.

What I would likely do is keep him around as long as he is eating, reasoning that a snake in significant distress or discomfort would probably go off it's food. This is admittedly an arbitrary standard that would work for me, you'll have to come up with your own criteria to make your own choice.

Good luck with him, no matter what you do. Whether he makes it or not though he will not have lived for nothing as you will no doubt learn a lot for having had him around.

[gonesnakee]

Cull IMHO Mark

[Tim_Cranwill]

I think I would put it down too, but I'm not in your shoes.

Tough call...

[Fishandsnakelov]

If I were you I'd get it to a Vet and get his or her input and go from there.

[marisa]

A vet won't be able to do anything more than I can. A vet cannot chop that off, a vet cannot put it back inside. The situation is simply what it is.

I do not want to base this on him eating or not. He has already taken a pinky head and defecated somehow. So apparently he can digest and pass waste. It's more a quality of life issue in my mind right now. What type of life can he live with this problem? I mean his tail/vent scales are deformed because of it, and who knows if that area will go down, come out more, fall off, get infection or just stay as it is.

*sigh*

I will make a choice tonight and let you guys know. I am thinking I'll either be putting him down tonight, or like Roy suggested, just "see what happens" after another feeding.

Marisa

[nguyen_inc]

I was thinking woundln't it hurt the snake when it slithers because that organ thing and the surface touches? If It wasme I would put him down buts it's ur choice.

[vanderkm]

With Roy on this one - looks like intestine prolapsed through the umbilical area. The prolapsed portion of gut will deteriorate and fall off - the problem is that there will be adhesions and partial to complete blockage of the parts of the intestine that were before and after that section that prolapsed and fell off. He may still feed, but the intestine will not function normally if a segment has been lost or constricted in that area. It is very unlikely that he will be able to pass feed material through this or that he will have anything resembling a normal life if this was a portion of gut that was involved in the hernia.

Hard call as it always is when taking a life, but if he were mine I would euthanize him - best of luck with your decision.

mary v.

[munchy]

i have no experience with anything like this, but just out of curiousity, how would you go about humanely euthanizing a snake?

[D J N]

Wow poor little guy. I'd put him down so he don't gotta suffer.

[VI Reptiles]

they would probably give him a needle.

[Bartman]

Or co2 no?

Id personally put him down if it is the intestine. Basically he is going to eat and not deficate so its just prolonging his inevitable death. Tough call but I doubt he'd live either way.

Sorry that had to happen to the lil guy!

[marisa]

I put him to sleep tonight. He shed yesterday, but only half his body seemed to go into shed, and it the part that did shed didn't come off *at all* It was just on him like a suit.

I am sure it was the best option.

Thanks everyone.

Marisa

[Shad0w]

Sorry to hear that Marisa...

I think ya made the right choice