constipation??

[hez29]

Hi guys

im looking for some advice

I have a 11 male cali king snake sammie

he has a large swelling where his rectum is

after looking on net and phoning vet i think its constipation i've bathed a couple times now wot else can i do how long should i have him in the bath for?

think itl be trip to vets tomorrow

any advice will be welcomed!!

[stephanbakir]

You should keep him hydrated, soak him for at least 20 mins, and if he wants to stay longer just let him. Keep the water warm, a temp gun would help.

[youngster]

Are his temperatures high enough? They need heat to digest well.

[hez29]

Hi

I now have 3 temp gage as I think my heat ma broke n this has caused the prob

Sitting 79 c the now bathed again try again later

Got an app tomoz at vets for him they reptile specialists

Hopefully get something for him tomoz

Thanx

[alessia55]

After soaking you can massage him gently and see if it helps a bit, but don't be forceful.

[Terranaut]

How long since he went last? How many meals since then? Is he acting normal( no sudden change in behavior) ?

[shaunyboy]

hello and welcome

if he's still feeding,you can inject milk of magnesia or mineral oil into his prey item

1ml per kilo of snake body wieght is the reccommended dose

its called mouse/rat lax

once he starts to digest the prey item,the oil/milk of magnesia is released and helps lubricate his bowel

i'd try the warm bath method first though mate

cheers shaun

[Lankyrob]

Double and triple check all your temps/humidity etc just in case there is an underlying issue and then follow all the advice above :)

[hez29]

Thanx

I tried feeding him few days before a seen this swelling but he never ate it which isn't unusual he can go a while without eating

Well ave now got the temp gage that's attached to the heat mat ave another one in the tank and another digital one to the mat all sitting 79 c

A wiz frightened to try feeding again coz it ain't coming out

All try another warm bath the night

Least ave got the vets tomoz.

The swelling is soft is that normal for constipation?

Was trying to massage earlier when he wiz in the bath he didn't look distressed when a was doing it

Thanx again for the advice

[Gungirl]

Isn't 79 Celsius over 170 Fahrenheit???

[alessia55]

Thanx

I tried feeding him few days before a seen this swelling but he never ate it which isn't unusual he can go a while without eating

Well ave now got the temp gage that's attached to the heat mat ave another one in the tank and another digital one to the mat all sitting 79 c

A wiz frightened to try feeding again coz it ain't coming out

All try another warm bath the night

Least ave got the vets tomoz.

The swelling is soft is that normal for constipation?

Was trying to massage earlier when he wiz in the bath he didn't look distressed when a was doing it

Thanx again for the advice

If your mat is set to 79 CELSIUS... you're cooking your snake. That's 174F! :eek:

[Gungirl]

That was my thought Alessia.. I hope he meant 79F

[alessia55]

That was my thought Alessia.. I hope he meant 79F

yeah, me too :O_o:

[hez29]

Aw no sorry a did mean that oops a look like a daft now!!

For travelling to vets a wiz thinking of putting him in couple of pillow cases?
Obvious with holes mayb shredded newspaper?

Wot do yous recommend? As I've neva had to take him before

Thanx

[alessia55]

One pillow case is enough. You don't need to pierce the pillow case, since pillow cases are usually made of breathable material. Just tie the opening of the pillow case into a knot. You don't want him in a container where he can slip and slide around. You want him to be in a secure spot so he won't get hurt or too stressed during transport.

Edit: putting him in the pillow case should be enough. You don't need to stuff it with newspaper shreddings or anything like that.

How long is the drive to the vet?

[hez29]

Looking in net says 50 mins bit know how the direction can be

Would he be warm enough sitting on knee getting heat from me?

A know lots of silly questions!!

Thanx

[alessia55]

Looking in net says 50 mins bit know how the direction can be

Would he be warm enough sitting on knee getting heat from me?

A know lots of silly questions!!

Thanx

Driving with a snake on your lap sounds dangerous... Please don't do that lol! Does your car have seat warmers? You could strap him onto the passenger seat with the seat warmer on low. 50mins won't be enough to get him too cold, so long as you don't have your windows down and blaring the AC.

[hez29]

I was thinking trying to convince ma mum for him to sit on her knee

No seat heater unfortunately

Appreciate u getting back to me
Sammie my first snake n no had any bother with him

Will let u know how we get on

[Gungirl]

I don't know how available they are where you live but use hand warmers. ( the kind hunters use)

[Lankyrob]

Forgive me if i am wrong - someone will soon say :) - aren't kings similar husbandry to corns?? in which case 79f as a hot end temp is WAY low - should be mid 80's.

If the temps are too low then he wont digest properly and that could be the cause of your problem.

[alessia55]

Yes. Temps on the hot end should be around 86F :)

[hez29]

Ok thanx guys got temp re corrected a must sound a total amature bit ave had no probs with him n 8 years

The vet say can't rule out constipation but mayb tumor as he has a anal lump where he is grossly swollen so plan is diuretic anti inflammatory and anti biotic until thur then he's to get xray to c wots happening mayb biopsy and huva look inside to see wots going on still not to feed

So hints and tips on giving meds please I have small one ml syringes he wiz pretty pissed of there when a brought him home aw she kept poking and proding him couple wee hiss bit well behaved other than that

[shaunyboy]

Aw no sorry a did mean that oops a look like a daft now!!

For travelling to vets a wiz thinking of putting him in couple of pillow cases?
Obvious with holes mayb shredded newspaper?

Wot do yous recommend? As I've neva had to take him before

Thanx

i use a platsic tub when taking mine to the vets,one thats just big enough,so he's not sliding about on the journey

just make sure you run the car with the heaters on for 5 or 10 minutes to heat it up

let us know how you get on at the vets please mate

all the best shaun

[Will0W783]

Put the snake in a plastic bin with a hot water bottle and a towel. NEVER drive with a snake loose in your car- it's asking for trouble.

[hez29]

Aw would never loose lol think him and my gsd might huva dispute!

Git there n back put him n pillow case with fleece blanket under him and he sat in my mum knee hud heaters on just to give meds later

[shaunyboy]

Ok thanx guys got temp re corrected a must sound a total amature bit ave had no probs with him n 8 years

The vet say can't rule out constipation but mayb tumor as he has a anal lump where he is grossly swollen so plan is diuretic anti inflammatory and anti biotic until thur then he's to get xray to c wots happening mayb biopsy and huva look inside to see wots going on still not to feed

So hints and tips on giving meds please I have small one ml syringes he wiz pretty pissed of there when a brought him home aw she kept poking and proding him couple wee hiss bit well behaved other than that


is it injections or oral meds ?

either way its always better having 1 person hold him firmly on a flat surface,while the other person administers the meds mate

cheers shaun

[hez29]

That's wot we done its oral meds I now have one very mad snake hope he l forget and let me do tomoz again

[hez29]

Hi

Thought ad give update as to wot happened

Vet drained 100mls from swelling then operated the xray was unclear due to the fluid so

Sammie is actually a girl!! Which am.surprised as pet shop says they had sexed her as a male
Anyway her uterus was infected had cysts and fossilised eggs so she was sprayed had op yes still in vets getting pain relief and fluids has passed urine and faeces

So hopefully get her back on Mon

Heather

[hez29]

Oh and the small lump was the lymph node had swollen due to the inf

[kernel]

Poor thing! I'm glad you found out what was wrong.... keep us updated.

[Terranaut]

Glad she is doing ok. May I ask how much all that cost you?

[hez29]

Well the thing is I have a dog 2 cats all insured guess who isn't don't know why a did so please look onto it if u haven't as currently

Xray and op 230 to sent away to pathology 45 to send the repo system, £8 a day to stay in vets and don't wot the fluids and she l prob b on antibiotics so don't know wot that add on

So am prob looking at least 300 the now and am guessing theyl give antibiotics on discharge

But a hud to give her a chance they were talking about PTS before op as they weren't sure wot it was

So hopefully she l b on mend

Am soo mad a didn't insure

[Terranaut]

Lol just realized your in the UK.
Good for you for doing the right thing!!

[shaunyboy]

Hi

Thought ad give update as to wot happened

Vet drained 100mls from swelling then operated the xray was unclear due to the fluid so

Sammie is actually a girl!! Which am.surprised as pet shop says they had sexed her as a male
Anyway her uterus was infected had cysts and fossilised eggs so she was sprayed had op yes still in vets getting pain relief and fluids has passed urine and faeces

So hopefully get her back on Mon

Heather


i would take the vets bills to the shop and politely DEMMAND they pay them pal

theres no way the should have sold you a snake in that condition

how long ago did you buy her ?

glad shes getting better

cheers shaun

[hez29]

Ive had her for 8years

I don't know is this something that happens way age? The pet shop says she was 3 when a got her and she was a male clearly no!!

So a don't know she may have been older when a got her she was fully grown

So am guessing she's at least 11

Roll on Mon till I see her prob gave her a complex all these years lol

[kernel]

Wow, she's getting up there!

[hez29]

Well sammie is home looking much better!

3 inch incision with sutures to stay in 8 to 10 weeks? That wot the nurse says thought that a long time time for them. Got anti inflamatory and anti biotic for her

Await pathology result to go back next week for would check.

Hopefully she l eat but looks as though she's going to shed so doubt she l eat this week.

Just thought i would let uz know

[kernel]

Good to hear. I wouldn't feed her until she's completely healed.

[hez29]

Well tbh ad thought I would have to give smaller mouse but I asked the nurse she normally rate a large mouse and she says yeah def feed her. I know we need to eat to heal and thought snakes would be the same? But ad thought smaller as I don't want her stitches bursting

Wot do you think?

[Gungirl]

Yes feed her just feed her a much smaller meal..
If you don't feed her she will not have the strength or nutrition to help her heal well.

[hez29]

Ok thanx for your advice

[shaunyboy]

Well tbh ad thought I would have to give smaller mouse but I asked the nurse she normally rate a large mouse and she says yeah def feed her. I know we need to eat to heal and thought snakes would be the same? But ad thought smaller as I don't want her stitches bursting

Wot do you think?

stitches are usually quite strong and the snakes skin very flexible,so i wouldn't worry about feeding bursting them mate

i fed my jag his normal prey size after he got key hole surgery on his lung and had no problems with the stitches

glad you got things sorted out mate

cheers shaun

[hez29]

Thanx guys for all your help

Hope Jag gets better soon

[kernel]

I guess go ahead and feed her then. I was just thinking that when she eats and the skin stretches that it might pop the stitches loose.

[hez29]

Happy new year

Wee update sammie went to vets and got histology results and thankfully no cancer

She is coming on leaps and bounds shed and has ate aswell.

Getting back to her live wire self lol

Vet was very pleased I don't think she thought she d pull through so another 4 week and the stitches come out but healing very well

Take care heather

[kernel]

Happy New Year! That's great news!

[shaunyboy]

Happy new year

Wee update sammie went to vets and got histology results and thankfully no cancer

She is coming on leaps and bounds shed and has ate aswell.

Getting back to her live wire self lol

Vet was very pleased I don't think she thought she d pull through so another 4 week and the stitches come out but healing very well

Take care heather


thats great news,im chuffed for you both pal

cheers shaun