| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kdlang |
Posted - 06/07/2010 : 01:10:26
Alice was fed 2 small mice on friday. He has been having 2 for about a couple of months. I had him out tonight and was expecting a nice present. I had left him an extra day as he has spent the time since he was fed in his cold end, even tho at the moment that is hitting 25oC. I could feel some bumps near his vent so I knew he must be ready to pass his waste. It took a while but eventually I noticed the signs that he was about to poo and got ready with the tissue to catch it. He seemed to be struggling a bit but then passed some white urates. He was then really struggling to pass whatever else was to come. Something seemed to be bulging out of his vent but it wasn't dark like poo. It was weird and hard to describe. Anyway this bulge seemed to recede but I can still feel a bump near his vent and he still hasn't passed any dark poo. Oh and I think there was possibly a couple of tiny red specks that could be blood on the tissue.
So, I could do with some advise on what to do next. Leave him and see if he passes waste tomorrow, give him a bath to see if it helps, take him to the vets? The other thing is he seems to be going into blue as he has a creamy sheen to him and he is due a shed, so I don't want to stress him up more than necessary. |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 22:00:08
Its good that its sorted, the only thing I would add is that I personally think its a lot safer to just bathe the snake, by running your hand down his belly you are forcing a large lump past a possible blockage, which in turn can damage the snake internally. Bathing is not as stressful as they make it out to be, and shedding isn't either, its a normal life process!! |
| kdlang |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 09:23:00
They certainly do like to worry us. It is puzzling me as to why he seemed to be having difficulty. If I had just upped his food or had to feed him in his viv then I could understand it but nothing was different to usual. Ah well it will probably be just another of those mysteries that we never find out the answer to. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 07/07/2010 : 05:01:12
So glad to hear that the problem has resolved itself without you having to stress Alice out by bathing him or taking him to the vets. I wonder what it was that made him 'constipated'? Maybe he wasnt and it is purely the fact that he is coming up to a shed and his skin is feeling a bit tight??
Whatever caused it, what is important is that everything seems to be ok....so you can breathe a sigh of relief. They do like to worry us, dont they!
xxx
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| kdlang |
Posted - 06/07/2010 : 21:47:52
Thanks kellog. I got a bath ready tonight just in case we needed it although I wanted it to be a last resort before taking Alice to the vets. I really didn't want to stress him out anymore than neccesary if he was in blue. Thankfully after having him roaming on a couple of towels on the floor while I ran my fingers down his back and belly near his vent, he passed a huuuuge poo. I wasn't sure he was going to manage it as I could feel a pea sized hard lump about half an inch up from his vent. Iv had a ferret through and as far as i can tell there is no sign of anything untoward and there is no longer a lump so hopefully he will be ok now. I will check him again tomorrow and then if he is still ok will leave him in peace to shed. No doubt that will happen while I am on holiday next week. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 06/07/2010 : 06:06:13
Wish I could help kd.....the fact that he has tried to go and been unable to would suggest to me that he may need some encouragement so instead of waiting for nature to take its course the only thing I can suggest is giving him a bath.
You probably know all this but I guess it is better heard twice....The bath can be done in a RUB, sink, washing bowl, bath whatever is a good size. Put a digital thermometer in it to make sure that the water is between 27 and 28 degrees. There is some difference in opinion as to the depth of the water. You can either do it be deep enough that Alice's belly can touch the floor in case he wants to rest, or you can put him in water that's about 3 times deeper than itself...he will duck under but don't worry about drowning issues, they are more than capable of keeping their heads above water. Alice will have no desire to be in the water, and will try to escape as much as possible, so be prepared for a fast snake as well! You can try running your hands gently along his body to try and stimulate some bowel action. If he does go then take a good look at what comes out so you can see if there is anything to worry about.
If that doesnt work and there is still a bump, or if there is anything worrying in the poo then maybe a call to a herp vet to ask their advice??
xxx
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| kdlang |
Posted - 06/07/2010 : 01:12:40
Oh and I just wanted to add that he is fed in a seperate tub on kitchen roll not in the viv so he can't have eaten substrate with his mice. |
