Odd python illness?

Question

I got my baby spotted python in October, and while she'd always had shedding problems and slight constipation issues she'd always seemed otherwise healthy. About a month ago I noticed that she was getting... fat. I had accidentally missed/spaced out a few feedings (not to the extent of starving her), but I don't believe it was related. Even between feedings, I noticed she was getting FAT, almost bloated. She wasn't blocked up at all, and she didn't swallow any substrate. When I fed her (a little over a week ago) her food response was fine and she didn't regurgitate. her behavior in general was perfectly normal. The past few days she had been having major trouble shedding (par for the course) and with the odd (rather squishy) fat it made her look really wrinkly, but not abnormally so. Well, yesterday, she looked absolutely pathetic, wrinkly, and had severely impaired motor skills. I did what I could for her but decided it was best just to leave her alone...

She died later that evening. I'd been concerned about the odd fat/bloating, and had been keeping an eye on her, but the loss of energy/muscle tone/coordination came on very suddenly, and she went downhill pretty quickly.

Any idea what this could have been? I keep feeling it was my fault but the husbandry was all right and I've just never seen anything like this before. She was still so young that I wonder if it was just a genetic/metabolic thing... But still, the unexplained bloating is driving me nuts. Any ideas as to what it might have been? If I can afford to I may get a necropsy done... I feel just awful.

Yeah I know I'm not going to get better answers here than on kingsnake... I was mainly wondering if anyone else had seen bloating like this before. I've heard some say it may be cryptosporidium, but it doesn't quite fit. She came with the health issues regarding shedding/defecation, and the humidity was fine. In fact, I think I pushed it a little past what I'm usually comfortable with because of the shedding issue.

oh, forgot... She was also most definitely not impacted, she would still defecate (with a little coercion). There were no hard lumps/mases or noticeable blockages, it was just... fat tissue.

Answer 1

It's almost impossible to diagnose something like this over the Internet, especially without pictures and additional information such as the location of the swelling, origin of the snake, and any possible injuries it may have sustained.

Some possible explanations include bacterial cellulitis, cardiomegaly, or even septicemia. Your best bet would be to get a necropsy performed. If you can't afford it, you can contact a local university to see if they would be interested in performing it gratis. Just make sure you don't freeze it as that would make it impossible to run a number of tests. You should be able to refrigerate for a number of days but the sooner the necropsy is done, the more accurate the results.

Also, if the snake was not quarantined I would keep a close eye on your other herps in case it was bacterial or viral in nature.

Good luck!

UPDATE: Was it fat tissue, or could it have been water retention? I would think water retention would be more likely if you hadn't been feeding her very much, and in that case it could be linked to a kidney problem.

Answer 2

You asking a question? I have seen you all over yahoo answers answering left and right the best answers. You really know your **** I might add. But to answer your question the best I can is it sounds like an infection due to maybe something getting under the scutes as she was growing. Another possibility is spider bites. Some spiders do get into the cage and and can cause bloating in certain species of pythons. I had a carpet python that was bitten by a brown recluse that caused her to swell up. I work in a vets office and took her in to see what the dr. thought it was and she ran a toxicology test and found traces of spider venom in it. I can't say for sure if that is what happened with yours, but it sounds like it. I hope I helped you in some small way, seeing how many people you have helped. I am sorry about your snake. I know how hard it is to lose something dear to you. One more thing. It took almost a month and a half for the spider venom to do Shaggy in. As you are aware of, most reptiles are immune to most venoms, poison but potent enough they can be fatal. Shaggy was about 6 months old so he wasn't totally immune. That is why it took so long for the venom to kill him. I had a 5 foot savanna monitor that was bitten by a copperhead and didn't even phase him. Not even when he ate it. That is just what happened to mine. Not necessarily yours. But hopefully it might give you a little peace of mind.

Answer 3

Please go to http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=77 and ask your question again.

A snake that does not shed properly is usually suffering from too low of a humidity level, and this is a sign of poor husbandry. Getting fatter and bloated is a sign of impaction within the intestines...another sign of improper husbandry. Impaired motor skills could be the result of many things, with heat being the most common cause. A snake that is too hot will literally "cook" and the brain will start to deteriorate. It is possible for the snake to have suffered poor husbandry before you bought her. However, taking care of a snake also involves vet checkups, as they are susceptible to many diseases---most related to poor husbandry.

I would suggest doing a lot of research, asking other snake owners, and learning how to detect typical snake illnesses before you purchase another snake. Boas and pythons typically need more care than colubrids as they are more sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. For future reference, snakes typically do not get better if they are just left alone.