Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I realise she has an infection, but am trying to figure out what kind and how to take care of it. I considered that it could be a tumor but it has gone down in size considerably since I got her. Then I thought maybe a tick/mite got under her scale and caused an infection. But she has shed since then. Any ideas about what it is and what I should do about it? She is going to the vet before too long but wanted your opinions.


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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake "Molly" (Flogging Molly)

As we say in Missouri, "I ain't goin back to Missouri!"

It is difficult to judge from the photos but it doesn't necessarily look like an infection. Snakes do get lumps that appear and go from the passage of food through the guts and females that are producing eggs can sometimes get lumps that look similar to that near the cloaca as an egg descends and stays there before being dropped. Or indeed retained eggs sometimes look like that. It is very difficult to say, does it feel hard or soft?, can you feel it moving slightly back and forwards or is it rigidly in that one place?, how long has it been there?

Sorry that hasn't been much help but if you can answer some of those it may help.

It has been there since I got her (3 weeks?) It is not food because she has gone since then. She is not gravid and I doubt it is a retained egg because it would have been way too cold for her to lay. It is soft. I can barely feel it when she slides through my fingers.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake "Molly" (Flogging Molly)

As we say in Missouri, "I ain't goin back to Missouri!"

It's very difficult to be certain without actually seeing the snake in the flesh but the more I look at the pics the more it looks like it might be an egg. Although 3 weeks is a long time for one to sit there, it isn't impossible.

If it is an infection then it would have to be in either an organ or within the body cavity and that would probably have debilatated her seriously by now, it would have to be because you can tell that that lump is pressing from within the body and is not in the skin layers.

It may be an egg even if she hasn't been with a male, it could be produced from retained sperm, if your certain she isn't gravid then she could be producing a couple of dud eggs. I would definitely get her to a vet, either an x-ray or ultrasound will confirm it one way or the other. If it is then it isn't normally too difficult to remove as long as it hasn't adhered to the tract walls.

Like I said I could easily be wrong but it really looks like the lump caused by an egg that has descended down the tract.

Good luck with her and hope it gets resolved soon, let us know.