Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been noticing a fatty lump on my Cal king's right side near his vent. It runs longitudinally along the side of his body and is soft to the touch. His appetite, behavior, and feces are all normal.

The lump is not as visible when he is in certain positions.

I hate to sound paranoid, but have any of you observed this with your snakes?

Fatty deposit, maybe?
-----
Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

That's what I was thinking, but aren't those usually on both sides of the cloaca?

I'm not really sure... I know with other animals they aren't always symmetrical on the body and sometimes there is only one fatty deposit. I'm not quite certain with snakes though. I hope someone else can add to this.
-----
Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

Yes, this has happened to many people. If you search the forums you will find many similar threads.

The bottom line is that without going to the vet you will never know what it is. In all likelyhood it is a fatty tumor and probably harmless, but it could also be a cyst, infection, or malignant tumor or really anything else under the sun for that matter.

By doing a fine needle aspirate your vet should be able to tell you what is going on. probably around 40 bucks plus the cost of the visit.

A few questions that your vet will ask but I will ask here too...

Is the lump soft or hard? Can it move under the skin or is it firmly attached? How long has it been there? Has it changed in shape or size recently? How old is the snake?

I know this question has been asked before, but the threads I've looked at only had questions about fatty deposits. Most were found on both sides of the vent. My snake has the deposit on the right side only. The only reason I'm posting is to get some opinions as it is obviously too late in the day to phone the vet.

As stated in the first post, the lump is soft and can move under the skin. When the snake moves, the lump is barely visible (if it is visible at all). He's had the fatty deposits on both sides of his body for a while (a few months or so), and I didn't consider them abnormal. However, recently the lump on the right side has increased in size. IOW, it just doesn't look right. The snake is six years old.

Here's another shot of the lump in a different position. You can't see it that well, but it's on the right side. Look at the last white band in contact with the chair.

Whoops! Here's the pics.

Get him to the vet ASAP just to be on the safe side!

Scott D

It was too late to call today when I noticed the lump. I'll be calling early tomorrow. I just wanted to get some opinions.

It's more than likely just a fatty deposit, but as Zack, and Scott have mentioned, you just won't know for certain unless the vet takes a small biopsy of the tissue.

BTW, as Holly also stated, no rules that state a fatty deposit has to be, or is symetrical.

Hope things go well with it!

~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I'll bet you 10 bucks it is fat. Your snake is big, in fact, a bit on the too fat side for optimum performance as a breeder or if he was in the wild (yeah, I know he isn't.) He can afford to miss a few meals at his age/size.

Solution: fewer mice and/or more exercise. Although, fat deposits may not disappear completely, they will go down quite a bit.

Or do nothing and be happy with Chubs the Cal king.
-----
Mark

Report from the vet

Good news first:
Zorro was probed and found to be a female. I didn't know the sex and had just never gotten around to getting her probed.

Even better news:
The lumps could be fat deposits or secretions from the glands local to the area. There were no issues with health. The vet said that Zorro had good musculature and was not obese.

^_^ A girl fox... Foxy lady! W00t.
-----
Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan)
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

Nope. I'll be keeping the original name.

See that? I immediately thought the snake was a male when you posted. Bad Mark G.

I love black&white Cals. Had one for 12 years that was 4 or so when I got it, a male. Still bred at 16 years easily. Lived to about 19 or so.

I know a fellow who has kept a Cal king in a tank on his porch.. for 23 years! Blows me away. The snake is exposed to quite cold temps (cold days into the 40s) and very warm temps (hot days hit upper 90s) but is shielded from direct sun, wind and rain.
-----
Mark

I've only had Zorro for about six years or so, and I had suspected she was a female. I just never had her probed. At least now I know in case I decide to breed her. She's really the perfect snake.