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I picked up this hypo pueblan recently and the lower third is wider than it is tall with these noticable creases. When straightened out they are still there. Could this be simply from coiling, or maybe a weight gaining issue? I've never grown em up like this, last I've seen this is with a old gray band that was supposedly overfed fuzzies which causes these fatty lumps posteriorly. Any ideas?

If it's not a mass of eggs then it's fat fo sho.
Jeff

>>I picked up this hypo pueblan recently and the lower third is wider than it is tall with these noticable creases. When straightened out they are still there. Could this be simply from coiling, or maybe a weight gaining issue? I've never grown em up like this, last I've seen this is with a old gray band that was supposedly overfed fuzzies which causes these fatty lumps posteriorly. Any ideas?
>>
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Let there be triangulum and lo, the milkhead was born.

That's a fat snake.

-Cole

It seems that some animals which are adapted to a harsher climate with a proponderance of low-fat foods (wild rodents and lizards) are prone to developing a heavy look when fed a steady diet of domestic mice (which are usually VERY well fed) in captivity. Not all, but some. Is this a husbandry issue? Nope. It's just the snakes storing energy for leaner times... though leaner times aren't likely in a well-cared-for collection. Does it hurt the animal's breeding potential? Not from what I've seen. In fact, I've regularly seen "girthy" campbelli drop more, larger eggs than similarly sized, but more "shapely" gals. It's like the snake version of "birthing hips", I suppose!

-Cole

I have aquired a few snakes like this, all females. One of em was a big glades rat that ate 1-2 adult RATS at a sitting. I bred her "heavy" in a attempt to reduce the "fat". She triple clutched producing 105 hatchlings in one season! I say I dont like fat snakes, unattractive and all...but cheers to breeding hips!

I will have to agree with Jeff, my adult pueblans start to get them when there are about to go into the prelay shed. The crazy part is the scales where the creases are are darker in coloration then the rest.
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Jimmy Tintle

Is that a chevron marking on its' nose? Hmmmm......

Yeah, totally fat dude.......

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Jerry Kruse
www.zonatas.com

And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."

Yeah, I have seen females with eggs sometimes do that before. And of course the eggs can stay creased after being layed too from being sharply bent.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

possibly fatty lipomas. I have seen these with some level of frequency in thayeri and campbelli. Years ago I recieved an overweight pair of thayeri that had these deposits. Even after reducing their overall weight these fatty structures remained to some degree(one reason I believe they may be fatty lipomas).

We (over)feed our breeders (particularly females) to maximize production but obviously some species will react negatively to this regimen.