Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, I found this yellow rat in central florida the other day, and it has this bulge toward the posterior of its body. It's a few inches forward of the vent. I decided to keep it to see if there was anything i could do to help it. Thanks for any help.
~Dan

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0.0.1 San Luis Potosi Kingsnake
1.0 Yellow Rat Snake
0.1 Normal Cornsnake
0.0.1 Eastern Garter Snake
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake

is the lump firm or squishy? It could have swallowed a rock or something... or is it even calm enough to let you squeeze i a litle? (i'd presume so if it laid still for that picture)... but thats interesting id like to know what it is.
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

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Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
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Yeah, its actually a very calm snake, and I did squeeze a little, and the lump is firm. I'm wondering if it may be some sort of internal infection, because the snake has these massive scars from (I'm assuming) an alligator attack. Judging by the size of the scars, I'm amazed the snake is even alive, and i wouldnt be surprised if there is some residual effects. I hope i can find out what it is.
~Dan
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0.0.1 San Luis Potosi Kingsnake
1.0 Yellow Rat Snake
0.0.1 Everglades Rat Snake
0.1 Normal Cornsnake
0.0.1 Eastern Garter Snake
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake
0.0.1 Florida Banded Water Snake

Snakes are pretty resiliant, but it may just have an internal infection from the bite.

KEEP THAT SNAKE AWAY FROM YOUR OTHERS. If thats not food in its stomach that could be a worm infestation.

Sounds like this snake is calm because it is very sick. Time to take it to a Vet.

I don't think so, it's calm in the sense that its not moving around erratically, but it is still very inquisitive and alert, unlike an extremely ill snake which would be more slow and unresponsive. Sorry i wasnt clear.
~Dan
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0.0.1 San Luis Potosi Kingsnake
1.0 Yellow Rat Snake
0.0.1 Everglades Rat Snake
0.1 Normal Cornsnake
0.0.1 Eastern Garter Snake
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake
0.0.1 Florida Banded Water Snake

There are two possibilities, it could be an internal parasite infection such as worms or coccidia. But the other one and one that I'm am leaning towards is that it could be a retained egg, I could be wrong but the snakes demeanour and the fact that it otherwise seems healthy lead me to that conclusion (difficult to say without actually having the snake in hand) either way a trip to the vets is in order, they can tell you with an ultrasound in a few minutes if it is an egg or not and treat it accordingly.