Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female Atheris chloroechis that looks like she has expelled her cloaca. I noticed it yesterday and this morning it is still out. Anybody have any idea why??? Should I try to push it back inside??? She has not been bred but may have to defecate soon.

If the prolapse is not too bad, supposedly sugar water will help your girl out. Simply disolve a bit of sugar in a bowl of luke warm water large enough for your snake to submerge in. If this does not work I would suggest a trip to a herp vet for a few sutures.

A little late for that now, the bumps were getting terrible and she was very uncomfortable so I put her down. Plus, she was way too small, and I didn't want to take a chance in infecting the rest of my collection, just in case it is communal. ~N

Are you talking about the bush viper or eyelash? The sugar water remedy is for the prolapsed rectum of your bush viper. Which snake did you have put down?

O', ok have you used the remedy before??? The baby eyelash was put down; the bush viper is soaking right now, should I put sugar in the water??? ~N

I have not, but I've seen it done with very positive results. The sugar will not harm your snake, so yes I would say go ahead and add it to the water.

Use Preperation H. It works better than the sugar water, and its not harmfull at all. Trust me, I have been using it for years with Green Tree Pythons. I have never had a prolapse problem with my venomous stuff, but it will work. Good luck.
Chris

Have any of your pythons done this before??? Is that what the condition is called, a prolapse??? What causes it??? ~N

HI Nick:

Sorry to hear about the little Eyelash being put down. I circulated the pictures and the comments were all the same: some sort of tumor.

Regarding your Bush Viper, it is a cloacal prolapse and the advice you've recieved from Mcnasty and Chris is good. Sugar water will not hurt her but Preparation H will not either. If it re-occurs often, best if you have a Herp Vet put a few stitches in it as Mcnasty suggested.

Good Luck,

Al Coritz

1.0 Atheris nitschei

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Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Boy, when it rains it pours huh? I applied the PrepH. Also, she deficated some, so that may take some pressure off as well. Thanks everyone for your help... ~N

It seems that prolapses are taken rather lightly around here, and if minor they should be no problem; going back in easily. If left out or let dry, the tissue quickly dies leading to septicima and a much harder to treat problem. The sugar in the water just helps the osmotic balance to keep it less irritating. KY jelly will keep the tissue moist and facilitate manual replacement. Also consider getting a fecal done if your snake pulls through as prolapses are a common result of high coccidia counts and other parasitic infections. There are many other reasons for prolapses as well.

the sugar in the water actually helps shrink the prolaspe (similar to the prep h)---this is an old farmer's remedy for prolapsed uterus in cows....soaking in regular water won't do much good except keep the prolapse (anything anything comes out of the body that should be in the body, it is called a prolapse) moist, but you need it to shrink to go back in. I'm not a hot person, just look on these boards for fun but prolapses in mammals can be life threatening if the tissue dies, so definitely get it back in asap.
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Sue

0.1 Western hognose (Sola)
1.0 Crested gecko (Gator)
0.1 Egyptian spiny mouse (Mia)
2.2 mini rex rabbits (Reggie, Hayden, Jackie and Peek-a-boo)
0.1 Plott hound (Molly)
0.1 'found in someone's garage' kitty (Terra)

1.0 Betta (Flash) and 1.0 FL kingsnake (Vega) currently living with boyfriend