Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Posted this on other forums, but the people here are always so helpful....
I found a bump on my greybanded kingsnake two weeks ago which looked like a mosquito bite on a human. It didn't look infected to me and a friend-vet who was visiting (but has no specific reptile experience) said just to keep an eye on it. Now there are two more smaller but similar bumps in the same area -- on the body near the tail but not at the vent, same side (right). I've checked for flying insects and mites but found nothing. Any ideas? Will go to a vet soon anyway.
thanks

If the lumps feel soft and squishy, then could just be fat lumps. They're harmless as long as they're just under the surface of the skin away from the vent. Some less scrupulous/knowledgable vets might recommend surgical removal, but this won't solve the underlying problem, which is a metabolic disorder that causes the snake to process food incorrectly and lay down unnecessary fat reserves. Lumps just under the skin are best left alone, unless they're near the vent and big enough to cause a blockage.

It's not all plain sailing though. If fat lumps start to spread internally, fat deposits can surround internal organs with fatal results. Ultimately there's nothing you could do to prevent this because of the nature of the condition which is currently untreatable (as far as I know).

There may be other causes of the lumps that the vet could spot. Any sign of mites or ticks that might have buried themselves under the scales? I think they'd present as smaller, harder lumps.

Good luck.

Recently there was a thread on another forum about a guy who had purchased a green tree python and it had multiple lumps along its body, they turned out to be internal parasites lying dormant, he had them surgically removed. but yeah, if the lumps are soft then you shouldn't have anything to worry about, if they're hard i'd take him to a vet who knows what he's talking about to get it checked out.
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-Chris

0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat
1.0 Black Rat
0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty
1.0 Green Tree Python
0.1 Texas Bairds Rat

The educated are the few. The uneducated are the masses.

North American Rat / Corn Snake Care Sheet

Take it to a vet.

Sorry if my original answer to you caused offence Spook. I presume it did as it has been removed.

However, as you can see from the original question, the snake is on its way to the vet. It's good to be forewarned with info from the experienced Corn community before seeing a vet, just in case you end up with someone who isn't as knowledgeable as they think.

Hope that was a more acceptable tone for you?

Cheers
Kel