Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'll make this as simple as I can. I wanted to ask for some thoughts on what might be going on with one of my snakes.

Male Greybanded Kingsnake
About four years old
Got him last year from across country breeder with a female

O.k. a month went by after getting this pair and things were good. Then I noticed the female had severe mouth rot and the male had a somewhat large lump about three-four inches from his head on the underneath of his neck

I took the snake to the vet after finding the lump. He was put on anti-biotics for ten days. We had x-rays and blood work done as well. After the treatment, the lump had not gotten smaller. We called the vet and at this time he was giving us the results of the bloodwork which showed everything as fine. He said we can do another course of anti-biotics. At this time the snake went into a shed, but was acting totally normal, so I decided to wait.

We gave him a once over a couple days after he finished the shed and noticed the lump was far smaller. Over the next few weeks it went away entirely and the snake was feeding and deficating normally.

Months go by with no problems. Then a few days ago I check his cage for cleaning and notice he had passed two piles of blood and what looked like tissue.

I checked on the snake and he was acting totally normal and hungry. Except his lump was not only back, but there was another right below it. I talked to some people I consider to know far more than I about colubrids and they suggested I could go to the vet again, or simply wait and see what happens since the snake was seemingly fine and the blood appeared clotted rather than new.

I have let a couple days go by now just watching him. He hasn't passed anything out of the ordinary. His second lump is now gone but the original is larger than it ever was before. His behaviour is totally normal still. Active, no breathing troubles or noises, and hungry. I am totally lost as to whats going on here.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Similiar stories?

thanks
snakesathome

One of the two piles of blood

The other "pile" of blood

I don't know who your vet is, but your snake has abcesses in the gut lining. If it has been kept on wood bedding ie. sani chips, aspen, or pine it may have ingested some of that material resulting in the infection you are seeing now.

I suggest that you treat your snake with enrofloxicin (trade name Baytril). It should clear up the infection in about 2-3 weeks. The material it is passing is dead tissue and caseous pus. Keep your snake warm and well hydrated while treating it. Use and esophageal tube if necessary to give it water to protect the kidney from damage potentially caused by the antibiotic. This has certainly worked for me. Ditch the wood bedding, too.

Last, check around for a herp-trained vet. Not all DVM's know reptile medicine. Apparently, yours does not.

Good luck dude,
Bob Haase

Hi thank you for your reply.

Baytril was actually the first medication the vet gave us, which we used for the full treatment. It didn't seem to make any differance in the lump at all. The lump is about four inches from the head. Really high up.

I house all my snakes on paper towel, but since I just got this snake last January I am not sure what he has been housed on previously.

I am just really confused but another vet is always an option.

Your next option would be Amakacin. It hits a different spectrum of bacteria and has a little more punch than Baytril. Again, hydration is the key to success. Don't wait too long!

I wish you the best of luck with recovering your snake.

Bob Haase