A young Ball Python was presented to my clinic the other day for abdominal swelling. This baby, who was brought in by a local chain store and I'm assuming is either wild-caught or farm-hatched, apparently "gulps air", filling his abdomen and causing intestinal distention. We have to inter-cloacally catheterize him daily to relieve him of his discomfort, however, treatments for parasitosis, bacterial infections, etc. have not rectified this problem. The veterinarian I work for is incompetent and unresourceful (but hell, I only have one week left of internship anyway), so I am seeking help from anyone in this forum who would be capable and willing to advise me on how to treat this animal. My husband and I keep many snakes, but very few Ball Pythons and have certainly never encountered nor heard of anything like this before.
Thank you in advance for the advice. The life of this poor creature will be dramatically improved if you can offer me some accurate advice and/or a roundabout diagnosis.
Jennifer Webb
Jungle Gems Exotics
www.JungleGemsExotics.com
