Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my Cal King for the past 8 years or so, and have never had any problems with him until recently when I noticed he developed a large bulge in his body, aroung a foot or so from his head. It's appears to have grown larger over the past few
weeks, and it concerns me that it may be something serious. I've never brumated him, or bred him, and basically keep him warm year round (UTH) with a heated basement in the winter. This seemed to work well for us, and he usually stops eating late fall and his appetite resumes in the early spring. This snake is special to us, he's been at my son's school show and tell each year since Kindergarten (he's in 8th grade now), and he's been an educational enjoyment to many a student. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated from the readers of this forum, whom I've learned from over the years. Thanks.
Jim

Hi Jim,

It's nice to have an animal that long with such sentimental value. As you said,you've been around herps for a long while, sorry, but the only thing I can think of is asking you if you have a decent herp vet nearby. Maybe a regular vet won't charge much for an xray/ultrasound? To at least give you an idea if it's a tumor or if it's some kind of impaction that can be cleared on it's own? Good luck. I hope the best. Bob

Thanks Bob. I've never made a visit to a herp vet yet, but I probably should consider going that route if his condition doesn't improve on it's own soon. Jim

An X-ray probably won't cost all that much.

Just curious, is the snake 8 years old or was it an adult when you got it?

My snake was a hatchling when I got him, and man did he get big over the years. He's over 5 feet long, as far as I can tell. Great snake, my only one, and I'd hate to lose him. Do you know if he may possibly be full of eggs, even though he or she (never sexed and bought in a pet shop) has not been with another snake as I had mentioned? I thought I've heard that while rare snakes have laid a clutch without the assistance of another animal. But you're right, it's really bothering me to see the snake so enlarged in that one area and without knowing what's going on in there, I should at least seek out some expert assistance in the form of a vet who can examine and x-ray. Thanks for your reply. Jim