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My wife took her 6 month old red tail to the vet yesterday. He is listed as a exotic specialist but would like any opinions. Izzy(the snake)has been lethargic and not going to bathroom regularly. The last time he went it was hard as a stone (happened in bathtub while soaking,did not disolve).His cloaca?also was swollen after(looked like a hemaroid)Vet sqeased out a few lumps,then softer stuff.vet says it could be salmonella,IBD,or cryptosporidiosis. Any thoughts?

>>My wife took her 6 month old red tail to the vet yesterday. He is listed as a exotic specialist but would like any opinions. Izzy(the snake)has been lethargic and not going to bathroom regularly. The last time he went it was hard as a stone (happened in bathtub while soaking,did not disolve).His cloaca?also was swollen after(looked like a hemaroid)Vet sqeased out a few lumps,then softer stuff.vet says it could be salmonella,IBD,or cryptosporidiosis. Any thoughts?

If it were my snake I would consider that it was not kept humid enough. Sounds dehydrated. Lethargy could be year of time, house getting cooler, baby getting to a start of breeding season, caught a chill. Way to many things to jump to crypto or IBD. Make sure your husbandry is right. Hard urates make me think the snake is dry and possibly cool. Why is he needing to be soaked? He/she should have a humid hide and not need soaking. Swelling could be a popped hemipenis or simply just that, a hemarroid.

How was it eating? How is it shedding? What are it's temps and humidity?
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

It could very well be a tonne of things; I'm assuming the vet was just listing a few of the wilder possibilities to point out that it could be lots. This is by no means a complete differential diagnoses list and there are more likely possibilities.

Dehydration is a good suspect. Are you using overhead heat, or undertank heating? Both work well, but I find that overhead heating really promotes a dry atmosphere. Many substrates also promote a very arid enclosure.

I think the big question is at this moment is if the vet did any diagnostic tests to get more information. Did they?

For the time being, definately review your husbandry to be certain it is not the problem.

Ian

vets thoughts on this one. Both cryptosporidiosis and Salmonella infections would most definitely cause diarrhea, not constipation. I would change drinking water daily until this snake is rehydrated. Many boids are encouraged to drink more readily with fresh water.

Kelly