Vent Blockage

[BPGator]

Looking for input on what may be causing this crusty material at the vent. I had one snake that had something similar die several weeks ago, presumably to it not being able to properly defecate. I've taken this one to two vets; other than help clear out it's bowels, they really didn't address removal of the material. We speculate it's dried shed, but not sure.

I currently have the snake in a tub with paper towels. I can see that it is defecating daily. It also eats fine. It was on a diet of cut mouse pinkies, but I am trying to give it more nightcrawler to help hydrate it and make digestion easier. Any thoughts/advice you have is appreciated.

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[guidofatherof5]

Make up a high humidity shed box. A warm towel in a plastic shoe box works well. Make sure the towel is good an soaked, you can even add some warm water to the box. Let it soak for 30 minutes, then use a paper towel to see if retained she(if there is one) will come off the vent area. It looks like there might be a retained shed in that area. The warm water will also loosen up any crusties so you can wipe them away and clean the vent up.

[Eddie]

Unfortunately that is not a retained shed. It does not look good. I am not a vet but have been down this road. Keep this snake isolated from your collection.
Good luck my friend!

[BPGator]

Unfortunately that is not a retained shed. It does not look good. I am not a vet but have been down this road. Keep this snake isolated from your collection.
Good luck my friend!

Thanks, Eddie. Any clue what it is? You think it's safe to pull whatever that is off?

[Eddie]

Is the first third of the body of the snake slightly swollen?

[BPGator]

Is the first third of the body of the snake slightly swollen?

On the head side? No, it looks normal. The only swollen area is near the vent.

[BPGator]

Make up a high humidity shed box. A warm towel in a plastic shoe box works well. Make sure the towel is good an soaked, you can even add some warm water to the box. Let it soak for 30 minutes, then use a paper towel to see if retained she(if there is one) will come off the vent area. It looks like there might be a retained shed in that area. The warm water will also loosen up any crusties so you can wipe them away and clean the vent up.

Steve - I found this post from you about 10 years ago:

https://www.thamnophis.com/forum/husbandry/4616-crusty-vent.html

Do you recall if this is what your snake's vent looked like?

[Eddie]

Can you post an overhead pic of the whole snake?

[BPGator]

Can you post an overhead pic of the whole snake?

Yeah. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

[BPGator]

Can you post an overhead pic of the whole snake?

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[Eddie]

Beautiful looking snake. The body does not look distended at all. That is a good sign. Did the vet do a fecal float? I would follow Steve's instructions as a precaution for sure.
Best of luck!!
Ed

[Albert Clark]

Wow, gorgeous looking reptile. Grats! I have a feeling it may be a foreign body that has gotten into the vent and started up some irritation. Maybe blocking the scent gland or cloaca region. Totally speculative and the exotic vet may have to look a little more closely. Good luck!

[Albert Clark]

Curious as to what substrate you were originally using prior to noticing the swelling ?

[BPGator]

Curious as to what substrate you were originally using prior to noticing the swelling ?

Zoomed Aspen Snake Bedding. I use the same stuff for my other garters and have never had an issue.

[BPGator]

I showed the pics to the vet and he no longer thinks it's stuck shed. But he recommended daily soaks and wiping with paper towels to remove material.

[Albert Clark]

I showed the pics to the vet and he no longer thinks it's stuck shed. But he recommended daily soaks and wiping with paper towels to remove material.

That's great! You may want to consider mixing in to your Aspen some Eco Earth or some cypress mulch to help with moisture. I just strategically place areas of Eco Earth in a couple of areas in my enclosures. It also helps with the microclimate within. Aspen, by itself, is dusty and drying with particulate matter. Think about it, in the wild these reptiles crawl over various ground material that can range from dry to semi dry and moist even wet. Eastern Blacknecks really thrive in rocky outcrops near streams and water.

[guidofatherof5]

Wondering how this snake is doing.

[BPGator]

Wondering how this snake is doing.

He's looking better but still not totally cleared up. He's got a good appetite and passes waste regularly, so that's good. He's currently in shed; hopefully that will help clear it out some.

I am using the method you suggested to soak it --- putting in a tub with a wet towel. I think this is a little less stressful than just putting it in water.

[BPGator]

He ended up shedding last night. Good shed. You can see here some of the stuff came off with the shed. Maybe it was just stuck shed? The vent still does not look completely clear but it's much better after the shed.

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[guidofatherof5]

Retained shed in the vent area will collect feces. Glad to hear things are better. Might be good to give some warm water soaks to help clean that area up.

[Zdravko092368]

Snake looks good from overhead, it would be dire if snake was inflated up top(likely a blockage) or deflated down low(parasites or kidney failure) but snake looks pretty good, hopefully recovers fully.

[BPGator]

So unfortunately this one does not have a happy ending. The snake ended up dying several weeks ago. I was waiting for the results of a necropsy, which I received today. Report was inconclusive, however, other than the kidneys were inflamed and the animal likely died of renal failure. So really no smoking gun on what the cause was. This animal was acquired at the same time with another of the same species from the same breeder, but was told they were unrelated. Both animals had similar symptoms of a crusty material at the vent. Both animals died.

I should note that I have a modest collection of close to 20 snakes of various species. I currently have 4 other garter snakes. No other animal in my collection has shown similar symptoms.

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear about your loss.