Slow digestion?

[KITKAT]

I have a baby flame that was given to me because he would not eat. I had to force feed him twice, then he started out on minnow pieces. But soon, I switched him to scented pinkie parts, and he ate them well 2 or 3 times. Then he shed, and went on a hunger strike AFTER the shed, not eating for about seven days.

He got eating again when I gave him worm pieces, and again, he started eating well.

But now he has a lump. Not like a tumor or anything... it is a lump like you see right after they eat and the food has moved downward to the stomach and intestines area.

But the lump has not moved... it is above the area of the vent, and looks like a big meal, but he has not pooped, and the lump has not moved.

Do garters get constipated?

Any suggestions? Should I keep feeding him and assume things will move... or what?

[Howler]

I have to ask. How long has it been since the snake ate and can you possibly take pictures to let us view the issue at hand that's currently concerning you?

--Sam and Nick

[Cazador]

Hey Kitkat,

The lump is somewhat disturbing. Is there anything that the little flame could have swallowed that has become impacted (bedding, accessories, etc)? Whenever snakes stop eating for me, the first thing I check is the temperature of their enclosure. I imagine that you've already done that, and perhaps you've already tried warm water baths. I've found worms to act like a laxative. How about you? If he absolutely refuses to eat, I've heard people trying something like "mouse-lax" or some similar made-up name. They gut load pinkies with mineral oil and feed it to their snakes. These are just a few techniques from least invasive to more so.

Be sure to double-check on the temp of the enclosure floor to ensure that it's not "cooking" his feces before he passes it. I've been trying to re-find a link that talks about fecoliths and cloacoliths, and I'll post it as soon as I can. It "may" help to shed some light.

Rick

[KITKAT]

He is the biggest baby garter I am currently feeding. On 8-18, he ate a worm segment that was about 1/2 inch long. He refused to eat more.

My red sided baby, Trinity, second largest baby in the house, ate eight pieces this size. Gaia, the third largest, ate five.

Tigerlilies babies, which are younger and smaller, are eating two to four pieces that are half that size.

So Sparky ate, and I took pictures showing the two lumps. I'll post it next.

In the meanwhile, to answer your excellent questions...

1. Sparky is in a five gallon tank by himself, with a papertowel floor and a piece of paper towel crumpled up for hiding under. There is a water dish, and that is it. I feed him in a seperate container.

2. When Sparky ate the worm segment yesterday, he had two lumps... the one anterior and the one posterior. Today the posterior lump is slightly bigger. I really suspect a blockage of some kind, but there has been no opportunity to eat anything foreign. The only other thing I can think about is that he age a pinky drumstick on 8-1-07, and perhaps the bone in the leg did not pass(?) After that, he ate three guppies on 8-2, then started spurning all pinkie parts and all fish parts, and will only eat worms, which I have provided on 8-7 (refused to eat, had just shed), 8-11 (ate a small baby worm) and 8-18 (three worm segments eaten). Then I noticed the lump and went ahead and fed one worm segment on 8-24.

His cage temp is in the mid 80's. It is hard to impossible to get a temperature variance with a temp higher than that in one end, because the enclosure is so small.

[KITKAT]

MY BIGGEST CONCERN is that he has not pooped for over a week...

[drache]

have you tried soaking him?
perhaps even add something mildly laxative to the water (not sure what - maybe aloe?)

[adamanteus]

That is worrying, KITKAT. What does the lump feel like?

[GarterGuy]

I agree with Rhea, nothing makes a snake poop out like a good soak in some luke warm water. If it is maybe just constipated, maybe this will help. That does look very worrysome though. If soaking, ect. doesn't do anything, I'd think a vet run would be in order.

Roy

[KITKAT]

That is worrying, KITKAT. What does the lump feel like?

SQUISHY

I am soaking today, and may try some tricks to bump the temp up to the high 80's at one end.

[KITKAT]

Well... Sparky did not make it. I bumped the temp today. It is 89 F in the warm end on top of the paper towel, and 86.5 underneath the towel in the warm end.

The cool end is 84.4 on top of the towel, and 79.1 under the hide. The water is at the cool end.

It's always a challenge to get a temp gradient in such a small enclosure.

I set up the higher wattage bulb this morning, and this evening I found Sparky dead under the towel on the warm side of the tank (86.5).

I guess I may as well get out the dissecting scissors...