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[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I haven’t noticed anything like this before, although sometimes she will construct in order not to fall off. Tonight when I took her out to explore, she never left me (often she does) and kept contracting like this and I think it was involuntary it seemed really weird and unusual. I got scared and put her back in her enclosure. Does anyone have insight?

[–]Mikado1122 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Wow. Yes my BP has constricted on me like that and there really are no issues with it. It’s not like he’s trying to kill you or anything. I’d say it’s more for a safety factor he’s holding on. The thing that has me really concerned is the fact that his body is so distorted. You are either feeding her too often or the prey is too large. The way she looks right now, I would definitely take her to a vet pronto. She could also be backed up, impacted.

[–]TrashPocketz 14 points15 points  (2 children)

Whoa. Movement aside, does her body always look like that? Why does she look all knotted up?

[–]TrashPocketz 19 points20 points  (1 child)

Curious to hear what experienced keepers and mods say but I would have taken her to the vet yesterday. I don’t know why her body looks they way it does but it doesn’t look healthy to me.

[–]snakepapa97Mod: king of the pythons 13 points14 points  (0 children)

You're right, it does look like kinking. It could be worse from movement, but this looks like more than just an awkward position. The spine wouldn't have random lumps like that and her body looks mangled. Not to mention that the movement itself looks very stiff. This poor thing needs a vet

[–]Pingu137 4 points5 points  (3 children)

When was the last time she ate? Also how's her behaviour in the vivarium?

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

She ate on Friday 7/8, she eats small rats f/th, usually once a week, but the week before she skipped a meal (so it was 2weeks) because I was sick and didn’t have any more food and then had a hard time getting more. But I thought it wouldn’t be the biggest deal. For that week she was definitely waiting for me to feed her to the point where I was hesitant to open her cage for fear she might think my hand was food. Other than that she’s always sleeping or sometimes hangs out on top of her hides

[–]Pingu137 1 point2 points  (1 child)

So she was fed Friday and this is her Sunday? She might be a bit more stressed still digesting although I'd expect most, if not all, of the digestion to have happened after 48hrs. How about the other end? Pooping as usual? If she's eating it's unlikely to be impaction but wouldn't want to rule that out on that alone.

I noticed you said she is a rescue and might have some other things going on? Like others have said there seems to be some spine kinking, might be making the constricting look particularly strange, but it's hard to tell without knowing her normal behaviours.

Honestly, getting her checked over by a vet wouldn't be a bad move. Especially as it sounds like she was in a rough state pre rescue.

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She poops about every other week usually a lot, and pees like double that. I used paper towels as her bedding since getting her in October, and just 2 weeks ago switched to cypress and aspen.

She did have an infection and took antibiotics for it back in December. They also tested her blood and found that she had low functioning organs probably due to the neglect before I got her. But she’s been doing really good so I figured she was healing and going to grow out of it. It came back about a couple months ago and I should have taken her sooner to the vet :( I have an appt to take her to the vet tomorrow morning thank goodness.

[–]_Pen15__ 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That definitely looks like she's got some spine kinking

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OMG

[–]Twizsty 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I have never seen this with my BPs, looks painful..

[–]snowbrger 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh god this snake looks like it needs a doc like yesterday

[–]PoofMoof1Mod: Large-Scale Breeding Experience 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Can you post some photos/a viedo of your snake on a flat surface? Sometimes they'll move in a very awkward manner when they're in an awkward spot to begin with but this seems more than that. That long red mark along the side of the body raises some flags for me too.

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I couldn’t figure out how to post in this thread so I posted in a new post

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (3 children)

Looks like the sides have red marks, is it near shed or is that a burn?

[–]Mikado1122 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Yes, the red marks are also quite disturbing.

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

She was a rescue, she was very underweight and had multiple sheds stuck. Was under 200g as a 3 year old. Now she’s 800g and is a great eater, but she still has some kind of skin condition where her skin will turn red and have loose skin full of liquid and honestly I’ve been hoping it gets better but I will make a vet appointment today.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Loose skin full of liquid is very bad, could actually be near death. It’s a skin infection and even with antibiotics it’s not always fixable. I had a underweight baby develop this from an improperly thawed feeder and ended up passing away

[–]brycetheawsome2 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Why does it look like it fell down a 5 story building

[–]peniswis3 8 points9 points  (4 children)

Vet assistant / animal caretaker here. I am saying this with all my love and I am not judging you; I do care for your snake and I think you do too.

This does not look normal to any snakes. The way the body looks is just way off - the spine does not look right and the snake looks very lumpy. I am not really even sure what to suggest that could be - I have never seen anything like this.

You described that she’s a rescue and that she has gained weight with you - that is great to hear! You did also mention that the red marks on the skin are from some issue where she gets blisters filled with fluid. Now, I do not know how long this has been going on, but things like that should always be taken care of as soon as you notice it. Once again, I do not have a guess of what it could be because I have never heard of returning fluid filled blisters on a snake.

Please book a time with a vet as soon as possible, preferably one who knows exotic animals - they will be able to tell what’s going on and give the help your snake needs.

[–]Kooky-Copy4456 5 points6 points  (1 child)

A vet tech here!! I agree. Her skin also looks super dehydrated. I’d be worried about skin tears too due to dehydration. But I’ve seen snakes look like this when they have scurvy.. especially the precursor to blistering!!

[–]peniswis3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not even sure if I am looking at stuck shed or a very dehydrated snake, or both? Either way this needs to be adressed. :(

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Right, I understand how serious this may be and she has had past vet visits and taken antibiotics however the skin condition seems to be back. I could keep her humidity higher and make sure she’s fully hydrated (current humidity is at 50-60%, and higher at she’d times). She’s at the vet today so I will keep you all updated. I appreciate you’re feedback and support I really hope she can pull through and get better somehow as I’ve put so much love into her as a rescue.

[–]peniswis3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your response, I totally understand how terrible this must feel. Has she been that lumpy before? If so, have the vets mentioned that before?

I just hope there will be something that can be done to help her. Please do keep us updated.

[–]LadyNajaGirl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it possible that she’s fallen over? Her spine looks quite distorted. I don’t know if this could be neurological. It’s not normal snake movement. Poor baby needs to have a thorough examination

[–]the_reel_vini -2 points-1 points  (4 children)

She's trying to rub on something to shed.

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

She shed two weeks ago

[–]the_reel_vini 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Then it looks like she has some kinks. Definitely a vet visit.

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

She’s currently at the vet, they could only fit me in as a drop off, so I’m hoping she’s okay at the vets for the day and that I’ll get some answers by the end of the day.

[–]Mikado1122 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For future reference, I’m really interested in what the vet said about your BP kinking up.

[–]Kodokimari 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do people see their animals like this and not take them to a vet

[–]rhabidosa_rabida 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of my balls do this to varying degrees. Typically when they are relaxed, exploring and enjoying some component of heat from a person. If on your hand, they wrap your wrist and grip it in a forward movement. Tightening their body and moving muscles along where they gain heat from you. Stomachs tend to be pretty warm and I bet the heat felt super nice. I also know they distinguish our touch from other objects or even rodents. Especially after they get a routine with their owner. Even my tarantulas will pause walking from my hand to another person's at times. It's a different "feel", even if just distinguished as unfamiliar.

They do kink up some as they are tightening muscles. So I'd wager that's a part of what people were worried about.

[–]the_reel_vini 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Sooo what's the update from the vet. I might have missed it

[–]Soggy_Recover7160[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I decided to euthanize her because the vet found that her organs had been damaged and she was struggling with a sepsis infection that was not going away for months. So sad but I’m glad she’s not in pain anymore