Nile Crocodile Bump on Stomach

I received this guy about two weeks ago and just noticed he has a bump on his stomach. He has been eating and acting like a crocodile should and he has even shown some growth in both weight and length.

Does anyone know what this is?

Well, diagnosing anything via pictures on the net is difficult. There are several possibilities, ranging from a parasitic infection to an umbilical hernia, requiring everything from extensive treatment to nothing at all.

Honestly, the best bet is to get it to a vet. (I rhyme!) Detailed physical examination, along with ultrasound and biopsies, will give you a much better diagnosis.

After a vet visit it was found out to be an umbilical hernia. The vet gave me a quote of $1200 to correct this which seemed terribly steep. The vet also said that Umbilical Hernias are fairly common and they sometimes need no real attention, but then said if it was her crocodile she would spend the $1200 :-/

The crocodile was 16.5" when he arrived he is now 18" While I didn't weigh him when I first got him, they weighed him at the vet two weeks ago at 218 grams and then today when I weighed him he was 240 grams. He still has a normal attitude keeps eating and also can still defecate.

Should I really be that worried? also does anyone else think $1200 is a bit much?

thanks

As for the price, that's fairly reasonable. Reptile anaesthesia is difficult, so any surgery is going to be costly. Repairing an umbilical hernia means opening the abdominal cavity, which is major surgery and very, very difficult.

As for if it's needed, it's hard to say. It may regress into the body as the croc grows. Or it may get closed off, become necrotic, and kill it. You need to monitor it very carefully. Make sure he's defecating regularly, and periodically poke it to make sure he isn't in pain. If he either displays pain or stops defecating, take him in for surgery immediately. However, both will become considerably more difficult to ascertain as he grows and becomes more difficult to house and handle.

So, basically, you need to determine if you want to risk it. IMHO, you probably should. After all $1200 is practically nothing compared to the eventual costs of feeding and housing an adult Nile croc.