trdhrdr007
New member
I have a late '99 model female snow corn, I use a fairly conservative feeding schedule & last year was her first year breeding. She laid 23 eggs in her first clutch, & then she clutched again & laid 13 more(all infertile). I didn't put her in with the male for a second clutch, & wasn't trying for one.
Anyway, she was very thin after that, so I increased the amount of food she was getting. I feed every six days, she was getting 1-2 medium mice, depending on their size. My supplier recently had a special on rats, so I had rats that were about the size of a large adult mouse, & was feeding her 2 every six days.
I noticed right before I put all my snakes into brumation(Dec. 16) that she had developed what appear to be fatty deposits right in front of her cloaca. These deposits seem to be right under the skin, are soft & squishy and protrude about 1/8" from her body. Today I did my weekly check, & noticed she had a few more very slight bulges within six inches of the ones I saw before brumation. These are very small, as embarassing as it is to admit, I may have missed them when I put her into brumation. She still feels very muscular, & was pretty active when I was examining her, even though it was only 55 degrees in the garage.
From everything I have heard and read I am pretty sure that these are fat deposits. I haven't introduced any new animals into my collection for over 18 months, none of my other animals have a problem, & I haven't changed rodent suppliers. The only thing that had changed was that I fed her twice what she normally ate for about two months.
My local vet is pretty good, but he doesn't know much about reptiles. When I have a problem I figure out what the possibilities are & the tests needed to narrow it down. I take that info to him(in book form), he does the tests, we discuss the results & he administers the medicine or performs the procedure. It works great for parasites, & he was able to handle the one incidence of dystocia(sp?-egg bound) I had with success(tried the labor inducing drug, ended up aspirating the offending egg).
The problem is I don't know what to do, or if there is even anything I can do. The only information I have found says that fat deposits can cause a problem with egg laying. Should I take her in & have a sample taken from one of the deposits? If I did, what exactly should I have the vet look for? If it is fat, will reducing the amount fed eventually get rid of the deposits? Will I be able to breed this animal again? Any & all help will be greatly appreciated.
Anyway, she was very thin after that, so I increased the amount of food she was getting. I feed every six days, she was getting 1-2 medium mice, depending on their size. My supplier recently had a special on rats, so I had rats that were about the size of a large adult mouse, & was feeding her 2 every six days.
I noticed right before I put all my snakes into brumation(Dec. 16) that she had developed what appear to be fatty deposits right in front of her cloaca. These deposits seem to be right under the skin, are soft & squishy and protrude about 1/8" from her body. Today I did my weekly check, & noticed she had a few more very slight bulges within six inches of the ones I saw before brumation. These are very small, as embarassing as it is to admit, I may have missed them when I put her into brumation. She still feels very muscular, & was pretty active when I was examining her, even though it was only 55 degrees in the garage.
From everything I have heard and read I am pretty sure that these are fat deposits. I haven't introduced any new animals into my collection for over 18 months, none of my other animals have a problem, & I haven't changed rodent suppliers. The only thing that had changed was that I fed her twice what she normally ate for about two months.
My local vet is pretty good, but he doesn't know much about reptiles. When I have a problem I figure out what the possibilities are & the tests needed to narrow it down. I take that info to him(in book form), he does the tests, we discuss the results & he administers the medicine or performs the procedure. It works great for parasites, & he was able to handle the one incidence of dystocia(sp?-egg bound) I had with success(tried the labor inducing drug, ended up aspirating the offending egg).
The problem is I don't know what to do, or if there is even anything I can do. The only information I have found says that fat deposits can cause a problem with egg laying. Should I take her in & have a sample taken from one of the deposits? If I did, what exactly should I have the vet look for? If it is fat, will reducing the amount fed eventually get rid of the deposits? Will I be able to breed this animal again? Any & all help will be greatly appreciated.