Prolapse

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Prolapse

Postby gnarhimself » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:06 am

I was on a site yesterday and saw pictures of a corn snake that had prolapsed,pictures were very disturbing.
the guy who's snake it was,said that he had to put the snake down after this (she had already laid a clutch of 20)

He also said that this happens to at least two of his snakes a year,and thats a bit disturbing,considering that i want to start breeding mine soon.
I have searched www.google.co.za and it seems that this is a common occurence in snakes..

I have included the definition for whatever purpose it may serve

Prolapses
A prolapse occurs when an organ inverts itself inside out and protrudes through the usual external opening of that organ. Prolapses of the cloaca and reproductive organs are not uncommon among captive snakes. Often the cause cannot be determined. Prolapses can be precipitated by straining during egg-laying or straining related to uric acid stones. Parasitic infections or other intestinal disease may also result in prolapses. Veterinary assistance is essential in these cases to treat the prolapse and determine the underlying cause, if possible.
:-?

Is there anything that can be done to prevent this at all???
:?:
~Bryan~
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Postby froot » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:46 am

Good topic!
Luckily I have never had any of my animals prolapse......YET, but what causes it is always a guessing game. We can be sure that it's health related.
Prevention IMHO would be just ensuring that the snake and living conditions are getting all the necessary attention to healthy living.

I have seen a chondro with a prolapse being treated by leaving it in a tub with about 1cm of water on a heating wire in order to keep the prolapse moist and faith that it will pull back in.
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Postby gnarhimself » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:01 am

Thanks for the compliment Froot :cool:
Im learning,and figured do the research properly.(Rather have too much information than too little)

I have the right conditons,heat,humidity etc etc etc,and even though im only planning on breeding next year or the year after,i figured get info on the "what if??" situation.
(my female is only a year old,even though she is large,i feel i should wait instead of breeding her too young)

Prevention is always better than a cure.
I guess that when i do breed them,i can only hope that this doesnt happen.
:cry:
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Postby Rat » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:11 am

I had a yearling last year who tried to mate with a female which was in the same cage as him. (I was under the understanding that the female was in fact a male and figured I had two males within the same cage – till this yearling began mating with the "other male").

His genitalia wouldn't retract after the act. The next moment more intestines came out and I took it to a "reputable" person who had experience in snake related problems and he identified it as prolapse. He told me that it can be treated, but ultimately the snake will die, so in order to put it out of its misery we decided to put it to sleep.

I found out later from others on the forum that a vet could in fact treat this problem quite successfully – expect perhaps the snake would not be able to breed and would thus only be a display item.

Pity I didn't know that then. I would have loved to keep it. It was a wonderful creature.

Live and learn.
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Postby gnarhimself » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:16 am

Sorry Rat
Its a pity that you lost your critter.. :cry:
:-?
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Postby Bjorn » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:00 pm

Definately a good topic, which, when and if it occurs would catch one with ones pants down .. so to speak. :?:

All I could find with regard to solution were the following:

http://www.angelfire.com/al/repticare/page8.html
http://www.finegtps.com/Care_sheets.html#SolvingCommonProblems look for "5/ Rectal Prolapse"
http://www.anapsid.org/prolapse.html

All seem to say that one will need the help of a Vet.
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Postby Moreliahunter » Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:31 am

Recent discoveries point to a faulty diet in reptiles that cause this. Its like we need fibre otherwise our intestines get all annoyed. It also occurs when meals are way to large and too regular. Lizards that only get fed one type of food like mealworms also get it from an insufficient diet.
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Postby gnarhimself » Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:17 pm

Hey Everyone

I found the link with regards to the prolapse:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20946

Poor girl :cry:
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Postby BWSmith » Fri Mar 31, 2006 4:02 pm

We soak in Sugar Water for a prolapse.
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