Oh my god, ive seen soma bad setups but that’s downright AWFUL.
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Cuddles is officially done with his antibiotics AND he took a small mouse! His ribs are still wonky looking, and he’s still got some bruising, but otherwise he’s a perfectly normal corn snake now.
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Great job Cuddles! Eating is a really good sign! 
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Way to go, Cuddles! It’s wonderful to get such a positive update. I’m so glad that Coddled is recovering so well.
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All I need from him now is a poop, weight gain, a shed, and for the bruising to fully resolve. Then I can kick out the little worry gremlin lurking in the back of my mind.
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All in good time my dear, all in good time! 
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Looks like he’s getting there, Jess. Lucky Mr. Cuddles - again!
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Well, I wish things were going better than they are. Cuddles has regurgitated his last two meals. I’m thinking at this point he may have to be on smaller feeders more frequently for the rest of his life. While the x-rays showed no broken bones, he’s still got quite noticeable deformation of his ribcage in that area, causing a narrowing of his body cavity. He has shed, and he’s still pooping & passing urates just fine. He just can’t seem to properly digest a meal bigger than a small mouse.
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Poor little guy – that’s got to be stressful for both of you. I’m sorry he’s not back to normal, but I’m glad there’s at least a possible effective care plan. Has he digested a smaller meal, or is that yet to be seen?
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He did digest the first small mouse I gave him, at least I think. I’ve been very hands off as to not stress him out further. I’ll be trying a small mouse again after the two week break I’m going to give him. If he doesn’t keep that down, it’ll be back to the vet.
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I’m sorry to hear that, Jess. I hope Cuddles gets redjusted to feeding without issue. I know you’ll do whatever is needed for him. If that’s smaller, more frequent meals, I’m sure that’s what you’ll do. Have you been able to tell if the deformation is changing in any way?
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As far as I can tell, not much has changed. It’s still significantly pinched in from “normal”. I am pretty sure at this point that he has subluxated ribs. They may not be broken, but they’re definitely no longer in their proper positions. Swelling went down within a week or two of the injury, all of the bruising has fully cleared up when he shed, and the wound on his back is fully healed. I’m wondering if there’s any kind of massage or movement exercises that might be helpful in working those ribs back into a more natural position…
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Poor Cuddles, that’s bound to be uncomfortable. I know PT has helped me a lot. There’s a tremendous amount to veterinary rehab possible with some species but I wouldn’t have a clue what might help a snake. It does seem like there should be something physical which might help. Seems like gentle handling ought to be good for him. I wouldn’t be too concerned that simply doing hand-over-hand would possibly make things worse. Edit: I’m sure you’ll be doing that.
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I’ll likely take him out to a larger area of the house (pet free) to get some roaming time where he can fully stretch out and shift things around. If he wasn’t just a cylinder of muscle, I’d consider trying to create a soft splint or something. I have previous experience making splints for a puppy I had with a rib cage deformity, if only that could work in snakes, too.
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Yeah, snakes are pretty insanely muscular. It’s part of their cool factor to me but not helpful towards figuring out an apparatus for the tube of highly flexible musculature.
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I have a much better update, finally! Seems the last feeding attempt (small mouse) has stayed down and digested. He’s also been much more active, and his ribs seem to be expanding back into a more normal position. The next big goal is consistent eating with no regurges, getting weight back on him, and possibly once again trying to up his feeder size when he’s in a better physical condition.
This boy has had me very worried the last few months, but I think it’s safe to say he’s finally rounded the corner and is well on the mend.
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That’s wonderful. I’m so glad that Cuddles is doing well. He has really been worrisome.
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Go Mr Cuddles Go!
I hope he continues to thrive after everything. And awesome job doing so much for the little guy.
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Absolutely an awesome job! Mr. Cuddles is very fortunate to have had you as his human, Jess.
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If it is keeping down much smaller food, you can feed more often to make us for the loss. You can try 4 day feedings. Also more often feeding might help push things back into place. Just a thought as I know some feed smaller meals more often then just one big meal.
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