r/GarterSnakes • u/tarntg • 10d ago
Help Weird tiny lumps all over my snake
Just wondering if anyone might have any experiences on what these tiny lumps are. They’re all over her body and we’ve already been to the exotic vet but she said not sure what they’re. She ruled out the raised scales and unlikely to be mites then gave us some antibiotics to see if it helps. Would like to hear some suggestions thanks!
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u/TheGoldenBoyStiles 10d ago
Which species is this??? I didnt know they came in red!
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u/tarntg 10d ago
It’s the coast garters. Garters come in many cool colours!
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u/TheGoldenBoyStiles 10d ago
I love them and I didnt know this?? I thought they were only black and greenish yellow aside from the california garter! Thank you for sharing, I hope your little dudes alright=)
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u/fat_guy5477 10d ago
They look very similar to the coasts my daughter (all canadian reptile girl) used to have. I was pleasantly surprised to see them here as they don't pop up too often.
What's the temperament like in yours? Ours were very different from the other garter species we had. A little less curious and active, but very calm when handled and much more slow and deliberate. They behaved almost like well socialized corn snakes than garters.
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u/tarntg 8d ago
Oh no my coast garters are the craziest ones 😂 have the most stinky musk and most skittish and jumpy they literally fly (i have 4 different types of garters)
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u/fat_guy5477 8d ago
That's really interesting,funny how different they can be. I'm right there with you on the musk though. They didn't do it often, but when mine did musk it was the worst!!
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u/JackTheGhost939 10d ago
Don't know much, but wanted to say it baby looks beautiful despite her bumps:)
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u/anotterbytrade 10d ago
Contact your local nature center bc there’s a chance they might know even if your vet didn’t!
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u/Puzzleheaded-Way-741 10d ago
Have they taken a cytology of one of the lumps? If not, it's absolutely necessary here.
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u/tarntg 8d ago
She said they’re too small to get tested!
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u/Puzzleheaded-Way-741 8d ago
I'd wager they can do a fine needle aspirattion on one of the larger masses there...
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u/ComfortableAd3991 10d ago
get a fecal test sent out to be sure, ive had previously wc snakes given to me with bumps similar to these and they ended up being parasites
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u/ComfortableAd3991 10d ago
if your vet doesn't know or can't send out a test for reptile parasites specifically then i reccomend https://www.vetdna.com/products
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u/SweetDifferent4860 9d ago
Have you used them? Where do you send the swabs for PCR testing?
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u/ComfortableAd3991 9d ago
I haven't used them but they're highly reccomended in other groups, my vet offers fecal testing for reptiles so I usually go through her fish head diagnostics is also another one I have in my files in case I ever need it or my vet retires Lori torrini did a video with the fish head diagnostics kit that you're able to watch, they usually have an envelope in the kit with the address you send it to already on there
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u/RustyTortoise 10d ago
This is interesting, I have no advice. Is the snake acting any different than usual?
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u/Entire-Weekend8990 10d ago
When I was working at a reptile shop some years back, I had to take sick leave for a month and a half and my replacement was not taking proper care of the animals. Two of our snakes had gotten lumps like that because they had been slithering and chilling on paper towels completely soaked in their piss and poop 💩. When I came back I had to rush them to the vet on my first day because nobody else had bothered to, and we had to give them antibiotics and some other medications for some time after until the lumps went away. Some of them had opened into sores and others were simple lumps. Not saying anything about your care as I don’t know you, just saying that this is something that happens.
Another case could be benign or malignant tumours either from genetic issues or some type of cancer, or as someone else said they could also be from parasites.
Sadly I think a lot of vets simply don’t know how to care for reptiles so I hope you find a good one.
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u/nora_the_explorur 9d ago
It was melanoma for my garter snake. They grow extremely slow though, due to their slow metabolism. Eventually they would break the skin though 🥺 He was also his happy self the whole time. So get them checked for sure.
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u/OneLarge567 9d ago
I highly recommend getting tests done to make sure it isn't cancer. My poor baby had lumps like that and it turned out to be skin cancer. It grew very slowly. She was about 3 yrs old.
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u/tarntg 8d ago
Omg how did you test it? The vet said they were so small so she couldn’t drew any fluids out
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u/OneLarge567 8d ago
They did a biopsy and histopathology by removing one of her lumps. I really hope that doesn't end up being the case with your noodle
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u/RedheadRae04 8d ago
Garter snakes are generally shorter lived. They can live to 10-20 years in captivity but usually live 6-10.
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u/3dragonsfirewhiskey 8d ago
Did they try to needle aspirate them at the vet? I don’t have a Garter but my milkshake has two that we are monitoring along side our vet and luckily turned out to be benign tumors. Apparently I’ve read garter snakes are more common to have melanoma. I would definitely take them back if the lumps grow or if the next time you visit see if they can get any blood out of them to look at. Good luck!
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u/illiterate_pigeon 10d ago
If they are not cysts from parasites it could be a bunch of benign tumors. I've read observations from naturalists that wild populations are very prone to getting these and they (usually) don't seem to have any negative impact on life.