I can't tell if it's undigested food from weeks ago or an organ so we're going to the ER.

Approx 2 hours later (because the exotic vet is in surgery when I call and every other exotic vet for 2 states is off) we get in, the vet tech turns out to be the same one Oni bit last time & bonded with.

Their tanks are like 10ft away from where my head is btw, so if you ever need help finding a body hmu, the nose knows.

Anyway, I flip on the lights and peer inside and she's excreted enough blood (not fresh) to soak half a paper towel but it's the weird pile of unidentifiable viscera that concerns.

At about 2 am I'm laying in bed unable to sleep when I hear the distinct gurgle of a snake digestive tract moving (this itself is not weird, sometimes it's loud. Doug is, hilariously, the loudest) and then I distinctly smell blood. I just know it's coming from Oni's enclosure & I am right, again.

I show the vet & he proceeds to casually express my snake's junk, expelling a thick jet of what I'm now 98% sure is pus about halfway across the exam table. He says it's just urates, I am HIGHLY dubious but also not a vet. Note to self, I'm so fucking smart, I really should listen to me more.

BD. In fact. BD.

Fast forward to two days ago, Oniare is at our regular vet for mouth rot. This is my 2nd case in as many months (husbandry issues I have now addressed) so I know the drill, then I notice she's dripping something from her cloaca & it doesn't look like normal urates to me.

I noticed a couple of bumps right above her vent to either side, couldn't suss what they could be & we went straight to the ER. Xrays were taken, the breaks were found, I was told it would heal on its own & the bumps were likely from how the ribs shifted & would likely remain. NBD.

The vibe is chill, vet visits are usually minimal & I treat a lot of non-ER issues at home. This year has been more exciting w/ my gargoyle gecko who wouldn't quit laying duds, two cases of mouth rot & oh yeah my corn snake mysteriously broke some ribs in her tail several months ago. No idea how.

hats off to this smooth brained operator, tho, who needed a hospital enclosure right away & scored a brand new front open display model for $50 just by being so tiny & stupid looking he made the Petsmart employee tear up

admittedly Doug is smaller than a novelty pencil & has roughly the same temperament. I may have to experiment with a larger snake. conveniently I have a russian rat whose favorite place to be is inside of your shirt with you

He is a zero! Zeros are my fav. I lucked out bigtime finding him up for adoption