PDA

View Full Version : Help! My cornsnake can't open his mouth!


Help! My cornsnake can't open his mouth!

joneshannsen
07-30-2011, 09:26 PM
Has anyone seen this happen before?

I just noticed that my corn snake's jaw was a little off center. I thought he just needed a good yawn, but it seemed to stay that way for a day or so.... no one has held him, he's been in a locked cage and hasn't eaten in a couple of weeks. I went to reach in to get him to see him up closer and noticed that he can't even get his tongue out. Has anyone seen this before?

I'm assuming I just need to get him to a vet. But thought I would ask. I feel so bad for the little guy.

Caryl
07-30-2011, 09:39 PM
I haven't seen that, and I'd worry if it was my snake - but I do worry. I would try offering him something to eat and see what happens. I'm assuming he seems otherwise healthy, hasn't lost condition, and is moving normally. If he really doesn't open his mouth I'd get him to a vet first thing Monday. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

VickyChaiTea
07-30-2011, 09:50 PM
Could he possibly have a respiratory infection and be holding his mouth at an odd angle so he can breath better? Snakes with RIs don't generally eat or flick their tongue until they're better, too.

joneshannsen
07-30-2011, 10:06 PM
You know, you may be right.... I thought I heard a tiny huff yesterday but didn't think anything of it! I just feel terrible for the little guy. All the exotic vets around here are so swamped I can't get him in until probably Wed or Thur of next week, do you think he'll be ok until then?

joneshannsen
07-30-2011, 10:09 PM
His color seems good, his eyes are bright and his mouth looks pretty pink. He isn't as lively as usual but I figure that would be about normal... he's a feisty one and tries to "rattle" at me when I pick him up but this time he just let me and curled around me. He's moving around his cage though, looking around, going from inside his rock to out in the open, so hopefully he's still feeling half way decent.

AliCat37
07-30-2011, 10:41 PM
What are your temps and humidity like? If he has a respiratory infection he might have some husbandry issues that need to be corrected. If caught early enough, from what I understand, it should be easy to fix a respiratory infection through husbandry changes. I may be wrong, however. I am also not saying that you do have husbandry issues, RI's can be caused by other things too.

joneshannsen
07-30-2011, 11:05 PM
I have a standard little 'humidity monitor' and it says it is within the "normal" range. He just had a good shed a couple weeks ago (and sheds very regulary almost 4 times a year). his temps are between 72 and 85 (I have two thermometers, one at the end where the heaters have always been and one at the end where they aren't). I have the heaters that are "stick on" below the tank (and have for 4 years) so he can go into his little rock house and warm up, or go to the other end and cool off. I have the standard substrate of Aspen Snake Bedding that I've used since I got him. He has been in the same conditions since I got him for the last 4 years. I love the little guy so I'll take any and all suggestions to help him. I can't imagine where he would get a sickness, but I know they can come unexpectedly so I'm open to any and all suggestions. My son is at his dad's for the summer and would really be heartsick if his dear "spiderman" was sick or God forbid, gone, when he returned. and i truly enjoy interacting with the little guy so it woudl be hard for me to lose him as well!

AliCat37
07-30-2011, 11:16 PM
His husbandry sounds fine... I'd raise the low temp to 75 if that's possible, but if he's been like that for the last four years it shouldn't have come on so suddenly. I like my humidity around 55%, I think that is within the normal range if we have the same gauges.. Is it possible that he struck the glass and broke his jaw? :/ Have you tried offering him food? I noticed that you said he hasn't eaten in a couple of weeks, was that his doing? If so I really am leaning towards an injury. Are there other pets in the house that maybe stressed him out and he was frightened? Maybe a new pet? New air freshener?
There is a rat snake in one of my classrooms at school who has messed up his face pretty bad from striking the glass from being stressed by the constant flow of students..

joneshannsen
07-30-2011, 11:32 PM
Honestly nothing has changed.... actually he should be more relaxed. my son (9) who is VERY GENTLE with him left for his dad's for the summer back in May so he's had it VERY easy all summer. I keep a lock on his cage just in case anyone comes over and has kids who are tempted. I'm very protective of the little guy. He MAY have struck at the glass but in my experience with him that is not typical of him, though of course it could not be totally ruled out. We have no other pets so he is kind of spoiled. I did offer him food and he just let it touch his snout and then did nothing. I even waited and then offered him something smaller hoping it would be less intimidating. He's about 2.5' long and has done well with fuzzies for the last two years and today wuldn't even look at a pinkie. I have a pic I can post if that will help. the poor little guy worries me.

AliCat37
07-30-2011, 11:38 PM
A pic would definitely help. Unfortunately striking the glass cannot be ruled out, animals do do crazy things. On a side note, it seems like fuzzies are far too small of a feeder for a four year old snake, usually by the time a corn snake is four they'd be eating jumbo mice or small rats.

Caryl
07-30-2011, 11:51 PM
A respiratory infection would possibly explain things. Minimize humidity by giving him a very small water bowl on the cool side of the viv. Raise the temps on the warm side to near 90 F. Wash his water dish and change the water daily, and reduce potential stresses. Respiratory infections can be serious in snakes, as they have only one fully functional lung. Fortunately, when caught early, URIs are usually treatable. Be persistent and patient; it can take a while to recover fully.

AliCat37 is right that you can't rule anything out. The snake could have injured itself. It's rather amazing - and frightening - what they will sometimes do out of the blue.

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 12:06 AM
C:\Documents and Settings\Mommy\Desktop\spiderman.jpg

AliCat37
07-31-2011, 12:07 AM
Pic didn't show up :/ you have to link it with a website for the code to work

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 12:07 AM
Well, maybe try this... sorry, I'm new here!

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=3f50d0f006&view=att&th=1317e48385a1eeaa&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 12:10 AM
I will try the suggestions on the water and humidity! I will try anything right now.... He's a sweet little snake and I will be devastated if something bad happens to him! As will my son!

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 12:18 AM
OK.... turned on both heaters for him, put just a smidge of water in the opposite end of the tank..... he's inside his rock and when I lifted it up and peered in he raised his head and was alert, so that makes me optimistic. Any other advice will be welcomed. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I"m relatively new, but have had this little guy for 4 years and he's done GREAT until now. Can't imagine anything being introduced that would harm him, but I guess you never know. Any and ALL advice is welcome and THANK YOU to everyone who has given me input up to now! :)

grankin01
07-31-2011, 12:44 AM
Did you recently change brands of bedding? I have read that some brands have started blending cedar and pine into certain types of their bedding products. I'm not saying that is what is going on here but it would definitely cause some URI problems. Cedar and Pine have oils in them that are toxic to many small animals and they would exacerbate respiratory issues when introduced.

BTW, when we were in chat earlier I got kicked off because the power went out here due to storms. I wasn't ignoring you or leaving you in the cold so to speak. :)

Just pulling at strings here TBH.

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 12:53 AM
Thanks Grankin01!

Only thing is I've had the same big giant bag of bedding I've been using for months and months...... I can't see that playing any part, but good thought!

grankin01
07-31-2011, 01:03 AM
Have you noticed any clear fluid coming from his nostrils?

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 01:04 AM
No, nothing.... seems very normal ............

grankin01
07-31-2011, 01:09 AM
Other than what others have suggested and a post-haste visit to the vet I really don't know. Sorry.

Best of luck getting your little guy healthy again. :)

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 01:48 AM
Thanks! Hope my little buddy just has some silly issues.... Appreciate all your input!

AliCat37
07-31-2011, 01:25 PM
Okay, I had another theory this morning. I am sorry if it comes out like a rude suggestion, but if he is four years old and is only eating fuzzies he may have Metabolic Bone Disease. This is caused by lack of calcium. Pinkies and fuzzies don't have a real skeleton, they only have cartilage and they are very high in fat. So feeding on these for long term can lead to health issues. Like I said before, a corn snake should be eating jumbo mice or even small rats at four years of age. My two year old is eating adult mice. Difficulty eating and swelling of the jaw area are both symptoms for MBD. MBD is very rare in snakes as they should get their calcium from their food, but if he is not eating properly then he may have gotten ill from this. My suggestion is to take him to a herp vet as soon as possible.

joneshannsen
07-31-2011, 03:00 PM
Will do. I thought fuzzies were about as large as he could tolerate... I guess I was being overprotective and didn't want him to choke. :( Hopefully it's something that can be fixed. Thanks so much!

Dee Dee
07-31-2011, 03:20 PM
Just read this. I am new myself so can't really offer any advice, & honestly it seems like other people have that area covered anyway. But I'd like to wish you & the snakey all tge best. I hope the problem gets resolved soon.

AliCat37
07-31-2011, 03:38 PM
Will do. I thought fuzzies were about as large as he could tolerate... I guess I was being overprotective and didn't want him to choke. :( Hopefully it's something that can be fixed. Thanks so much!

Unless he's a super small guy he should be able to handle larger. You want to try offering him food that is the same width or just a little larger around than the thickest part of his body. Unfortunately your picture still didn't show up :( So I'm just throwing out hypotheses. You won't have to worry about him choking, snakes can eat come impressive things!

Millinex
07-31-2011, 11:10 PM
At 4 years old being fed only pinkies and fuzzies... He has MBD, it's severe and I'm going to be frank and blunt- it's probably beyond repair. Sorry to inform you, next time do some more research on the animal before purchase so you avoid things like this.

joneshannsen
08-01-2011, 01:25 AM
Sorry.... I think everyone has started out with a new pet and little knowledge. I've tried my best with him and truly care about him. I'm sure there are people with dogs who don't know that certain things can be very harmful. I intend on taking him to a herp vet ASAP. A little compassion goes a long way with someone who is already upset.

Dee Dee
08-01-2011, 06:01 AM
I completely understand your hesitance to move on to larger food items. And if you were never given all the info then I don't think you are to blame. Popcorn is about 8months old & I kept her on double pinks for longer than she should have been because I was worried she would regurgitate. She had her 1st small furry last week just to see if she would be ok with it, I slit it's back (icky but I did it to help her) & she handled it without any probs. Snarfed it down in fact. This Sat I gave her the last 2 pinks I had left just to use them up (I don't like to let them go to waste) & yesterday evening (Sunday) she was cruising the enclosure looking for more food. The pinks barely made a bump in her tummy. She'll have small furry mice from now on & I won't be so hesitant to move her up as she gets bigger. But I completely understand why you kept your lil buddy on fuzzies. You weren't to know the damage but you'll know for the future. As much as it sucks right now. My thoughts are with you & the poor snakey :(

joneshannsen
08-09-2011, 11:22 PM
Hi everyone. Just a quick thank you to everyone who tried to help out.... vet says it's not MBD.... probably a tumor or an infection, and he's pretty much leaning toward tumor. :( We've been giving him Meloxicam and it KILLS me becuase I can tell it really bothers him when I give it to him. He's still losing weight and I'm not sure the meds are doing any good. Thanks for all the insight and words of encouragement though! Now it's time to deal with breaking the news to my 9 year old.

Christen
08-09-2011, 11:38 PM
I am so very sorry. Poor baby.

grankin01
08-10-2011, 01:58 AM
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear it. :(

bitsy
08-10-2011, 04:08 AM
I'm so sorry to hear that. Sending all good wishes your way.

Off tpoic now, but just to take this issue forward:

At 4 years old being fed only pinkies and fuzzies... He has MBD, it's severe and I'm going to be frank and blunt- it's probably beyond repair.

if he is four years old and is only eating fuzzies he may have Metabolic Bone Disease. This is caused by lack of calcium. Pinkies and fuzzies don't have a real skeleton, they only have cartilage and they are very high in fat. So feeding on these for long term can lead to health issues.

There are people here - experienced keepers - who have adult Corns that have refused to eat mice with full coats of fur and have lived all their lives on multiple pinks and/or fuzzies. MBD isn't an inevitable outcome, so I'd maybe be a little more cautious with this advice.

Dee Dee
08-10-2011, 04:33 AM
I'm so sorry to hear about your poor lil one. I'll keep him in my thoughts & send get well wishes along too :-/

joneshannsen
08-16-2011, 11:42 PM
Thank you to EVERYONE for your kind words. I had to put "Spiderman" down today. Turns out it was a tumor and it was growing at a pretty fast pace. Can't believe I cried over a snake. :( BUT.... I would like to get my son a new corn.... they are such easy keepers and so very docile.

Can anyone recommend a reputable breeder? Maybe I can avoid "inbreeding" issues like tumors and such......... any advice is appreciated.

thank you all!!!!

grankin01
08-17-2011, 12:25 AM
Oh no! I am so sorry and can understand crying over any animal. :(

AliCat37
08-17-2011, 12:56 AM
So sorry to hear that :( And crying over him is no shame, when I lost Jasper, my first snake I cried almost all day. I still cry when I think about losing him. Sadly your situation was unavoidable, I lost Jasper due to my own mistake. Never feel shame for mourning the loss of a pet, we all understand being upset over a loved one.

As for getting a new corn, check out the classifieds section on this website.

Dee Dee
08-17-2011, 04:06 AM
I'm sorry for your loss :( I also agree that there is no shame in crying over losing a pet. I cried when I lost both of my gerbils. I wish you well with your next pet, even though I understand that it will never replace spiderman. My thoughts are with you.