BP with Mouth Rot Rescue

[Anubis]

Hi everyone.

Heres my story. I'm picking up a baby BP tommorow. His owner is giving him to me because he doesn't have time for him anymore, he told me the snake has mouth rot but is getting better, he just doesn't have the time to take care of him (or the infection). The snake is only about 4 months I beleive (will have all of the information tommorow).

Unfortunatly there is no reptile vet that will see snakes in my area. The closest I've found is a 5 hour drive away, which isn't exactly reasonable at this time of winter.

I'm not sure what to expect. The tank is already set up, so far this is whats happening.

10gallon tank with wiresnap on top
reptile carpet
heat lamp steady at 85degrees on hot side and 72-75 on cold
small water dish
hot hide
cold hide

Should I add an under the tank heat pad?

I have leopard geckos and am weary of keeping him in the same room. I know it's contagious but can it be passed to geckos? If so his tank will be moved to a separete room.

I'm going to be picking up iodine to rince the mouth with as it's the most common home remedy.
I'm prepared to be up to alot of cleaning to kill the bacteria, with water dish being most important.

Does anybody have advice for my venture into snake world? I'm hoping to get some advice on what to expect and what his daily care should be like.

Will post pictures when pick him up.

 

[T-ReXx]

Is the snake eating regularly? As you are not familiar with keeping snakes taking on an animal that is already sick and may have problems eating(ball pythons are notorious for feeding problems) you may want to rethink this. I also am not sure it's wise to take an animal that you know is sick and yet don't have access to a reptile vet, something that anyone who keeps reptiles, even healthy ones, should have. Stomatitis needs to be treated with antibiotics and that is something you can only get through a vet. Unless you are willing to deal with taking the animal to a vet and potentially force feeding it if it's not eating you may want to pass on it and let someone who is more experienced and can provide the care the snake needs to take it.

 

[Anubis]

I respect this reply. And have ben back and forth on this situation. The problem is the snake isn't getting the care it needs now, and he has been offered to me back at the end of October as well.

The owner has put it on multiple ad sites as a give away. And I'm worried that he will be given to the wrong home especially with Christmas coming so quick.

Perhapse it would be best to take the snake and rehome him myself? The owner is young (15years) and I worry that he doesn't care who he goes to. I will admit I'm not experienced with snakes but I'm reading and learning and am willinng to take criticism.

I realize it's a big responsibility but since a vet isn't available to anyone in my area would it be a good decision to try and highten his quality of life, even just for the time I an find him a home?

The snake has eaten 1 rat pinky 13 days ago.

I do appriciate your comment and I'm deffinatly weighing the pro's / con's

Thank you

 

[T-ReXx]

Well, if the situation is the snakes stays where it is and get's no care, VS going with you and getting at least some care, option B is the better one for the animal. BUT keep in mind that it may die despite your efforts and what expenses you spend on it. I would definately keep the animal in a seperate room from your geckos, as well as care for the snake after taking care of the geckos, and wash your hands thoroughly whenever you service the cage.
Antibiotics would give the animal the best possibility of recovering, however, there are a few things you can do to go the home remedy route. Washing the mouth out daily is the general idea, using either betadine, iodine or hydrogen peroxide. I personally prefer H2O2 as it doesn't burn if the animal has any open sores in the mouth like iodine will. Also, raise the temps. Keep the animal with a 90-95F basking area, additional heat speeds up the metabolic processes of reptiles, and will encourage healing and feeding behavior. Keep the snake on a basic substrate like paper towels. Check thoroughly for external parasites like ticks or mites. I have seen animals with Stomatitis come back with similar steps however it can depend a lot on the state of development the disease is in; when caught early it is much more easily treated than late stage where there is a lot of cheesy material and serious infection. Be sure to keep the snake hydrated, plenty of clean water available and weekly soaks in warm water wouldn't hurt either. If the snake feeds regularly and isn't completely disfigured at this point chances are it will come back. Just be sure you know what kind of situation you are taking on, and be aware that things could go either way.

 

[Anubis]

Thankyou for the reply,

I'm trying to raise the tank temperature now but it doesn't seem to get over 85. There's a 50w in the lamp now so I will most likely be buying a 75 tommorow to see if that raises the temp.

I undertand that the snake may die but I'm willing to give it my best shot. I have decided to take the snake and find him a home while treating him, and rehome him once I could declare him healthy.

The tank is in a separate room with separate cleaning supplies. I'm stocking up on hand sanitiser to use in conjunction with soap and water.

Should I switch the reptile carpet with paper towel? I would assume it would be easier to discard than clean the carpet.

For disenfecting: would soaking the hides and dish in hot water be enough or should is there something else that can be recommended.

I'm sorry for all of these qustions
Thankyou

 

[Kristi23]

I would switch to paper towels and use an UTH instead of a lamp. Good luck!

 

[Desdemona]

It is controversial I am sure, but if you know what kind of antibiotics are the best you can get some without a vet. Some pet rat sites sell Baytril and one other. They are both more mild and used on very common rat illnesses (ie Myco).

But, you will want to know exactly what antibiotic is needed, the exact dose, etc. Feed stores sell some as well, but usually they are made for large animals so you would have to be really careful (I would have no idea what type they sell though).

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Even tho your aren't an experienced snake keeper, IMO the sick BP is better off with you trying to treat it than someone who doesn't care about it anymore. One thing you may be able to do with a vet is a phone consult. It's worth a shot to call several, have photos available to email immediately if they ask. Some will work with a local vet in helping you get proper medications/treatment. It would be good if you can get some medical gloves to use whenever you handle the snake and throw on an overshirt, in addition to what was stated above. Bacteria spreads quickly! Good luck

 

[T-ReXx]

Thankyou for the reply,

I'm trying to raise the tank temperature now but it doesn't seem to get over 85. There's a 50w in the lamp now so I will most likely be buying a 75 tommorow to see if that raises the temp.

I undertand that the snake may die but I'm willing to give it my best shot. I have decided to take the snake and find him a home while treating him, and rehome him once I could declare him healthy.

The tank is in a separate room with separate cleaning supplies. I'm stocking up on hand sanitiser to use in conjunction with soap and water.

Should I switch the reptile carpet with paper towel? I would assume it would be easier to discard than clean the carpet.


For disenfecting: would soaking the hides and dish in hot water be enough or should is there something else that can be recommended.

I'm sorry for all of these qustions
Thankyou

You want as much of the cage to be disposable as possible, so paper towel is a much better idea. The most sterile environment possible is what is needed when dealing with infectious diseases.

Use a mild (1 part to 10 parts water) bleach solution to clean cage furnishings. Rinse well and air dry before returning to the cage.

I HIGHLY recommend against dosing and treating with antibiotics purchased online or at a store. I assume the animal hasn't been to a vet, so it may not even be Stomatitis. Home dosing almost always does more harm than good, just like "shotgun" deworming. Using the rinse and heat technique is going to be the most effective without risking the snake's health due to misdiagnosis/misdosing. Veterinirians exist for a reason. You can give an educated guess at diagnosising a disease in an animal but without proper testing(cultures, fecals, etc) in a lab setting you are only guessing, and treating the animal based on guessing with potentially volatile medications that may or may not be effective is a shot in the dark. My advice is practice good husbandry, rinse and disinfect often, and keep the snake warm. Beyond that a vet is required. If the snake is in the later stages of the disease, it will need to see a vet, there's no way around that.

Good luck.

 

[Anubis]

Thankyou for your replies.

We are just waiting on a phone call from the snakes current owner to go and pick him up. I'm not sure what to expect from the snake but I hope for the best and expect the worst.

I'm going to call the closest reptile vet I know and see if I can get advice. Perhapse I will get lucky and have him and my reg vet work together.

I'm not comfortable in home dosing anitbotics without a vet. Especially with a new reptile I have limited experience with.

The gloves and cover shirt are great ideas.
Bleach is also on my list.

I won't be able to get an undertank heater until Friday, so the lamp will have to stay untill then.

I understand the vet is the best option, but the travel is too difficult for my area right now (Eastern Canada)

I hopefully I can get some pictures up once I get a look at him.

Many thanks for the advice and repies to my questions.

Hope you have a great night

 

[Barbel]

Well I definitely admire you for taking on an animal is such condition. It will definitely at least have a chance with you than where it is now. Everyone has given great advice, so just keeping asking questions and do your best.

The only thing I would change is cleaning the change out with a white vinegar and water mix instead of bleach. I am just not a fan of using chemicals around animals (even in a mild form) and vinegar is a natural disinfectant. Its high acidity kills mold, germs and bacteria without the risk and side effects of harsh chemicals.

I would also call every reptile vet in Canada. Even if he/she is 20 hours away, if he is willing to look at pictures online and talk to you over the phone, that would be better than no vet at all. You could also try contacting a major ball python breeder in your area. They may have access to and may even be willing to administer antibiotics for you.

Good luck to you and let us know how it goes.

 

[Anubis]

Hi everyone, sorry for the late update.

Well the best case senario played out with the snake. The mouth rot was cleared when I finally did get to see the snake. He has a medium scab on his lower jaw. After taking to the owner to get more information I found out the scab was getting pulled off along with left over shed.

:main_angry:

His back has a few raw spots where his shed was forced off, but I'm happy to find out with a few sheds down the road his scars will heal.

I couldn' get him out of his situation fast enough.

He was in a 5.5 gallon tank on coconut substrate that was so thinly spread you could see through the bottom of the tank.
A butter container that he couldn't fit in all the way (had to have his head and about an inch of neck outside it) and a very small water dish that failed to have any water upon arrival. His heat lamp was too large for the small tank there was no chance of a hot and cool side. The owner said he was given the lamp a few days prior from a friend, as well the snake had no heat source before this huge lamp.

The snake has no discharge and his mouth seems great other than the large hard scab.

I took him home and gave him a warm water bath. He's now in a 20g with repticarpet, a large exoT hide, a waterdish big enough for him to it his whole body in, a heat pad and a 50w heat lamp. The average temp is 84-88 in the day. I feel confident that he will get healthy.

He very active when taken out of his tank, and this morning I found him trying to climb the glass.

His first meal while in my care was a fuzzy frozen mouse. He fed on Thursday the 23rd. I took him home on Monday the 20th.

He struck like a champ and wrapped the mouse, but after about 10mins of having the mouse in shoulders first I slid the head into his mouth as much as he refused to have his food taken from him. I left him be after adjusting the feeder and he got the mouse down about a minute after. I will try again Tuesday.

Thank you for all the help. Pictures soon to follow hopefully in a day or to.

Happy Holidays

 

[T-ReXx]

Hi everyone, sorry for the late update.

Well the best case senario played out with the snake. The mouth rot was cleared when I finally did get to see the snake. He has a medium scab on his lower jaw. After taking to the owner to get more information I found out the scab was getting pulled off along with left over shed.

:main_angry:

His back has a few raw spots where his shed was forced off, but I'm happy to find out with a few sheds down the road his scars will heal.

I couldn' get him out of his situation fast enough.

He was in a 5.5 gallon tank on coconut substrate that was so thinly spread you could see through the bottom of the tank.
A butter container that he couldn't fit in all the way (had to have his head and about an inch of neck outside it) and a very small water dish that failed to have any water upon arrival. His heat lamp was too large for the small tank there was no chance of a hot and cool side. The owner said he was given the lamp a few days prior from a friend, as well the snake had no heat source before this huge lamp.

The snake has no discharge and his mouth seems great other than the large hard scab.

I took him home and gave him a warm water bath. He's now in a 20g with repticarpet, a large exoT hide, a waterdish big enough for him to it his whole body in, a heat pad and a 50w heat lamp. The average temp is 84-88 in the day. I feel confident that he will get healthy.

He very active when taken out of his tank, and this morning I found him trying to climb the glass.

His first meal while in my care was a fuzzy frozen mouse. He fed on Thursday the 23rd. I took him home on Monday the 20th.

He struck like a champ and wrapped the mouse, but after about 10mins of having the mouse in shoulders first I slid the head into his mouth as much as he refused to have his food taken from him. I left him be after adjusting the feeder and he got the mouse down about a minute after. I will try again Tuesday.

Thank you for all the help. Pictures soon to follow hopefully in a day or to.

Happy Holidays

A great Xmas update. Sounds like the snake lucked out with a new caring home. As long as he's eating I'm fairly sure you should have no problems bringing him back to 100%. Good for you for getting him out of that situation, and good luck with him.