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Q: Over stretched snake mouth??
Posted By:

Rubyluver

Okay so I gave my boa a rat but left the room after he grabbed it. When I went back in to check on him I noticed he was trying to eat it from behind & somewhat from the side. The feet and the tail were sticking out the side of his mouth because of this. I was unsure if he could eat it properly and figured he should be eating it from the front. After a little while of trying to get it away from him the feet broke and were aligned with his mouth. I figured I would just watch and see if he would be able to eat it. He was successful in eating it but now his mouth looks .. wrong. It looks bigger than usual and I think he over stretched himself when he was trying to eat it. After looking at him closer the skin on his neck is a bit flabby like he can't spring back to how he normally is?

I'm sort of freaking out I've never dealt with anything like this before. So my question is this: Has anyone ever had a snake over stretch their mouth before and will he be okay? If I have to take him to the vet it is not possible til tomorrow as the vet we go to is closed.

I will post a picture of before and try to take a picture of how he looks now. Thanks.


Attached Photos:


Points: 250
Topics: Feeding , Mouth
Tags: Eating, Injury
Administrative: Show/Hide

Author Comment 7/31/2013 11:51:29 PM

Rubyluver

These are pictures of him now:

http://gyazo.com/b43fc914745da9d23c79d6dc7b32abac

http://gyazo.com/48ea6255aecc7e516bc5b769c126e1e5

It's kinda hard to tell.. It was difficult to get a good picture because he's really jumpy right now. I think he's upset:( Though it does look a bit better from when he originally ate.

 
Member Comment 8/1/2013 5:23:48 AM

Tzap

The Bad News: Your snake *could* have a condition know as mouthrot and needs Vet attention ASAP!

The Good News: Your snake does *not* seem to have mouthrot therefore it could be a number of things! Hopefully I can take a few accurate guesses to help you with this matter!

First of all when was the last time your snake shed? Almost all snakes will reduce the tightness of their skin anywhere from not noticeable, to some species looking like old wrinkled grandpa in the pool for too long! They do this to reduce irratation of the process and make the shed easier to slip out of!

Next important factor is constantly keeping fresh, chemical free water available to your pet! Nasty water, and on rare cases good clean water may have caused your snake to become rebelious and or passive on drinking adequate amounts of water, in simple terms your snake may possibly be dehydrated! Try to get him to drink or draw up a fresh bath, hoping he will get a sip or two!

And my last idea is humidity! Too much humidity is very unhealthy for your snake and can cause the skin/scales to have major problems! I would hope you have a hygrometer and monitor this daily or at least every other day! If its not the humidity snakes have been known too bath in their water for too long and this would create similar problems as the humidity issue!

Please let us know the situation when you wake up, and if you have the extra time and money, a trip to the vet is ALWAYS beneficial to you and your companion! Let us know something and good luck buddy! 

 
Accepted Answer 8/1/2013 7:58:09 AM

Sonja K. Reptiles

My bet is that your snake's mouth is likely back to normal this morning. Is it?

Sometimes snakes simply don't eat gracefully, in the typical manner. I've had ones eat backwards, sideways, ultimately folded in half. I choose to just let them be because I can see the potential for damage by trying to take away - ie broken teeth that could lead to infection, etc. I suppose there is a chance that eating the prey funky could result in a regurge, but that's not something I've personally experienced.

 
Member Comment 8/1/2013 10:07:49 AM

LisaT

I have one that has always eaten butt first, I think 2 times she has eaten head first.  Presenting the rat head first did not even help, she would just let it go and move to the butt and go from there.  I'm pretty sure eating butt first didn't do any damage.   

 
Author Comment 8/1/2013 6:07:14 PM

Rubyluver

Thanks so much to everyone who replied :) I appreciate all the advice. He looks much better this morning though I think his neck is still a little loose. I had given him a bath RIGHT before I fed him so that + him eating the rat oddly probably just stretched him weirdly. I think he'll be alright! I get really worried if anything unusual happens to him as he is my one and only baby snake:( I just needed to give him some time. Sorry for the freak out ;)

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