Tongue Curling.. Help?

[ShamelessAardvark]

Pretty much what the title says. A new rescue of mine has started curling her tongue when she sticks it out. I can't really explain it, so I took a video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5sI2...ature=youtu.be

Sorry for my horrible commentary.
Anyway, as the vid says, I have no idea what caused this. There's nothing abnormal about her mouth, and she never did this when I first picked her up. Any ideas?

[The Serpent Merchant]

That is very strange, is it possible that she might be dehydrated? I'm drawing a blank on what would cause this otherwise.

[ShamelessAardvark]

She was (and still is!) pretty thin when I picked her up. She's about four feet and a little thicker than an adult corn snake, but her previous owners kept her in an 80gal with water, but that doesn't rule out dehydration. She was in a bad, dry shed when I first got her too, so maybe that has something to do with it...
It's just really perplexing. I mean, my other rescues were dehydrated too, but never did anything as outlandish as this.

[hurricaNe]

Wow thats very strange. I'm really interested as to what others may know about this. But if no luck, id say try finding a good reptile vet near you.

[dr del]

Hi,

When you opened her mouth did you se a lot of mucus or bubbles?

I'm wondering if it could be thick, sticky, RI mucus causing it.

Dehydration might do it too for the same reason.

The only other thing I can think of is trauma to the tongue - do you have glass sliding doors it might have got caught in or anything?

And, just to double check, it was working fine previously?


dr del

[Mike41793]

Did she just start doing this or has she done it since you rescued her? If its something she has been doing for as long as youve had her then maybe it just a birth defect. The previous owner clearly didnt know a whole lot about bps so they probably didnt notice...

[DooLittle]

Wow, I have never seen anything like that. Hopefully somebody who has chimes in. Maybe dehydration, maybe RI, maybe accident with a prey item? Sorry I am no help. Maybe a trip to the vet will tell. Have you tried googling it?

[kitedemon]

that is quite odd. 'has recently developed' I am assuming this is new since it has arrived?

Question have you used a mite treatment when it came in?

[ShamelessAardvark]

As a general recap of events, here's how it started:

• She came to me skinny and a little dehydrated, but nothing a good soak and feed couldn't help.
• There was no mucus build up in her mouth, but she did snort/wheeze at me after I had finished looking around. It wasn't a rattling, gurgling wheeze, and really more of a popping whistle you get when there's a bit of shed still in the nostrils.
• She's kept in a tub (can be seen in the background in video.)
• I first noticed this before I fed her for the first time, but she still took two mice (I didn't have any rats big enough, so mice it was.)
• Her tongue was flicking just fine when I first got her.
• No mite treatment has been used because I haven't found any mites.
• She explores and can still find food, so I'm guessing her tongue still, as an organ, functions normally, it just.. doesn't stick out.
• And lastly, sometimes, her tongue get's 'unstuck' and will extend fully, but I haven't seen it do that since I first noticed this happening.

[kitedemon]

That is even odder. I don't have any idea I feared neurological issues from accidental poisoning. That doesn't seem likely at all. I have no idea I wonder if perhaps a trip to the vet might be prudent?