What's up with this baby's mouth?

I have one baby from my late-August clutch (of 6) who still hasn't eaten, but is surprisingly spunky & holding his hatch weight @ 52g. Recently I noticed a weird thing on his chin, and wondering what it is... also thinking it could be connected to his feeding issue. It looks almost like a water blister, right where the egg tooth would have been. The inside looks a bit dark but otherwise normal, and he flicks his tongue like any other snake. Here are some photos, and I'd appreciate thoughts on what's going on:

Luckily he's very photogenic, LOL.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1040205.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1040204.jpg

See how it bulges a little?
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1040201.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1040198.jpg

P.S. I keep him in a 6qt Sterilite tub with flexwatt, and until last week I had him on paper towels... just switched to Carefresh (for added security), but I noticed the mouth thing before then.

how does the inside of his mouth look in the same area? Could he have ingested some substrate and gotten a little infection in his mouth?

I would probably say to see a vet just to be on the safe side.

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Originally Posted by cinderbird

how does the inside of his mouth look in the same area? Could he have ingested some substrate and gotten a little infection in his mouth?

I would probably say to see a vet just to be on the safe side.

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If he hasn't eaten then the possibility of him ingesting substrate is pretty low. Even more so since she noticed the bulge when he was on paper towels.



Did you notice if he had an egg tooth when he hatched? Maybe it didn't develop right or something along those lines.

Hope he eats for you soon Lolo!

Thanks for the replies... there's little chance of a substrate-related infection, for the reasons Elise mentioned above. I'm guessing it's related to the egg tooth (not sure if he had one), and maybe the fact that he hatched with unabsorbed yolk - he's always been a tad behind his siblings, and probably doesn't have the strong immune system they do. Would you recommend using some peroxide on the chin? I've read about doing that for mouth rot, so I assume it would handle any minor infection.

I'll call the vet if it gets any worse (and if he doesn't eat soon), but I'm hesitant to rush over there - since she charges like $150 just to walk in the door. :cool: Thanks again, and I will keep you updated!

I've never heard of the peroxide idea, so I can't say yay or nay. If you did try it though, I'd suggest using a q-tip and dab just a little on there. Another idea would be to e-mail BHB or Ralph Davis and see if they have noticed anything like that before.

any update on this, i am curious as to what it was?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elise.m

I've never heard of the peroxide idea, so I can't say yay or nay. If you did try it though, I'd suggest using a q-tip and dab just a little on there. Another idea would be to e-mail BHB or Ralph Davis and see if they have noticed anything like that before.

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I agree. If you contact either one with a pic they will more than likely be able to give a little insight. Brian from BHB has helped me out on many occasions.