I just watched a very interesting video on Youtube.
I currently have to give my cornsnake oral antibiotics, and I was searching Youtube and found a video describing the anatomy of snakes a little better.
I learned some things that helped.
To open a snakes mouth, an easy way (can be hard if they are bigger) is to hold them GENTLY by the back of the head. They have two bones back there. Hold behind these, again, gently, and a small space should open in the front of the mouth. You can insert the bar of a Q-tip--NOT the puffy cotton ends, this will get stuck in their teeth--into the mouth, and push on the lower or upper jaw to get a view of the back of the throat.
some interesting things I didn't know:
The hole in the top of the mouth leads to their nasal cavity.
The worm-like thing on their bottom jaw that sometimes opens and closes is their trachea. When their mouth is closed , this goes into the cavity in the top of their mouth. This is how they breathe when their mouth is open.
Their mouth should be pink, not extremely purple, and not overly pale. White stuff is not good, and viscous fluid is definitely not good. Some bubbles may appear in the mouth if you use this method and push on the lower jaw--this is normal and not an RI.
I just thought this was interesting for people who know the snake anatomy, but maybe don't know where it all is located. I found it fascinating as I am one of those people--I knew they have a Jacobson's organ, a trachea, etc. but had never seen it.
Here is the video. Sorry for my epic noobishness. But now this is one less thing I don't know. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK0Uvln4lY0
Shellie