Hatchling with no tongue

For 6 months I have been assist feeding a het pied male hatchlings. Really since he hatched. I brought him to an experienced friend who opened his mouth and noticed there was no tongue. I feel bad I didn't notice him flicking his tongue sooner.....he also seems to not to be able to drink without a tongue and is always dehydrated. I was wondering if anyone has experienced this before and what you did

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That's really odd. Someone else posted about this a while back..

Life is not going to be fun for that one, I would think. I would consider euthanasia, and figure out somehow which parent is carrying that gene and never breed that snake again.

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Originally Posted by melcvt00

Life is not going to be fun for that one, I would think. I would consider euthanasia, and figure out somehow which parent is carrying that gene and never breed that snake again.

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The mother is a proven breeder that has never had any issues. I am uncertain of the sire as I never saw a lock but did pair 3 males with her. The clutch itself was very unhealthy. Only 3 survived out of 7. All needed to be assit fed and 2 still get assist fed. What is the best way to euthanize a snake?

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Originally Posted by jesst

What is the best way to euthanize a snake?

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If you have the stomach for it, the best way would be to pith the brain.
Many people don't or cant do it so the next best thing would be the freezer. It isn't the most humane way to do it but it works.
The third option is if you know someone with adult king snakes......

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

If you have the stomach for it, the best way would be to pith the brain.
Many people don't or cant do it so the next best thing would be the freezer. It isn't the most humane way to do it but it works.
The third option is if you know someone with adult king snakes......

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Is euthanasia what you would recommend?

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Originally Posted by jesst

Is euthanasia what you would recommend?

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No tongue to "taste" the air around it, yeah. Sorry but yeah.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

No tongue to "taste" the air around it, yeah. Sorry but yeah.

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Thank you. That's what I was thinking as well.

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Or take it to a veterinarian for euthanasia. I don't see how freezing an unsedated animal is humane.

The CO2 method should work as well. Should be just as fast and painless as it is with rodents.