BP keeps opening mouth?

Heyy, I just fed my first ball python on friday.
he ate some of his substrate (aspen shavings) and had some stuck in his mouth and I managed to gently get those out.

Now today, I was watching him and he keeps opening his mouth. not like a yawn, he just opens his mouth on the left side and on the right side (if that makes sense)
Like, he stretches down one side of his jaw and then the other.

Is this normal, and if not what could it be or how could I fix it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Natail

Heyy, I just fed my first ball python on friday.
he ate some of his substrate (aspen shavings) and had some stuck in his mouth and I managed to gently get those out.

Now today, I was watching him and he keeps opening his mouth. not like a yawn, he just opens his mouth on the left side and on the right side (if that makes sense)
Like, he stretches down one side of his jaw and then the other.

Is this normal, and if not what could it be or how could I fix it?

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They do that at times to re aline their jaws


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Yeah I second what Aerries stated. They unhinge their mouths in a way and after a meal you can sometimes see them re-align it back in place. If it was a respiratory issue, you would most likely hear some noises, like wheezing or such.
If you feed in the same tank, depending on the snake, you can put the mouse/rat on top of a papertowel to avoid any substrate eaten, but these guys are wild animals they get substrate in the wild all the time.

You should be fine, keep an eye out and congrats on the new guy! Make sure you're feeding the right size.