Help!

I use newspaper with paper towels over that for substrate and probably wouldn't use anything else.

I agree, pics would be very helpful.

And as for dogs having "much more unpredictable/wider range of things that can go wrong", totally not true IMO. Without proper husbandry/care/observation you can get scale rot, RIs, bad sheds and stuck eye caps, broken teeth and abscesses, constipation and prolapses, etc with snakes and are all VERY costly as well. I spent at least ~$400+ on a snake recently who came to me with an RI then had mouth issues, and that was just for one snake.

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Originally Posted by blujay42

Would letting my snake live in crumpled newspaper be okay? Like small torn scraps shredded. I've considered it because it's free and because it would be very easy to keep completely clean.

Honestly at this point I am thinking the little bastard somehow managed a very unusual minor physical injury. The snake's behavior is entirely normal and feeding this afternoon was a snap. Of course, it might just be too early to tell, and if it's bacterial... well, that's why we have an appointment today.

I also set up a drip-can. I had never heard of those before and it seems like a good low tech supplemental humidity source.

I'm not sure, I think this is pine. I threw the bag out today. But it was branded for use in reptile enclosures.

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This is going to sound like an oxymoron, but bp's need a dry humid environment.
Meaning, they need a near dry substrate to prevent scale rot and other problems like bacteria and mold from growing on their substrate, while having higher humidity in the air around them.
A dripper will keep the substrate near the dripper wet. In past setups I have put a damp wash cloth into of their hot side hide, a moss tub is another option to bump humidity up.

I use a moss tub to bump humidity for them while in shed, mine is a old Jiff peanut butter jar (plastic) with a bunch of holes melted in it filled with wet sphagnum moss placed on the hot side, I can get an extra 10-20% humidity while its in there.

Side note, I use a few layers of paper towel for my bps.

I'm also interested in the vet results. If the lesions are on the OUTSIDE of the jaw, which sounds like what you're describing, it could be various things... self inflicted trauma from rubbing (if she retains shed there, it might be irritating her?) or ruptured abscesses draining onto the surface come to mind.

Definitely need the vet to determine if the problem is internal or external in origin...

Not to hijack this or anything...

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And as for dogs having "much more unpredictable/wider range of things that can go wrong", totally not true IMO. Without proper husbandry/care/observation you can get scale rot, RIs, bad sheds and stuck eye caps, broken teeth and abscesses, constipation and prolapses, etc with snakes and are all VERY costly as well. I spent at least ~$400+ on a snake recently who came to me with an RI then had mouth issues, and that was just for one snake.

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I agree, when things go wrong, vet bills can pile up. But the general day to day expense for snake is a lot cheaper than for a dog or cat. It's always good to have a few hundred $$ (or more if you can), tucked back for emergencies, pet related or otherwise. But now we're talking financial management. I wonder it a good cost expense sheet would be a nice addition to a care sheet.... People do seem to underestimate how much proper snake care can cost.