My BP doesn't have a forked tongue???!

Last week I noticed that one of my BPs doesn't seem to have a forked tongue!

She's an '07 900 gram subadult. She's perfectly healthy otherwise: I took her to the vet when I got her and she came back clean. Of course, we weren't really paying too much attention to her tongue... but it doesn't seem to affect her sense of smell. She flicks about as often and as quickly as everybody else, and she eats just fine--she's put on 300 grams since I got her.

I also have a half brother of hers, and his tongue looks perfectly normal.

So I'm wondering: is this a common condition? Or some oddball mutation? Or does it signal health problems?

900g for an 07'? Seems kinda, small, IMO. My '08 female is pretty close to 900g, if not maybe even over. I'll check:D

Does she not have a tongue, or is her tongue a straight line with a point at the end of it? She may have mucus stuck in between the forks on her tongue. This mean she can have RI, because this DOES happen to most snakes when they have an RI.

Yeah, I think some breeders just don't feed them up as fast if they have a lot of snakes, or if they're planning on selling them anyway. But she's been hogging out since I got her on f/t, and she's put on 300 grams, so I'm not real worried about it.

She's also the gymnast of the the bunch, always has to be in the highest spot possible, and she never falls. Very muscular and agile! My 900 gram 2008s are lazy and fat.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by loonunit

Yeah, I think some breeders just don't feed them up as fast if they have a lot of snakes, or if they're planning on selling them anyway. But she's been hogging out since I got her on f/t, and she's put on 300 grams, so I'm not real worried about it.

She's also the gymnast of the the bunch, always has to be in the highest spot possible, and she never falls. Very muscular and agile! My 900 gram 2008s are lazy and fat.

---

I know my 900g female isn't lazy at all, she doesn't stop moving when she's out of her tub:weirdface:D But she is kinda chubby, I want her that way for next season though:D

What does her tongue look like? If you have any pics, please post.

I'd love to see a picture of this as well.

The forks of the tongue can stick together when the animal is afflicted with an RI.

Make sure that isn't the case.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

900g for an 07'? Seems kinda, small, IMO. My '08 female is pretty close to 900g, if not maybe even over. I'll check:D

---

they all grow at their own rates i have a 06 that was 900 a couple months ago just went over 1200 now and a 08 thats over 1200

I would like to see you get a pic of the tongue! That would be some fast photography!

2 words: Action shots. Depending on how good a camera you have you could take like 10 shots in 3 seconds. Then we might be able to help you a bit more.

Okay, I think it's a forks-sticking-together issue. Most of the pics I took turned out like this:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1g-0d-dBQWk/Sy...0/IMG_2336.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1g-0d-dBQWk/Sy...0/IMG_2384.JPG

But in one image where her tongue was almost off the edge of the pic, it looks like the fork is back:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1g-0d-dBQWk/Sy...0/IMG_2447.JPG

I did a quick oral exam, and everything -looks- normal: light pink mouth, no fluid, no bubbles, no whistling or gurgling. But her tongue has been doing this for at least a week or two. Should I continue to monitor her, or just call the vet now?

Also, she's supposed to be a het lavender albino...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_1g-0d-dBQWk/Sy...0/IMG_2463.JPG

...ahem. Well, it sure looks like she's het for -something-, anyway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by loonunit

Okay, I think it's a forks-sticking-together issue. Most of the pics I took turned out like this:
But in one image where her tongue was almost off the edge of the pic, it looks like the fork is back:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1g-0d-dBQWk/Sy...0/IMG_2447.JPG

I did a quick oral exam, and everything -looks- normal: light pink mouth, no fluid, no bubbles, no whistling or gurgling. But her tongue has been doing this for at least a week or two. Should I continue to monitor her, or just call the vet now?

---

I do see the presence of a split in the last photo. I would just watch her, and make sure the problem doesn't continue. In case it is an RI, I would guees it is the very early stages, and you could probably resolve the issue by bumping up the temps a few degrees (make sure the hot spot is around 92 degrees). If she did only have a single protrusion from the tongue, I wouldn't worry, as she can still smell, and apparently doesn't have a problem eating.

p.s. Some snake don't grow all that well, as I have a 2005 female that is about 550 grams. She eats about once a year, and I just can't bring myself to sell her.

Once... a... year.

And I get wigged out when mine go for six weeks without eating! Well, good on you for keeping her. And at least she's low maintenance...

I wonder if her tongue is just not as deeply forked as normal, so the tips stick together more easily. Is your het girl eating? If not, I would err on the side of taking her to the vet. Thanks for posting pics.

Well, she was eating up until a couple weeks ago! Which, yeah, is when I first noticed the tongue thing... but it's also when we had our first real cold snap, and all of the subadults went off feed at once.

I'm a noob but those look
like Piebald markers, not
sure if those morphs have
the same het markers or
not.. win win either way!!

RustlewoodReptiles

In the year 2009:

• Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.
• Michael Jackson died.
• Captain "Sully" Sullenberger made a successful crash landing in the Hudson River.
• The WHO declared H1N1 ("swine flu") a global pandemic.
• loonunit both started and was the last to reply to this thread.

;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eric Alan

In the year 2009:

• Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.
• Michael Jackson died.
• Captain "Sully" Sullenberger made a successful crash landing in the Hudson River.
• The WHO declared H1N1 ("swine flu") a global pandemic.
• loonunit both started and was the last to reply to this thread.

;)

---

I lol'd inside :D