Help please?

So, I know this is in the wrong place but I don't know where else to put it, and I thought the situation might be similar to a BP, maybe.

So. I have two little Smooth Green Snakes. Today I noticed one's through is extremely puffy. He is eating fine and drinking fine, but it doesn't look good at all. I'm wondering if maybe he swallowed some dirt? they do have about two or three inches in the bottom of their little tank.

Here are some pictures of both of them, for comparison. keep in mind, these guys are maybe three or four inches long.


The sick guy:
http://i47.tinypic.com/s2tmdj.jpg

And the healthy on for comparison:
http://i49.tinypic.com/33aqv50.jpg



Sorry again for putting this in the wrong place, and I hope someone has an idea of what this is. I'd love to take it to the vet, but he's awfully small, so I don't know if too much can be done. I did manage to open his mouth carefully a bit and didn't see anything, but it was really hard to tell.

Thanks in advance :)

wow he is kind of swollen! I totally have no idea and I apologize. Have you tried to go on Fauna Classifieds? If there is nothing on there you might be at least able to find a breeder and give him a call. If not....I personally would take him to the vet by tomorrow afternoon.

Sorry I could not be any more help to you.

Wow.. I wish i could be some help but honestly I have no idea...

He seems too little to have his mouth opened by yourself but if you can try, try getting his mouth open to see what's going on because he definitely looks swollen. I would hate for this little guy to become impacted,

Gently put a very SMALL amount of press when you have a hold of the sides of the back of the head. You will notice the snake will open its mouth slightly. Try putting the middle of a Q-tip/cotton swab in the mouth horizontally. Now take the Q-tip/cotton swab and move it downwards so the mouth opens up. Try to get a good look inside:(

Thanks guys. I think I'll call the vet tomorrow and see if there's anything he can do, they're just so small...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

He seems too little to have his mouth opened by yourself but if you can try, try getting his mouth open to see what's going on because he definitely looks swollen. I would hate for this little guy to become impacted,

Gently put a very SMALL amount of press when you have a hold of the sides of the back of the head. You will notice the snake will open its mouth slightly. Try putting the middle of a Q-tip/cotton swab in the mouth horizontally. Now take the Q-tip/cotton swab and move it downwards so the mouth opens up. Try to get a good look inside:(

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That's exactly what i tried to do, except I had to strip the Q-tip until it was small enough to fit. I didn't see anything in there, but he's just so darn small, it's hard to tell :(

Well can you take a photo of what you see in there? If your camera is good with macros of course.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Well can you take a photo of what you see in there? If your camera is good with macros of course.

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I'll give it a try, these guys don't exactly sit still for more than .34 seconds.

Did it swell up over night? Do you house them together? If its eating fine then maybe its just a female and thats why it is bigger! I am just guessing at what it may be!

i heard that these snakes do not do very well in captivity. and when sick they do not recover all that well especially when that young. it looks like an infection or absess to me but i am definitely NOT an expert. i have never seen that before so a vet is prolly the best idea

Please let us know how it goes and what your vets says. I am so sorry that he isn't feeling well. I hope that all goes well. By the way....thank you for being such a good reptile keeper and taking him in. ;)

It swelled up over night, and it's definitely not normal. I've had several of these guys before, but this is only the second time I've had babies. Generally with Green Snakes, Smooth and Rough, half will die for no apparent reason, even in the wild, before the first two-ish months. I've found that they tend to be more well off if fed caught insect as well as crickets, but that's hard to do in the winter.

I couldn't get a picture of the inside of his throat, sorry :| He was moving around to much and was not happy with me. I called my vet and he said there wouldn't be too much, or anything, he could do, because they're so small. He could prescribe antibiotics, but the dosage would be extremely hard to figure out, and giving it to them would be even harder. He did say it sounded like an infection of some type, but it wouldn't help all that much to bring him in. :| I'm not really sure what to do about it now.

those things are so small i cant imagine trying to treat them. its pretty sad there isnt much to do about it. hopefully the little thing can pull through. good luck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mpkeelee

those things are so small i cant imagine trying to treat them. its pretty sad there isnt much to do about it. hopefully the little thing can pull through. good luck

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Thanks. With any other snake, I'd put them on damp paper towels, etc., but with these guys it's hard to move them without stressing them out really badly. I'm just going to do what I can and hope he gets better :|

How long have you used this vet? Maybe call another vet to see if they can help. I would imagine that he will not get better if it is in fact an infection without the antibiotics.

Maybe try to find a breeder and give him a call....they might know the right amount of meds. ??

I am sorry you are going through this...:confused:

Thanks. It doesn't look as swollen (I mean, it's still pretty swollen, but it doesn't seem quite as bad) today, but it's hard to tell. I think I'll give it another day and see if it continues to look better, and if it doesn't I'll try talking to a few different people and see if someone else can help me.

Thanks for being so helpful and concerned, guys. :)

Good news! the swelling is almost completely down, his throat is still bigger than normal, but it's so much better than it was. I made sure he was drinking by putting drops of water onto his mouth, and when I offered him a few crickets this afternoon he took one immediately :D He looks just about back to normal. thanks for all your help and concern, it's really appreciated :)

i dont know if this will help that lil guy, prolly will, but i know BPs can heal themselves faster without eating for a lil while

Oh I am so happy to hear that he is doing better. He is a cute little guy!!:D