Exposed Eye Membrane?!

Hello all I am new to the forums, and I just got my first BP a few days ago. She is (according to the Petsmart guy) a 6 Month old BP. I took her to a local reptile shop in Denver that is very knowledgeable about BPs and other snakes. They sexed her for me so I know she is female.

Well the reason that I am posting is that the day after we got her I noticed something wasn't right with her left eye. It almost appeared to be a bit of retained eye cap, the only issue being that it wasn't there the day before. She can see perfectly fine but it still concerned me so I took her back to Scales 'N Tails (the pet shop) and had them look at her. They said that it wasn't and eye cap and more appeared to be an eye membrane that had become exposed.

They said that I should soak her for about an hour in lukewarm water about an inch deep or so. I did this and nothing changed, they also said that it might go away with her next feeding. I feed her last night and she fed without any issues, however the membrane still appears to be exposed. I'm very concerned and want to take her to the vet but at the same time finances are not unlimited right now.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Or know what I can do? Should I just leave it be and see what happens?:(

pics would help

pics are worth a 1000 words:gj:

X2 for the pics, otherwise there's no way of being certain, or even anywhere near certain.

Yeah sorry about that, she fed last night so I was still a little concerned if she might regurge. I'm still learning lol Here is the pic, sorry for the blurriness but it's the best I can do with the camera that I have.

http://i56.tinypic.com/wumpmr.jpg

And here is a pic of the day we got her, if you look at her eye you can see that there is no sign of the membrane.
http://i52.tinypic.com/29m97ir.jpg

honestly not be a butt... but the bluriness is not helping... try taking on of her in her tank with a flashlight instead of a flash on the camera.

very pretty btw.

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Originally Posted by sookieball

honestly not be a butt... but the bluriness is not helping... try taking on of her in her tank with a flashlight instead of a flash on the camera.

very pretty btw.

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Ok I'll try again. and ty:)

good luck! heres hoping for "not a problem" for your lady!

Ok attempt number 2 ><
This one came out much better!
http://i55.tinypic.com/lli0y.jpg

guh! that looks pretty painful... but i guess if she ate ok,

i know funds are always an issue but if you have at least for a visit. i know most reptile vets will at least talk to you about what the problem is. there's no gun to your head when u go even though they make it seem like it.

at least that way you know what it is and wether to worry. and if need be when funds are available, take care of your herp.

but honestly, if she is not refusing meals, and activity is normal. i would wait till next shed to see what happens.
you could also keep it clean by putting a little water on a q-tip and just very gently go over it to keep dirty and dust to a min. but i'd check with someone a little more exp. than me. before. doing that.


hope someone chimes in..


EDIT: also taking a second look. it may be her last shed was a troubled one. maybe she pushed her eye too hard on something and kinda hurt the eye cap, in which case the next shed should fix that. it happens

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sookieball

guh! that looks pretty painful... but i guess if she ate ok,

i know funds are always an issue but if you have at least for a visit. i know most reptile vets will at least talk to you about what the problem is. there's no gun to your head when u go even though they make it seem like it.

at least that way you know what it is and wether to worry. and if need be when funds are available, take care of your herp.

but honestly, if she is not refusing meals, and activity is normal. i would wait till next shed to see what happens.
you could also keep it clean by putting a little water on a q-tip and just very gently go over it to keep dirty and dust to a min. but i'd check with someone a little more exp. than me. before. doing that.


hope someone chimes in..


EDIT: also taking a second look. it may be her last shed was a troubled one. maybe she pushed her eye too hard on something and kinda hurt the eye cap, in which case the next shed should fix that. it happens

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Ok thanks so much! I'm already getting everything I need for as easy a shed as possible. I picked up some "frog moss" today and made a makeshift humidity shelter for her out of some of it. I am also misting the enclosure to keep it at about 50% humidity.

I'll keep it clean with some q-tips and look for a reptile vet and see what the prices are like. If anyone else knows what it is I would be eternally grateful. And what exactly is "normal" behavior for a BP? I have read that her moving around and attempting to escape is normal or that it's a sign she is stressed. I can find info all over the net but some of it seems almost contradictory.

She is pretty active both when being handled and when in her enclosure, she does go and hide in her home though. I can't really gauge when she may be stressed, and the guys at Scales 'N Tails said that I could pretty much handle her as much as I want outside of feeding and shedding. Any key indicators?

Typically happens from them shedding, it'll go away before/after the next shed.

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Originally Posted by thedarkwolf25

Ok thanks so much! I'm already getting everything I need for as easy a shed as possible. I picked up some "frog moss" today and made a makeshift humidity shelter for her out of some of it. I am also misting the enclosure to keep it at about 50% humidity.

I'll keep it clean with some q-tips and look for a reptile vet and see what the prices are like. If anyone else knows what it is I would be eternally grateful. And what exactly is "normal" behavior for a BP? I have read that her moving around and attempting to escape is normal or that it's a sign she is stressed. I can find info all over the net but some of it seems almost contradictory.

She is pretty active both when being handled and when in her enclosure, she does go and hide in her home though. I can't really gauge when she may be stressed, and the guys at Scales 'N Tails said that I could pretty much handle her as much as I want outside of feeding and shedding. Any key indicators?

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whats funny is since she's your snake, the more you watch her and handle her, the more you'll know when she's getting stressed.
normal behavior for your* BP is what your used to seeing. how she eats, when she is most active, how she reacts to your hand in the tank, is she curious in/out of the tank.

little things that your gonna notice about her personality and pick up on when they seem to sort of lack in her daily activity.

then you'll know if she is stressed. when you feel it in your gut that she isn't feeling well.

oh and when they are in shed, BUMP that humidity well over 50% honestly when mine are in shed, 85-100% humidity is where they stay till after shed.

Also a side note, check your papers you singed when you bought her as far as a health guarantee. Sometimes if something happens they cover vet costs within a certain amount of time. Also a thought.... maybe an exchange? Just throwing out a few ideas to consider.

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Originally Posted by Courtney281

Also a side note, check your papers you singed when you bought her as far as a health guarantee. Sometimes if something happens they cover vet costs within a certain amount of time. Also a thought.... maybe an exchange? Just throwing out a few ideas to consider.

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good ideas!

Thanks so much for the info guys! I hadn't considered that Petsmart might cover the vet bill. But I'll wait and see what happens after she sheds.

It should go away with the next shed or two. I've had it on a male but his was located at the back of the eye, not the front. It is part of an eye cap. Just leave it alone and don't mess with it.

Very pretty snake, btw!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

It should go away with the next shed or two. I've had it on a male but his was located at the back of the eye, not the front. It is part of an eye cap. Just leave it alone and don't mess with it.

Very pretty snake, btw!

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Ok ty! I was worried it was something serious. And TY :) we think she is just the prettiest thing!

My baby albino has also had this happen and it went away.

Please do not take this the wrong way but there are a few things about your post that trouble me.
1. You apparently purchased your ball from a pet smart (meaning you most likely got an underfed CH or bush baby). When there was apparently a perfectly good reptile shop in your area where you could have purchased one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thedarkwolf25

I took her to a local reptile shop in Denver that is very knowledgeable about BPs and other snakes.

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2.You noticed there was something wrong with her eye. And instead of taking her to a vet you took her back to the reptile store that is "very knowledgeable", to ask for medical advise about an animal you didn't purchase from them.

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Originally Posted by thedarkwolf25

They said that it wasn't and eye cap and more appeared to be an eye membrane that had become exposed.

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Okay I understand that money is tight and you may not want to take your snake to a vet but you only have a few options at this point.

*If* her "eye membrane" is exposed (meaning her spectacle is no longer covering her eye) she will most likely lose her eye if you do nothing. So she needs to see a vet.

*If* the problem is a retained eyecap she should lose it in her next good shed leaving her eye looking normal. No need to see a vet.

*If* there is some other problem with her eye (can't really tell anything from your pics) she needs to see a vet.

Here is where we get down to your options:

1. Take the animal back to pet smart and return it. Go to the "knowledgable reptile store" and purchase a healthy captive bred baby ball.

2. Taker her to a knowledgeable reptile vet and have her looked at and take a fecal sample with you so she can be wormed if needed.

3. Do nothing and possibly have the problem get worse, or go away with the next shed.

Personally If it was me I would choose option 2. But if money is that tight go with option 1. Option 3 is really kinda crappy and I only put it in there because it is an option you have.

Good Luck with your animal. I hope she gets better.

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Originally Posted by kellysballs

Please do not take this the wrong way but there are a few things about your post that trouble me.
1. You apparently purchased your ball from a pet smart (meaning you most likely got an underfed CH or bush baby). When there was apparently a perfectly good reptile shop in your area where you could have purchased one.

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I can't speak for PetsMart's treatment of the animals but my wife works there and gets a nice discount, at the same time the Balls they had were on sale for $55 down from the normal $80. We could have gone to Scales 'N Tails but they are much more expensive, we looked at her before buying her and she seemed fine to us. And we can take her back inside if 14 days although I don't think that we will need to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kellysballs

2.You noticed there was something wrong with her eye. And instead of taking her to a vet you took her back to the reptile store that is "very knowledgeable", to ask for medical advise about an animal you didn't purchase from them.

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We only went to Scales 'N Tails to have her sexed, since for some reason PetsMart did not know what sex she was (they said she was "too young to tell"). When I noticed the recessed cap the next morning that was initially what I thought it was. But since I didn't see it when we got her I thought that it might be something else. I called them and asked what it could be, they recommended that I let her soak in around 2 inches of lukewarm water for around an hour. If it didn't go away or I was really worried they would take a look and see if they knew what it was.

We eventually took her in and they looked at her and thought that it might be the "membrane" but they weren't too sure. They said that it should go away with her next feed (which it didn't) or her next shed. They are in fact knowledgeable and have done very well. I called them instead of a vet to get some general info and see if it was common or not, plus if I did need a vet they would know who I could take her to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kellysballs

Okay I understand that money is tight and you may not want to take your snake to a vet but you only have a few options at this point.

*If* her "eye membrane" is exposed (meaning her spectacle is no longer covering her eye) she will most likely lose her eye if you do nothing. So she needs to see a vet.

*If* the problem is a retained eyecap she should lose it in her next good shed leaving her eye looking normal. No need to see a vet.

*If* there is some other problem with her eye (can't really tell anything from your pics) she needs to see a vet.

Here is where we get down to your options:

1. Take the animal back to pet smart and return it. Go to the "knowledgable reptile store" and purchase a healthy captive bred baby ball.

2. Taker her to a knowledgeable reptile vet and have her looked at and take a fecal sample with you so she can be wormed if needed.

3. Do nothing and possibly have the problem get worse, or go away with the next shed.

Personally If it was me I would choose option 2. But if money is that tight go with option 1. Option 3 is really kinda crappy and I only put it in there because it is an option you have.

Good Luck with your animal. I hope she gets better.

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Most likely we will keep her and see what happens with her next shed (that seems to be the opinion of most that replied). We could take her back but if PetsMart is as bad as you think with their reptile care then she might get even worse than with us looking after her. As for buying from Scales 'N Tails they are significantly more expensive than PetsMart and I would rather rescue an animal that might be in a bad living environment than one that is being well cared for.

Thanks for the advice, and I think she will be fine once she sheds.

I still can't see the pic well personally but I was sent a snake that looked like this: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e262/009-3.jpg


I freaked a little due to the fact I had never seen this before (hence the plastic gloves) and I was assured she would shed out of it and indeed she did.

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Originally Posted by Boanerges

I still can't see the pic well personally but I was sent a snake that looked like this: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e262/009-3.jpg


I freaked a little due to the fact I had never seen this before (hence the plastic gloves) and I was assured she would shed out of it and indeed she did.

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Good to know! Glad she was ok, and she's very pretty :) And that is exactly what it looks like!