So how bad does this look to you

Meet my new addition, Bruce. I'm kind of worried about Bruce's face, for obvious reasons. The seller assured me it was from being kept in too small a tub at the breeders and that it was improving.

Bruce is an anery 75% dwarf retic. I have paperwork on him from the original breeder, Prehistoric Pets.

However I don't trust anyone and I'm thinking a vet visit is in order. Opinions?

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Sadly they're terrible pictures because I don't want to disturb him too much.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...y/IMG_6675.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...y/IMG_6680.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...y/IMG_6676.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...y/IMG_6677.jpg

I don't know what is the matter with him, but i don't see how being kept in a small tub would cause something like that.

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Originally Posted by BbyBoa

I don't know what is the matter with him, but i don't see how being kept in a small tub would cause something like that.

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I've heard they are prone to nose rubs and mouth problems because they tend to be very active and will damage themselves if kept in too small a tub. They'll "push" on the sides etc.

But this looks worse than a little nose rub. :(

Not much help, but he's a cute little guy! Please let us know what the vet says, if you end up taking him.

Those are actually very helpful pictures. I had a leucistic Texas rat snake with a similar problem on the bottom side of his throat. To me the yellowish tissue on your snake's bottom jaw looks like some kind of erosion, rot, or infection. I would guess that he was perhaps in too humid an environment or obtained an injury that went untreated and became infected. That is just my best guess though. Perhaps try a topical antibiotic until you can get a vet to take a look at it?

I have a red-tail with same circumstances. As a yearling he would rub is nose, and eventually tore up his face. He even escaped once and when he did he got stuck between the top of the enclosure and the screen top. I was at work, when I came home he had pulled and writhed so much that he ripped his lip. I took him to the vet immediatly they put him on antibiotics and I just had to wait for his shed to help start clearing it up. 13 years later Elvis still has the lip problem, almost looks like a cleft lip, however it has not impeded his eating or breeding, and he is a fantastic snake, who I use in shows and with children. The only draw back to it is that when he breathes you can hear him exhaling because his mouth doesn't close all the way. I would advise a trip to the vet but wouldn't be to conserned with it otherwise

Thanks for the suggestions!

We didn't end up going to the vet, a friend of mine who breeds SD's took a look at him and said it was no big deal. SD's push and damage their faces all the time. With the larger tub and good hides he should be fine.

After a couple days it was looking better, swelling going down and the yellow fading. He took a small rat and doesn't seem to be pushing anymore in the larger tub. He does spend a lot of time soaking in his water bowl though. :rolleyes:
Update of his face.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...y/IMG_6717.jpg

He's also a lot more pleasant to handle than I thought he would be.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...y/IMG_6712.jpg

He does have a small case of mites we're taking care of right now though.

-Jessica

That's certainly more than just some rubbed skin. It certainly looks like an inflammation caused by infection to me.

Good luck, get him to a vet as soon as you are able to :D

wait a second. Prehistoric Pets sold you that snake? I go there very often and have never seen any snakes look bad, though he does not look that bad, i just mean they normally put snakes in the back to heal before being sold. That is somewhat disappointing. But i do hope your baby heals nicely!

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Originally Posted by pinkeye714

wait a second. Prehistoric Pets sold you that snake? I go there very often and have never seen any snakes look bad, though he does not look that bad, i just mean they normally put snakes in the back to heal before being sold. That is somewhat disappointing. But i do hope your baby heals nicely!

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The poster said Prehistoric Pets was the original breeder. That does not mean that they bought it from them. They also said that the snake has mites. I have bought from Prehistoric Pets, and the one I bought did not have mites.

The reason he's soaking so much is because he's uncomfortable from the mites. Excessive soaking is one of the first things they do to try and soothe themselves. Once you have the mites eradicated, he should stop soaking himself so often. I agree that the issue with the face looks like an old injury that may have never healed correctly, and therefore left a slight deformity to the area. Good luck with him, he's gorgeous!

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

The poster said Prehistoric Pets was the original breeder. That does not mean that they bought it from them. They also said that the snake has mites. I have bought from Prehistoric Pets, and the one I bought did not have mites.

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My fault for trying to read at 1 in the morning. I thought that was the original person they received the snake from. Just surprised me because i go to the shop often and not seen poor snakes.

my faults.

For the record I did not purchase this snake from Prehistoric Pets. I purchased him from a third party with the original paperwork from Prehistoric.

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Originally Posted by JordanAng420

The reason he's soaking so much is because he's uncomfortable from the mites. Excessive soaking is one of the first things they do to try and soothe themselves. Once you have the mites eradicated, he should stop soaking himself so often. I agree that the issue with the face looks like an old injury that may have never healed correctly, and therefore left a slight deformity to the area. Good luck with him, he's gorgeous!

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Thant's kind of what I was figuring. Hopefully they clear up soon! His tub in PAM'd and he's been Jungle-Mite'd (which he did not enjoy at all. Tried to bite me!).

Have you opened his mouth and checked for mouthrot? Does he rub or have a hard time closing his mouth? A 1/10 iodine tincture/water solution via soft toothbrush works wonders.