swollen head, recessed eyes caused by mites?

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...en-this-before

my lesser male has the same symptoms - swollen head, no signs of RI, mouth inside and out looks good except the jaw doesn't sit flush on one side due to the swelling, eyes look shrunken due to swelling around them - my question is i heard that swollen head can be caused by not only nose rubbing, but mites burrowing into the skin around the eye sockets? anyone heard this or know better? a few in my collection had mites a few months ago and i treated all of my snakes several times.

anyone??

Can you post any pictures?

i will this evening. his jaw now sits together but his head is still swollen - and i caught him in the act of nose rubbing last night :(

ok pics are up. i left him alone for a few days and switched him to a smaller box with crumpled newspaper. these are when he is at his worst :(

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...66988505_n.jpg eyes recessed due to head swelling


http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...56591021_n.jpg jaw not sitting together

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...45887342_n.jpg bump on top of snout due to rubbing

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...45312171_n.jpg inside of mouth looks good, outside looks awful

i've been applying a weak iodine solution every 2 days with a q-tip. trying to not stress him out more.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

ok pics are up. i left him alone for a few days and switched him to a smaller box with crumpled newspaper. these are when he is at his worst :(

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...66988505_n.jpg eyes recessed due to head swelling


http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...56591021_n.jpg jaw not sitting together

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...45887342_n.jpg bump on top of snout due to rubbing

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...45312171_n.jpg inside of mouth looks good, outside looks awful

---

think you should just visit the vet about that, doesnt look good!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SRMD94

think you should just visit the vet about that, doesnt look good!

---

x2 Please take him to see a vet. Poor guy. Good luck

thanks i will make a vet appointment right now. anyone know what else i can do to reduce nose rubbing until appt?

his poor face makes me want to cry :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

thanks i will make a vet appointment right now. anyone know what else i can do to reduce nose rubbing until appt?

---

im not sure whats the humidty levels in the cage? maybe just put him in his hide and let him rest in the dark untill the vet appt, try not to handle him much hes probably stressed to the max

also re clean his enclosure everything clean for him, even clean him aswell do that then just leave him

i am not home right now to check the humidity gauge. i will clean everything and him. he is my most problematic snake - went off feed for winter and went from 900 to 600gs, now will only eat mice, and now this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

i am not home right now to check the humidity gauge. i will clean everything and him. he is my most problematic snake - went off feed for winter and went from 900 to 600gs, now will only eat mice, and now this.

---

sounds like his life is stressful which is making yours to :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SRMD94

think you should just visit the vet about that, doesnt look good!

---

X2 the vet visit, but I have seen this before in serious mite infestation. If it is mites to this point, they should be very visible to you.

took God to the vet. When I looked in his mouth, everything looked fine but i didn't closely examine the roof of his mouth. He has a bit of mouth rot going on that instead of going out onto his face has gone up into his head and infected at least one of his eyes. He is on antibiotics now. if they don't work then we know it isn't bacterial mouthrot, possibly fungal or viral.

Ive seen this before in the Short Tail complex.

Went away, assumed to be a strike that hit glass or a hard surface such as a tub wall.

Dont see any necrotic tissue which is good.

Id try and keep him nice and warm and more humid for now.

How long has he been like this?

i thought it was from nose rubbing, because i saw him rubbing hard on his enclosure - turns out to be a symptom, not the cause. no necrotic tissue, just a weird ridge on the inside rim of the teeth on one of the sides of his upper jaw. he's been swollen for about 3 weeks. it got better and worse several times and i thought it was better and i came back and it was absolutely the worst its been so i called the vet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

took God to the vet. When I looked in his mouth, everything looked fine but i didn't closely examine the roof of his mouth. He has a bit of mouth rot going on that instead of going out onto his face has gone up into his head and infected at least one of his eyes. He is on antibiotics now. if they don't work then we know it isn't bacterial mouthrot, possibly fungal or viral.

---

We keep our fingers crossed. Mouth rot is tough one to beat outside a zoo/professional environment.
Keep us posted

there is zero necrotic tissue which is a huge relief. he isn't looking any better. the head swelling is still present, the lumps on his head look lumpier/ worse but his jaw is sitting together better. on day 3 of antibiotics. he is my most valuable snake (other than his daughter) and i spent many months before i picked out the perfect lesser (him). lessers are pretty much my favorite morph.

- - - Updated - - -

there is zero necrotic tissue which is a huge relief. he isn't looking any better. the head swelling is still present, the lumps on his head look lumpier/ worse but his jaw is sitting together better. on day 3 of antibiotics. he is my most valuable snake (other than his daughter) and i spent many months before i picked out the perfect lesser (him). lessers are pretty much my favorite morph.