Kelly's eyes!

Kelly is in deep shed.

She's been laying in her hide sort of 'breathing heavily' as though she was uncomfortable so I checked her for RI symptoms...absolutely none present.

I hauled her out for a complete inspection and she's had serious sausage butt for a week and has been laying in her water bowl frequently which is something she never does, not even when shedding.
One time, I caught her with her head totally submerged.

All parameters are perfect.
A check with a magnifying glass shows her totally mite free.

While I had her on the desk trying unsuccessfully to open her yap to see why her eyes look tiny/forehead looks 'swollen', in case something was going on inside her mouth, she started to dribble pee.

I quickly held her over the trash can and a huge, rock hard urate shot of her so violently that it sounded like a baseball hitting the side of the trash can.

I poked it with a pencil and it was utterly hard, crumbly and crunchy feeling...almost like a gob of compacted sand rather the usual toothpaste stuff.

She peed forever and then pooped a lot...and there was a smidge of blood which I wiped off and could find no more of.

What is causing her eyes to 'look little', almost as if her 'eyebrows' are engulfing them?

Photos:

http://www.walagata.com/w/the-salamander/kel4.jpg

http://www.walagata.com/w/the-salamander/kel1.jpg

http://www.walagata.com/w/the-salamander/kel2.jpg

http://www.walagata.com/w/the-salamander/kel3.jpg

Even though she's really in shed, I had to poke her with a paper towel tube when I opened her house because she thought it was feeding time and was about to lunge at my empty hand.
[she is a greedy little sow]

I've never seen anybody else's eyes look 'odd' before a shed and hers don't look like they usually do.

Sorry for the lousy photos but she's a very adventurous, bold snake and she was thoroughly enjoying trying to crawl off the table, up my arm, around my neck, etc.

There does seem to be swelling, especially on the right side of her face. Hopefully someone will comment that has seen this before. Sorry I'm not of much help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elbee

There does seem to be swelling, especially on the right side of her face. Hopefully someone will comment that has seen this before. Sorry I'm not of much help.

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That's what I thought I saw too but I can't get her to let me look in her mouth.

:(

I cautiously suggest waiting until she sheds to make a decision on what to do. Keep things as they are, let her shed, then reevaluate. It's less common in ball pythons but other species of snakes sometimes get saggy skin or swollen looking heads right before they shed, and it is possible that this is something similar.

So as nerve wracking as it is, wait and see - let her shed, take pics again in the same position, and then compare it and see. If it's still swollen at that point, a trip to the vet should be considered.

-Jen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

I cautiously suggest waiting until she sheds to make a decision on what to do. Keep things as they are, let her shed, then reevaluate. It's less common in ball pythons but other species of snakes sometimes get saggy skin or swollen looking heads right before they shed, and it is possible that this is something similar.

So as nerve wracking as it is, wait and see - let her shed, take pics again in the same position, and then compare it and see. If it's still swollen at that point, a trip to the vet should be considered.

-Jen

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As luck would have it, she shed last night and ate today.

Since I can't get the obnoxious rip's mouth open myself, I waited until she realigned her jaws and I think, maybe, I saw something odd on the roof of her mouth but can't be sure.

My initial freak out was OMG!!! MOUTH ROT!!! but I'm not sure if I saw a white area near her inner gum teeth covering or if it was just her teeth sheath..or whatever ya call it.

The tiny, fleeting glimpse we managed of her mouth last night revealed nothing obvious or ominous so I can't be sure.

How do I get this powerful, willful little hussie's mouth open without hurting her?

We had her in a snake sack, wrestled her, tried to pin her down, attempted a firm grip behind her head and she still easily bested us both.

We've tried credit cards, q-tips and a thin, flexible, soft palette knife to no avail.

Eventually I just said screw it and stuck my fingers in there, willing to get chomped if only I could get a peek.

:mad:

Post-shed, she looks about the same.

[maybe not quite as weird but still too weird]

Thats A Beauti But I Dont Really Know What To Say ;/ Hmmm

It does look a little weird, but I don't know what kind of health issue would be going on. Do you think she struck at anything and hit her head/eye? As for the constipation thing, I've had that happen a few times. Usually soaking them in warm water helps them pass it as well.

my snake's eyes were recessed and had swollen eyebrows and his jaw didn't sit together ...and it was mouth rot. wait til shed and take her to vet.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

It does look a little weird, but I don't know what kind of health issue would be going on. Do you think she struck at anything and hit her head/eye? As for the constipation thing, I've had that happen a few times. Usually soaking them in warm water helps them pass it as well.

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She's an extremely aggressive feeder and has mis-struck many times, either going overboard and hitting the tank sides or her climbing tree.

She's also one who flings her "kill" all over the place during the coil.

[drama queen]

Apparently, wrestling 'mommy' is a very good cure for constipation, as well.

:oops:

I really hope your ball is ok :) Just wanted to say you took some awesome pictures, just wish they were taken under different circumstances :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

my snake's eyes were recessed and had swollen eyebrows and his jaw didn't sit together ...and it was mouth rot. wait til shed and take her to vet.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

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OMG....poor snake.

Kelly's nowhere near that bad.

Could you see anything odd going on inside of his mouth?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Salamander

She's an extremely aggressive feeder and has mis-struck many times, either going overboard and hitting the tank sides or her climbing tree.

She's also one who flings her "kill" all over the place during the coil.

[drama queen]

Apparently, wrestling 'mommy' is a very good cure for constipation, as well.

:oops:

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Nothing looks bad to me, her head doesn't look swollen, her eyes just look a little weird. My guess would be a miss-strike, but keep an eye on her just in case.

I actually have a few snakes who tend to look "puffy" when they are in blue, it usually goes down after a day or so.

Then again, I had another snake who had "duck face." We did take her to a vet and put her on anti-biotics, but it was concluded that she was most likely swollen from rubbing her nose. The tolerance between the tubs/top of the rack was a bit too much and I think she was sticking her snout in between and maybe that caused the swelling.

Here is a link to pics (Scroll down) http://squamishserpents.ca/bad-clutc...-baytril-oh-my
But I noticed her looking weird in the same way you did with your snake; I thought her eyes looked smaller/sunken in.

Honestly though, your snake doesn't look that bad but I would absolutely keep an eye on it. have you tried having 2 people wrestle your snake into letting you look in it's mouth? I get my boyfriend to hold the back end. Let the snake coil it's back end around your assistants arm, and then grasp the snake behind the head and pry open the mouth with a rubber spatula (one you would use for icing a cake) it's soft enough that it should not hurt the teeth at all. I do this with an LED flashlight held between my teeth just in case I need a better look. A headlamp would work also.

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I actually have a few snakes who tend to look "puffy" when they are in blue, it usually goes down after a day or so.

Then again, I had another snake who had "duck face." We did take her to a vet and put her on anti-biotics, but it was concluded that she was most likely swollen from rubbing her nose. The tolerance between the tubs/top of the rack was a bit too much and I think she was sticking her snout in between and maybe that caused the swelling.

Here is a link to pics (Scroll down) http://squamishserpents.ca/bad-clutc...-baytril-oh-my
But I noticed her looking weird in the same way you did with your snake; I thought her eyes looked smaller/sunken in.

Honestly though, your snake doesn't look that bad but I would absolutely keep an eye on it. have you tried having 2 people wrestle your snake into letting you look in it's mouth? I get my boyfriend to hold the back end. Let the snake coil it's back end around your assistants arm, and then grasp the snake behind the head and pry open the mouth with a rubber spatula (one you would use for icing a cake) it's soft enough that it should not hurt the teeth at all. I do this with an LED flashlight held between my teeth just in case I need a better look. A headlamp would work also.

Good luck!

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I have no idea what's up with her eyes but apparently they've always been this way.

I looked up photos of her from the time she was little until now and they 'look weird' in every one.

She's over a year old now so i reckon it's 'just her'.

They're on this thread if you'd care to look

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hat-the-heck-!

She's happy, she eats like a mad woman and is growing almost scary fast so it can't be anything that bad.

We tried a two-person 'assault'.

She won.

No matter what we did, as soon as I messed with her face, she went into an alligator death roll...even when inside a snake sack.

She's kinda got her own thoughts about how things should be.

:rolleyes:

I thought maybe she'd knocked her climbing tree over on herself and got a head injury but the year long photo records show the same beady eyes.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

Nothing looks bad to me, her head doesn't look swollen, her eyes just look a little weird. My guess would be a miss-strike, but keep an eye on her just in case.

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You know by now that if any of my snake kids have so much as a 'funny looking' scale, I instantly go into hysterics.....:D

[and all my dogs' vet record folders look like Gutenberg bibles]

:rolleyes:

If she's always been that way, then don't fret I guess.

I guess she just has opposite of the bug-eyes that some ball pythons can get!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

If she's always been that way, then don't fret I guess.

I guess she just has opposite of the bug-eyes that some ball pythons can get!

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She pounds rats like they're going out of style so what the heck.

I'm grateful for that.

She gained 1400 grams in less than 9 months...just eating 'normal food'.

[I always say her eyes are bigger than her belly...guess the opposite was true]

:D

My beloved beady, greedy Kelly.

:rofl:

[could she be so fat that her face is too fat for her eyes?]

:O

when I looked in my lessers mouth, i looked at his lower jaw and in the general throat area...i didn't look up behind his front lip, one of the ridges (there are two, on either side of the top of the mouth) was quite swollen, which the vet pointed out when she looked in his mouth. he had been doing some nose rubbing as a symptom of having mouth rot and i believe that contributed to the swelling of his face.

Have you tried putting her in a headlock? Lol

Put her under your left armpit with the majority of her body behind you and maybe six to eight inches in front. Firmly grasp just behind her head with your left hand and you should be able to use your right hand to get her mouth open. Works for my difficult girl.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RaltsXIV

Have you tried putting her in a headlock? Lol

Put her under your left armpit with the majority of her body behind you and maybe six to eight inches in front. Firmly grasp just behind her head with your left hand and you should be able to use your right hand to get her mouth open. Works for my difficult girl.

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Oh, lord...I'd be ashamed to tell you the insane things we tried over the span of almost an hour.

We're thinking of getting her a costume and putting her RAW Wrestling, she's that good.

:rolleyes:

It's officially Friday now and along with everybody else, she's constantly poking out of her hide looking for the supper that won't show up until late tonight.

If she's had mouth rot her whole life, since she's looked this way since I got her, wouldn't she not want to eat like a hog?