Please help! GTP with swollen face?

Hello... I've been meaning to join the forum for a while now, and sad that this has to be my first post, but I have a problem.

I am a fairly new snake enthusiast; I started my collection about a year ago and it has quickly grown. My newest addition was a pair of amazing, lovely GTPs. They have been perfectly fine the last few months; both are great snakes and allow me to handle them without any aggression. The previous owner told me they are a mated pair, but I of course keep them in separate enclosures (as he did.)

In the last few days the male's face has become puffy and swollen (it was very slight at first so I thought it was in my imagination, but now it is impossible to ignore.) That's him in my avatar, but right now his head is puffed up to a much larger size. I've set up an appointment for tomorrow with a local vet who is supposed to be experienced with reptiles, but in the meantime I was hoping someone with more experience could help me understand what is going on. I love all my snakes and I am so worried... :(

The information: Merlin is supposed to be about 3 or 4 years old. He has a suitable enclosure with a lamp. I'm afraid I've fallen a bit behind on misting his enclosure, but he does have a dish with water that I have seen him drinking from on several occasions. He last ate a few weeks ago; he refused the last f/t rat I offered him, but a bunch of my other snakes did the same that time, so I think I just tried to feed them at the wrong time.

I haven't noticed any marked changes in his behavior. He does not appear to have any inflammation, crusting or discharge around his mouth or vents, though I have not had a chance to look inside his mouth yet. His face just looks very puffy and swollen.

Thank you for your time... I'm really upset about this.

He could be getting ready to shed. My neo's head gets huge right when it is about to shed. After shed the grains back to normal.

Reminds me of this post I saw a bit ago.

I'd also go on here and post your question. That's a GTP specific forum and they're very knowledgeable.

Sorry I don't have an answer for you but I hope this information helps. I'd suggest going to see your local exotic vet as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 1nstinct

He could be getting ready to shed. My neo's head gets huge right when it is about to shed. After shed the grains back to normal.

---

Oh my god, would that be a relief... In fact, he /is/ about to shed — he just got out of the "milky eyes and pinkish belly" stage. So I'm really hoping that is what it is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by babyknees

Reminds me of this post I saw a bit ago.

I'd also go on here and post your question. That's a GTP specific forum and they're very knowledgeable.

Sorry I don't have an answer for you but I hope this information helps. I'd suggest going to see your local exotic vet as well.

---

Oh, wow... a punctured lung would be a lot scarier. He is definitely not that swollen and I don't think there is anything in his enclosure to cause such an injury, but I will get him checked out just in case.

A picture would help. Can you post one for us? Just upload to somewhere like photobucket then just copy and paste the url into your post here.

They can sometimes appear a bit swollen when they are about to shed, but usually it is barely noticable at best. Hopefully, that's all it is, but a picture would help us say with more certainty.... :gj:

Oh! And WELCOME to the forum!! ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Evenstar

A picture would help. Can you post one for us? Just upload to somewhere like photobucket then just copy and paste the url into your post here.

They can sometimes appear a bit swollen when they are about to shed, but usually it is barely noticable at best. Hopefully, that's all it is, but a picture would help us say with more certainty.... :gj:

Oh! And WELCOME to the forum!! ;)

---

Thank you, Evenstar. Here are the links to my photos (for some reason, photobucket isn't opening for me...)

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bw7...1JucXQ5UkVIRm8
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bw7...ElPYkl4Q2dWX0k
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bw7...TYwVC1yQjJ3UWc

Here is a picture of him looking normal, for comparison:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bw7...kJZLUhkc2ROaVk

Here is the pic
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/29/amanagyz.jpg

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

That is NOT due to impending shed. He needs to see a vet. Post that picture and your question on the Morelia Viridis Forum for help in the meantime. He could have an internal abscess or complications due to an RI. Please let us know what the vet says.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Evenstar

That is NOT due to impending shed. He needs to see a vet. Post that picture and your question on the Morelia Viridis Forum for help in the meantime. He could have an internal abscess or complications due to an RI. Please let us know what the vet says.....

---

Oh no... :( Are you sure? His head actually went down to normal size this morning and he's shedding right now and acting fine (a bit jumpy from the shed). I'll post some new pictures tomorrow when he's done shedding... in the meantime I'll keep a close eye on him.

I have never seen a snake swell like that prior to a shed. They sometimes appear slightly swollen before shedding, but as I said before, it is usually barely noticable. And it isn't a localized swelling like you have here. When a snake is about to shed, they can sometimes appear slightly puffy around the head/neck area as the fluids build up under that first layer of skin. But not like this.

It is possible that your snake banged his nose against the glass/side of his enclosure and this caused some swelling. I hope there is a simple reason and solution. But there could be an underlaying abscess, and abscesed tooth, fluids building up in the nasal passages, or some other cause that needs attention. You obviously love your snakes. I would not wait and see, I'd make SURE everything is alright and take him to a vet. Take that picture with you since the swelling has apparently gone down some now so the vet can see what it was like.

Kali, I wouldn't jump the gun just yet. All snakes go through changes differently. I would guess this is only a pre-shed condition. Having kept around 100 chondros over the years, I've seen several animals that would have head swelling, similar to this, during the beginning stages of shedding. Having said that, if the condition becomes worse or doesn't retract, I would advise a vet visit.....if you have a competent exotic vet in your area. Most I don't trust to even know what a GTP is. Good luck.

So what going on with your GTP any update? Very curious.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brandon Osborne

Kali, I wouldn't jump the gun just yet. All snakes go through changes differently. I would guess this is only a pre-shed condition. Having kept around 100 chondros over the years, I've seen several animals that would have head swelling, similar to this, during the beginning stages of shedding. Having said that, if the condition becomes worse or doesn't retract, I would advise a vet visit.....if you have a competent exotic vet in your area. Most I don't trust to even know what a GTP is. Good luck.

---

Exactly.

It is not uncommon for viridis to get some pre-shed head swelling. It appears that in the OP's situation, that was indeed the case.