Help Please!

[DVirginiana]

You may want to go ahead and start swabbing the other snakes' mouths out if they were anywhere near this guy. There's a decent chance they've got it (you can pull the bottom jaw aside a bit with your thumb to check for swelling and discharge) but you probably have a chance to nip it in the bud at this point. Also make sure any equipment like tongs or water dishes is sterilized before it's used again or you're just going to see the infection bounce from snake to snake.

The jaw is probably very swollen under it, but the cottage cheese discharge looks like it's coating the whole mouth. The way it's gaping like that, it wouldn't surprise me if it's hardened up. You may need to moisten it with a Qtip before it'll start coming off. Starting at the back corner may work best. You're probably going to have to really upset her to get this cleaned up, but it'll be worth it if she makes it.

For really severe infections where the inside of the jaw has actually scabbed up, sealing the infection inside, I've had to use insulin needles to break through the scabbing; talk about nerve-wracking! But it worked. Hopefully pulling some of that stuff off will open things up and you won't have to do that.

Keep us updated!

[Fraido]

I soaked her in the tub and used a cloth to gently get rid of that nasty stuff. Totally puke-worthy to be honest. These are pictures from after that, the gunk was only on the roof of her mouth. (From what I can tell.) I tried rubbing at her bottom jaw but it appears to just be swollen tissue.
I'll have to go out and get betadine tomorrow.

[DVirginiana]

That looks a lot better! Glad she has you to look out for her.

Yeah, I can see the teeth on the lower jaw, the tissue is just really pale. It'll be a good comparison so you know when the tissue starts to get healthy and pink again.

[Fraido]

I thought so! Hopefully the gunk stays away until I can get the betadine tomorrow.
The betadine is safe to be applied inside the mouth?

[DVirginiana]

Yeah, the betadine should be swabbed along the gums, but dilute it about half betadine half water first. I wouldn't put it on the roof of her mouth or really inside it just to minimize the amount she gets into her system.
Might seem like kind of a weak treatment, but if you can do it at least three times a day it makes up for it.

[Fraido]

Alright, thank you very much! You have been really helpful.

[Fraido]

There is the gunk, that was all hardened up on the bottom jaw, it wasn't just swollen tissue, and those weren't teeth you were seeing! It was just from the way I had been rubbing at it, it created those cracks.

These are just after getting the gunk off, and just prior to applying the betadine. The flash makes it look just awful. But she can close it a lot better! It must be sore.

[DVirginiana]

Yikes! I bet she can breath better now too. The bleeding looks bad, but it helps flush out the infection. As long as you can get the swelling down enough for her to eat, she may make it.

[Fraido]

I'm starting to think she has a much better chance, now. She should be a lot better in a couple weeks, and I will offer her a smaller meal than I would normally give her. If she looks good a week from now I may try then.

[Fraido]

It looks so much better this morning.
Is there any way I can prevent its mouth from sticking closed?