PLEASE help, mouth rot or dirt? New BP

[amanda_perez]

I had this snake shipped to me and received him last Wednesday the 17th. I was at work so my sister unboxed him and put him in his Sterilite tub for me. Once I got home I tried to take a look at him but he was so terrified and defensive it was so hard to get a good look at him without him striking me. I decided to put him away and give him a week to settle. Come today (a day early I know) he's a bit calmer for me to handle and I notice this under his mouth. I'm pretty sure it's mouth rot but if you see in the picture where his neck is, his whole head is stuck shed. But he wont let my hand near his head. Also, pretty sure he has RI as I hear wheezing. I've had him in a clean sterilitie tub with paper towel and my humidity and temps are perfect. Please help me distinguish what's going on! I need to contact this breeder asap before he tries to pin anything on me, if this is how he sends out his reptiles I wouldn't put it past him for that to happen. Also, the very next day after receiving him he pooped and shed. My sister said when she opened him up he had a wet paper towel wrapped around his head.

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[amanda_perez]

sorry trying to figure out how to post pics. I'm a little confused can anyone help me out?

[christineho]

sorry trying to figure out how to post pics. I'm a little confused can anyone help me out?

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures

[amanda_perez]

thank you! I'm gonna upload the pics now

[amanda_perez]

Here are my images

[Bogertophis]

Really can't tell what that is (dirt or?) but the faster you bring such issues up with the seller, the better your chance of getting satisfaction. It's already been 6 days.
Wheezing & stuck shed aren't good signs either, as far as what you can expect from this seller. And checking out a new snakes is totally on you...doesn't matter
if the snake is cooperative or throwing a fit, it's up to you to determine his health & condition upon arrival. Poor time to ask, but what is the seller's guarantee, if any?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Rather than focusing on the outside to see if a snake has mouth rot I would suggest to open the snake mouth and check inside, than you will know for sure whether you are dealing with dirt or advance stage of mouth rot.

[Faith.luu]

I definitely don’t think it’s dirt. The wounds appear concave and various degrees of colour which would suggest it’s an injury of some sort. Not sure if it’s rot, or if it was from a cut, or even burn, but I’d definitely take your snake to a vet and get it checked out.

I’m sorry to hear about that, that really sucks. If you can contact the breeder ASAP that would be best. It’s harder to get blamed for something when it’s only been a week.

Until you can get your snake checked out, just look for further signs of rot and RI, and any abnormalities in feces. Take note of everything and inform your vet.

I hope all goes well for you.

[amanda_perez]

Thanks for the replies. I just finished up at the vet and he did confirm that they are abrasions and gave me an antibacterial/ antifungal to help aid in healing with no complications. He also saw no signs of RI. I'm totally aware of the exotic vet industry and how many of them are just quacks, but I do trust the opinion of this vet as I've know him for awhile and he's very reliable. He said the wheezing could be due to stress because to be honest, along with stress this snake seems to just be a bit of a jerk and may just not be fond of much handling. I'm going to take precautionary measures still and keep a very close eye on him in the upcoming weeks to make sure nothing transpires, but from the inside of his mouth all was good and healthy. Now my concern is trying to get the stuck shed off and how the heck I'm gonna do that when he barely lets me handle him. Soaking him is definitely not an option

[Bogertophis]

Thanks for the replies. I just finished up at the vet and he did confirm that they are abrasions and gave me an antibacterial/ antifungal to help aid in healing with no complications. He also saw no signs of RI. I'm totally aware of the exotic vet industry and how many of them are just quacks, but I do trust the opinion of this vet as I've know him for awhile and he's very reliable. He said the wheezing could be due to stress because to be honest, along with stress this snake seems to just be a bit of a jerk and may just not be fond of much handling. I'm going to take precautionary measures still and keep a very close eye on him in the upcoming weeks to make sure nothing transpires, but from the inside of his mouth all was good and healthy. Now my concern is trying to get the stuck shed off and how the heck I'm gonna do that when he barely lets me handle him. Soaking him is definitely not an option

Snakes that are NOT instinctively afraid & defensive when handled are actually the true "jerks", because they don't live long in the real world. Just saying... It might help to remember that, stay patient, & try to convey that you're "safe" (not a predator) to the best of your acting ability if you want this snake to learn & calm down. They 'read us' by the way we touch & handle them, & while he may have "baggage" from prior mishandling, that's also NOT his fault. Good luck with the healing & shed removal & especially with changing his opinion of humans.