Strange blue tint to BP's mouth and body

[DreadfulRabbit]

So, I noticed last night when I was feeding my BP that the inside of her mouth seemed very pale and blue-ish. There is also a blue/ green tint to her entire body (especially visible around her mouth and her underside).
Everyone that I've asked seems to think there's some environmental cause (ie. paint or dye in her tank, or blue water conditioner). As far as I know, nothing in her environment has this color, and she hasn't had any new hides, decorations, etc. in about a year. She also hasn't escaped or had any unsupervised time outside her tank.

Any ideas?

[Bogertophis]

Speaking in a general way- if this was a human with pale or bluish gums, it would suggest anemia or some other circulatory disorder- resulting in insufficient red blood cells to deliver the correct level of oxygen to the cells of the body. If there's no source of artificial blue color that could have caused this, maybe your snake needs a check-up with a qualified herp vet. This site can help you locate one nearest you if you so choose: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

It might be just the way you're holding her, or the angle of the top photo, but her head seems to have an odd shape- slight puffiness to her throat, & also the front of her face/top jaw, as if she'd been pushing against something. Are you seeing or hearing any signs of an RI (respiratory infection)? Such as whistling, or crackling sounds when she breathes, or any bubbles in/around her mouth? An RI would obstruct her ability to breathe, & that would cause poor oxygenation to her tissues also. Keep in mind that RI's are serious & need care (usually the correct antibiotic to cure)- snakes cannot cough out excessive secretions, and can choke to death if untreated. It's not ideal to try to diagnose a snake online with only a few pics to go by, so hopefully I'm wrong- & you did say she just ate- snakes with an RI don't typically feel like eating.

[DreadfulRabbit]

Thank you for replying! I will definitely be taking her to a vet ASAP (it's just a holiday and I'm anxious so I thought I'd get some other opinions).

Her head shape is a little odd. For a while, she was doing some nose-rubbing on the lid of her enclosure. I haven't noticed it a while (I rearranged some things and added some more clutter), but she does have a bit of a bump and some shiny scar tissue on top of her nose. I do believe that the puffiness in the neck/ jaw is just her trying to pull away from me holding her. I've attached another photo where I'm not holding her so you can see.


I was also concerned it could be an RI. However, I have not noticed any audible wheezing and, although her mouth is pale, I did not see any mucous when she opened it.
She ate last night, and her behavior has not seemed out of the ordinary. She seems alert when I take her out (lots of tongue flicking and her body doesn't feel weak or limp). It's a bit of a puzzle!

[Bogertophis]

Thank you for replying! I will definitely be taking her to a vet ASAP (it's just a holiday and I'm anxious so I thought I'd get some other opinions).

Her head shape is a little odd. For a while, she was doing some nose-rubbing on the lid of her enclosure. I haven't noticed it a while (I rearranged some things and added some more clutter), but she does have a bit of a bump and some shiny scar tissue on top of her nose. I do believe that the puffiness in the neck/ jaw is just her trying to pull away from me holding her. I've attached another photo where I'm not holding her so you can see.


I was also concerned it could be an RI. However, I have not noticed any audible wheezing and, although her mouth is pale, I did not see any mucous when she opened it.
She ate last night, and her behavior has not seemed out of the ordinary. She seems alert when I take her out (lots of tongue flicking and her body doesn't feel weak or limp). It's a bit of a puzzle!

After she did some nose-rubbing, I wonder if her face is still sore when she breathes & therefore she's not breathing as often? I don't think they fit snakes with CPAP machines though.
It can take a while for puffiness to subside- snakes don't have the best circulation anyway. (I shouldn't joke about the CPAP, but I know someone that just had to get one for sleep apnea, so it's fresh in my mind.) I've had a few snakes in the past that were determined nose-pushers- it's very frustrating- you'd think the pain would deter them, but some really do serious self-damage.

You seem to be on top of watching for RI symptoms, so in all likelihood, there's nothing a vet can or will do at this time- though please share what the vet thinks about the bluish gums if you go?

One thing that results from nose pushing can be an abscess- in snakes, they don't drain by themselves & need surgical removal. I wonder if your snake might have an abscess in that slightly swollen area that's restricting (narrowing) her nasal passages, or impairing the blood circulation in her face? That's a question for your vet to look into, along with other potential causes of cyanosis. Hoping it's nothing serious.

And whatever they have to say- it's of interest to us all- we never know when we may see the same things in our own pets. Snakes are such stoic creatures, it's even hard for vets to diagnose them- it helps them a lot when you share all the observations you can during an appointment.

[DreadfulRabbit]

Hey, just posting an update in case anyone's curious.

I took her to the vet today, and the vet...found absolutely nothing wrong. She agreed that the color change was very strange, and has posted it on some vet forums. But everything on her physical came out just fine. The vet's first instinct was that it could be environmental (something in her last meal), or a strange manifestation of her morph. She was confident that it was not hypoxia. They are running bloodwork on her, and I'm going to take in a fecal sample ASAP, but it remains a mystery!

[Bogertophis]

You did the right thing, checking with the vet. And something may still turn up, or other vets may have some ideas too?

[Bogertophis]

Are you sure your BP hasn't been sneaking some blue popsicles?

[DreadfulRabbit]

Are you sure your BP hasn't been sneaking some blue popsicles?

Haha I'll be sure to ask as soon as she stops sulking!

[Bogertophis]

I can actually picture a BP sucking on a popsicle...how cute would that be? hahahaha!