New hatchling with weird tongue

[claireree]

I have just had 4 bps hatch out and all seem to be doing well, one is a bit on the small side only 38g and the others between 63-73g but I have noticed today that one of them seems to have a bit of a problem with his tongue it doesnt always go back in and rather than have a forked tongue when it is left out it stays together and not forked.

Has anyone else had this problem or ever heard of it, it seems very happy and today it has been quite happily swimming in its water bowl, obviously we are waiting for it to shed before we try feeding but wanted to check if this is going to be a problem ot not.

[simplechamp]

It would seem that the toungue never got fully formed, or it is some type of birth defect. How long does the tongue stay out for? A few seconds? Or much longer? I wouldn't think it would be a huge problem. It's possible the snake could have slightly reduced senses due to an underdeveloped tongue. I would see how the first feeding goes and keep an eye on it. Examine closely for any other possible defects or odd behaviors. Was the BP a normal or morph?

It's really hard to tell if the snake is "happy" or not. Swimming could just as easily be a sign of stress or health problems. We tend to anthropomorphize snake behaviors and feelings to give us peace of mind. I've done it myself. The snake could very well be happy, but could just as likely be unhappy. Just a thought

[littleindiangirl]

Surprisingly snakes have a pretty good sense of smell through their nose. It may take some persistance and a nice warm meal to get them to strike, but keep an eye on the tongue. If your worried, take him to a qualified herp vet.

[claireree]

they are normal, sometimes when I look his tongue is away and other times it has got it out and wiggling it about, so couldnt really say how long it stays out. I will keep a close eye on it and see how it gets on when its time to start feeding it.

[simplechamp]

What a cute little guy. I'm partial to the little runts for some reason.

As far as the toungue goes, for all we know it could just be mishapen, with no detriment to smell/taste. The tough thing about diagnosing an issue like this is if the snake has a weak feeding response it doesn't neccessarily mean it's sense of smell/taste is the problem. Good luck with this one, and remember that he could turn out to be your best feeder and fastest growing guy!