After feeding Problem

[skasaves]

I just fed my python and she ate a bit of the substrate. It's caught in her mouth and she keeps yawning to try and get rid of it. I tried to take a q-tip to remove it from her mouth when she yawned but I guess she get fed up at me poking at her so she went back into her house.

Should I be doing something about this or should I just leave her be?

[2kdime]

Maybe restrain her and get it out carefully with sterile tweezers.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.


All the more reason to keep your snake on newspaper substrate.

Good luck to you!!

[NickP]

What kinda substrate is it?

[bearhart]

I've had this happen to my corn before. He eventually got it out after about 2 or 3 minutes.

If your girl isn't having such good luck, then I would first suggest being a little more assertive. if you're like me, you're used to using a gentle touch with your pet so actually restraining it can be tough to do. I nearly freaked out the first time I went the the vet and he grabbed my BP and forced his mouth open. You can try being a little more firm and holding close to the head so that she can't move it too far. You can also force the mouth open by holding right behind the head and placing your thumb on the bottom side of the jaw while applying pressure in a "tail-ward" direction. (Similar to the action you get if you push on your neck right below the chin and then pull down.) The name of the game with stuff like this is trying to be firm but gentle - and keeping your nerve while your pet gets P.O.'d!

Having somebody to help you hold the back half would be good. I would not try to push it with a q-tip but rather pull the stick out. If you have some little plastic tongs, use those. If you use tweezers, try to use the ones with the rounded edges. If you absolutely have to use the hard-core precision tweezers be very careful as they have sharp corners.

Another option is taking her to somebody that has alot of general snake experience such as a purveyor of exotic pets.

[juddb]

I've had this happen to my corn before. He eventually got it out after about 2 or 3 minutes.

If your girl isn't having such good luck, then I would first suggest being a little more assertive. if you're like me, you're used to using a gentle touch with your pet so actually restraining it can be tough to do. I nearly freaked out the first time I went the the vet and he grabbed my BP and forced his mouth open. You can try being a little more firm and holding close to the head so that she can't move it too far. You can also force the mouth open by holding right behind the head and placing your thumb on the bottom side of the jaw while applying pressure in a "tail-ward" direction. (Similar to the action you get if you push on your neck right below the chin and then pull down.) The name of the game with stuff like this is trying to be firm but gentle - and keeping your nerve while your pet gets P.O.'d!

Having somebody to help you hold the back half would be good. I would not try to push it with a q-tip but rather pull the stick out. If you have some little plastic tongs, use those. If you use tweezers, try to use the ones with the rounded edges. If you absolutely have to use the hard-core precision tweezers be very careful as they have sharp corners.

Another option is taking her to somebody that has alot of general snake experience such as a purveyor of exotic pets.

Oh my :eek: , Please dont do this. If an impaction occurs i would take it to the vet. Dont listen to stuff like this. I personally use paper towels as substrate because i dont want aspen to get in my snakes mouths, but i have used aspen before and let the snakes pack it down themselves over a week before feeding them.

[bearhart]

He didn't say there was actual consumption, he said there was a small bit of substrate stuck in the snakes mouth.

However, juddb is right, if your snake actualy *consumed* a significant amount of substrate then you should go see the vet.

[Brimstone111888]

BP's dissolve teeth, bone, fur within their stomachs. They can handle a few pieces of aspen.

[juddb]

BP's dissolve teeth, bone, fur within their stomachs. They can handle a few pieces of aspen.

But sometimes a piece of aspen can become impacted in the teeth and cause mouth rot. If left unattended of course. So i would be careful thats all im saying.

*edit: Not only aspen any substrate really.

[bearhart]

BP's dissolve teeth, bone, fur within their stomachs. They can handle a few pieces of aspen.

I don't have direct experience with impaction but, from what I've read, the snake has to consume a fair bit of substrate for it to be really dangerous. I can't say I know what a "fair bit" would be but I'm pretty sure that a few stray pieces aren't dangerous.

I've never read about mouth infection but it sounds reasonable. Unless you want to run to the vet for every little thing (which you might) you have to make an educated guess about the danger level. I suppose if the thing really got wedged in there the chance of infection might be significant.