sorry for the delay in posting, it's been a busy couple days. the vet wanted to keep the snake overnight to observe it and wait for all the test results. he said there is definitely more than one problem, so we will have to try to break it down and see what needs worked on first. his biggest concern is the infection and getting it under control, so antibiotics for that. but he also said the snake is dehydrated and he said it is young and from the looks of it has never eaten. I hadn't even noticed (not being a snake person) but the snake was not flicking its tongue. he gently opened the mouth to check for mouth rot and it seemed almost sealed with dead skin. thankfully he doesn't have mouth rot and once he had cleaned away some of the dead skin he did flick his tongue. soooo....now it is just a wait and see. the lowest priority is to get him eating, but he is going to give the snake a tube feeding at the next visit. I'm soaking him 2x a day now in nice warm water for 1/2 hour...I will get some updated pics as soon as possible. thanks for all the support! it makes it a lot easier trying to do this knowing I have somewhere to turn.