Ball Python Keepers?? Mouth Rot?? Help!

[ReptileLove18]

My baby female ball python has been staying in her hide pretty much 24/7 the last two days, which is strange because she normally comes out and explores around her enclosure and hangs out on one of her branches during the day. today i pull her out and i notice a brown "stain" if you will around the front of her mouth. this was never here on her before and ive had her for several months. it has developed within the last three days when i last held her. she was fed on sunday and it wasnt there after she was fed. i know she wasnt bitten in her mouth although a nail could have scratched her mouth. ive never had to open her mouth before so i havent figured out how to do that but i did get some pictures of the "stain" on the outside of her mouth. im concerned it could be mouth rot but i havent seen the inside of her mouth yet and i have never had to deal with mouth rot with any of my snakes so ive never seen it first hand.. any thoughts or opinions would be great....

i apologize for the pics being in the bathroom, it had the best light at this time of day..

 

[ReptileLove18]

anyone got any thoughts?

 

[DavidBuchan]

I can proudly boast that none of my reptiles has ever had mouth rot either.....I guess I'm just lucky, really.......anyway....idk what that is....doesn't look like mouth rot to me....but I'm no expert

Can you get some more pics? And try to get a good look in her mouth.....
I would be thinking about a vet...but not panicking....

 

[twatts704]

What substrate do you have her on? Ball pythons hiding for long periods of time is very normal. I can't see the pic on my phone but mouth rot tends to also reveal swelling. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If she had problems eating then get her to a vet but could just be she is getting ready to shed and you are just now noticing the skins color before a shed. Just watch her the next couple of days. If she came from petco or petsmart then I would go have a fecal done because 9/10 snakes that come from there will have some sort of parasite in then like protozoa. You won't know unless you get a fecal done. Basically it's a parasite that takes all the nutrients from what they eat and gives the snake none. You would never know until it is to late. Good luck

 

[RoskaL]

If your wanting to open the mouth, use something with a small rounded metal end. I typically use the handle of scissors I have and just wiggle it in there. They'll do the rest and you can get a good look in there to make sure its all nice and pink and doesn't look damaged or anything.
Doesn't look like anything bad but its hard to tell from the picture. If anything could be scale rot but that's your worst case scenario I would say
If you could get a better pic it would be a lot more helpful

 

[ReptileLove18]

thanks for all the replies everyone!
i'll get some more pics when i get home before i go to work i was able to get her mouth open and saw nothing unusual, everything was pink and natural. theres no visible swelling inside or outside. i agree she could be coming into a shed because she is dulling down some and her last shed was about a month ago so that would also explain her hiding alot. she's normally very social and only really hides before and during her shed.
she's on a combo of reptibark and small rocks however she was not on it when i posted this as i had just finished treating her for mites, she was on a clean sheet. she is now back on her regular substrate.

ill try to get some better pics later today and post them, ill hold her and ask my boyfriend to take the pictures because i was doing both with the pic above and it was hard!! thanks so much everyone i feel much better now im such a worry wart when it comes to my pets, everything else i can reduce the stress no problem but my pets i just panic over the littlest thing haha

 

[reptilover]

When shes roaming around as usual is she extended rubbing her nose on the screen? My male ziggy does it. I call it the ziggy dance. But if done enough can cause an abrasion on there nose/mouth opening

 

[ReptileLove18]

shes in a mostly glass enclosure with only two screen sides, she does rub her nose on the glass while roaming sometimes if she isnt climbing one of her branches. i was wondering if this can be the cause sometimes she does it for 20 mins at a time like she just wants to escape, shes in a 36 length x 24 deep x 24 tall enclosure. when she does that i take her out and let her do her thing, of course supervised! i handle her every day, sometimes two times a day when she rubs like this and i pull her out again to get her to stop

 

[ReptileLove18]

is there anything i can do to heal up an abrasion if that what it is? or to prevent her from doing it so much?

 

[RoskaL]

is there anything i can do to heal up an abrasion if that what it is? or to prevent her from doing it so much?

What is she kept in? She might need a bigger size tank

 

[reptilover]

Are the temps good in her enclouser? Thats all I can think of for rubbing around other than thats what snakes do. I know neosporain is good on abrasions but not sure about on her nose. So wait for confirmation on that. Can I see her enclosure? I'm interested

 

[ReptileLove18]

shes kept in a 36 in length x 24 in deep x 24 in tall enclosure. shes about 10 inches long, shes only approximately 3 months old

 

[ReptileLove18]

Are the temps good in her enclouser? Thats all I can think of for rubbing around other than thats what snakes do. I know neosporain is good on abrasions but not sure about on her nose. So wait for confirmation on that. Can I see her enclosure? I'm interested

temps are good humidity is good, i mist down the bark once a day when it drops down to 40 percent to bring it back to 50 percent. ive been keeping it around 55 percent the last couple days because i think she might be getting ready to shed. I'll take some pics of her enclosure and post them when i get home this afternoon and post them for ya!

 

[Carlton]

This doesn't suggest mouth rot to me, but rather the beginning of a snout rubbed area. Mouth rot inflammation may show up more as displacement of the scales along the lip line from swelling and you may see more of the gum that looks reddish. Definitely check inside her mouth just in case. Have you considered that you may be handling her too often? If a snake doesn't feel secure or hidden enough in a largely transparent cage it may keep searching for a better hiding area away from disturbance. One of several reasons I like keeping my bp in a more enclosed cage such as a Vision...it is more like a burrow that is their natural place to spend most of their time when they aren't hunting. They don't feel as exposed to view.

 

[ReptileLove18]

i hadnt considered i was handling her too much, it doesnt seem to stress her out of course i am no snake mind reader so i cant be sure!! i just compare her attitude to other snakes i have and have had before i will try cutting down handling and adding more things to her enclosure so that there isnt as much empty space so that she doesnt feel as exposed. hopefully she will stop rubbing then. what she does is circle the cage like shes looking for a way out and then "climbs" up rubbing her snout as she goes.. im also looking for a better hide for her, she has a half log right now and i know she would rather have something with one entrance however everything at the local petstores is ridiculously priced. any suggestions on online places to get good hides?

im also not going to have time to pull her out and take pics before work, they called me in early and i have to be there in a half hour so when i get off work tonight ill get more pictures of her and her enclosure for everyone who asked for them!!

 

[ChuWuti]

I am a ball python keeper; BPs are my primary snakes. (In fact, I know a heck of a lot more about BPs than I do about chams!)

The small area that I see in the photo (not as clearly as I'd like) does not appear to be anything dangerous; it definitely does not look like mouth rot to me. It would be good to keep an eye on her for the next several days, though, as there are other possibilities.

You might make her feel more comfortable if you give her two hides, one on the cool side and one on the warm side of her enclosure.

Bring the ambient humidity, i.e., when she's NOT in shed, up to 60%; if you think she's going into shed, bring it up to 90-100%. You can do this by getting some dried long-fiber sphagnum moss, soaking it in a bowl, squeezing it out until it's just damp, and putting it in her warm hide.

What are you using to provide a warm spot? UTH, heat lamp, ??? A UTH is safer than a heat rock by far (many snakes have gotten burned on heat rocks), and if a heat lamp is on the screen top, she could burn herself on it by rubbing the screen. There are several safe ways to go about heating a ball python enclosure. Undercage heating pads (UTH, under-tank heatpad) and heat tapes, ceramic heat emitters, or basking bulbs are just a few. Some people use red bulbs at night, but as with chams, the red bulbs keep your snake awake; a UTH eliminates the need for any extra nighttime heat source. Keep in mind that all the heat sources will tend to decrease the humidity as the day passes. One trick to help maintain the higher humidity BPs like is to replace the screen with plexiglass or to put a damp towel across the top of the enclosure. Potted plants or a natural vivarium will help, too.

Basking spot temperature should be between 88 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ambient temperature should be 78 to 80 degrees. The ambient temperature should not fall below 75 degrees, as that's getting too cold for a python that evolved on the African savannah. Don't use those little stick-on dials for checking humidity or temp. The best way to monitor both temperatures and humidity is to use a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. Stick the thermometer to the inside of the cage on the cool end near the floor--NOT up high, as your snake doesn't live up high--and place the probe on the warm end, and you'll have both sides covered at once.

Edit--meant to mention the credit-card trick--you can use the edge of a credit card to pry her mouth open gently without risking an injury if you feel you need to check her mouth.

Also, BPs are not nearly as susceptible to stress from handling as chams are, but no snake really likes to be handled a lot.

Let us know if you have any other questions, and keep us posted on how she's doing.

 

[ReptileLove18]

i have a basking lamp as well as an UTH ambient temp is 80 degrees and basking is 92-95 degrees. i use a "moonlight" bulb at night, its pretty much a black light, gives off practically no light waves but does give off heat. i cant ever locate her at night even if she is right in front of me with this light so i dont think it disturbs her sleep. i have reptibark so i mist that down to bring the humidity up when it starts to drop, thank you for the info the caresheet i was given when i bought her had said 50 percent generally 60-80 when shedding, so ill adjust that to what you said!! i have her in a glass enclosure with a screen top so between that and the reptibark the humidity is pretty consistant i only mist once a day, twice if its a really dry day.
i was able to get a look in her mouth and it looked normal to me and the spot on the outside hasnt changed at all so i think it may be a color change due to shedding, shes due for a shed anytime. im going to take more pics and post them when i get home and these ones should be better, sorry for the poor quality i was holding her and taking the pics lol.. ill hold her and ask my boyfriend to take the pics tonight

thanks so much for the info and advice!!!

 

[Carlton]

i have a basking lamp as well as an UTH ambient temp is 80 degrees and basking is 92-95 degrees. i use a "moonlight" bulb at night, its pretty much a black light, gives off practically no light waves but does give off heat. i cant ever locate her at night even if she is right in front of me with this light so i dont think it disturbs her sleep. i have reptibark so i mist that down to bring the humidity up when it starts to drop, thank you for the info the caresheet i was given when i bought her had said 50 percent generally 60-80 when shedding, so ill adjust that to what you said!! i have her in a glass enclosure with a screen top so between that and the reptibark the humidity is pretty consistant i only mist once a day, twice if its a really dry day.
i was able to get a look in her mouth and it looked normal to me and the spot on the outside hasnt changed at all so i think it may be a color change due to shedding, shes due for a shed anytime. im going to take more pics and post them when i get home and these ones should be better, sorry for the poor quality i was holding her and taking the pics lol.. ill hold her and ask my boyfriend to take the pics tonight

thanks so much for the info and advice!!!

Well, considering that bps are nocturnal I doubt any sort of bulb is going to disturb her at night. It's keeping her awake during the day that matters, and your glass cage is going to be pretty bright then. If she's been rubbing, this may discolor the skin at that spot just because she would normally get a bit of substrate on her skin while moving around, but then rubs it in.

As for better hides, you want something that is more enclosed than a half-log. I got one of these for my first bp (still have him 10 years later) and he never liked it. Too open and it doesn't hold humidity well. Even a dark spray painted plastic container would work better. What about a painted plastic shoebox with an entrance cut in one end? Put some damp moss or aspen bark inside. Partially bury it so it's dark. Or a slab of cork bark mostly buried. Not too big...bps are burrow hunters and feel more secure if they are confined, (their body should be able to touch the sides when they are curled inside).

 

[ChuWuti]

If what you have is a true black light, black lights are really iffy. There are a couple of kinds, and some of them can cause blindness in snakes. Basically, none of them are needed if you have a UTH. If the room in which you keep the snake gets really cold at night, a ceramic heat emitter, which does not emit any visible light at all, just heat, is better.

Most snake-keepers I know never use any night-lights for the full length of the night. Some of us use moonglow bulbs or red bulbs just for the evening so we can observe our snakes' nocturnal activities for awhile, then turn the lights off for the majority of the night.

Here's a link to some good, credible information about black lights:

http://www.anapsid.org/blacklight.html

If you have something like an Exo-Terra moonlight bulb, that isn't a black light, but you still don't need it.

Here's a link to some credible information about light and heat for snakes:

http://www.anapsid.org/liteheat.html

Glad you got her mouth open so you could be sure she doesn't have mouth rot! It could be the beginning of a shed, it could be a small burn, or it could be a rubbed spot; if it's any of the latter, shedding will remove most if not all of the discoloration.

Good luck!

 

[ReptileLove18]

i was thinking about that too!

Well, considering that bps are nocturnal I doubt any sort of bulb is going to disturb her at night. It's keeping her awake during the day that matters, and your glass cage is going to be pretty bright then. If she's been rubbing, this may discolor the skin at that spot just because she would normally get a bit of substrate on her skin while moving around, but then rubs it in.

As for better hides, you want something that is more enclosed than a half-log. I got one of these for my first bp (still have him 10 years later) and he never liked it. Too open and it doesn't hold humidity well. Even a dark spray painted plastic container would work better. What about a painted plastic shoebox with an entrance cut in one end? Put some damp moss or aspen bark inside. Partially bury it so it's dark. Or a slab of cork bark mostly buried. Not too big...bps are burrow hunters and feel more secure if they are confined, (their body should be able to touch the sides when they are curled inside).

i've been looking for something else, havent been able to find anything cheaper then 30 bucks at the local store ill look for a plastic shoe box or small tote and see what i can find! where can i find cork bark?