Could this cause a broken tooth??

[kiiarah]

Hi everyone, so as I have mentioned in previous posts I have been putting down a round section of paper plate over the substrate when feeding Shesha. I still don't know how on earth he did it but last night he managed to flip the paper up as he was striking got it wedged between the rat and his lower jaw as he bit down on the rat. So basically he had his upper teeth in his rat and his lower teeth on the bottom of the paper with the rat wedged in between. I immediately reached in to try to remove it but since he was already trying to coil and constrict it took a moment to get at the right angle to dislodge it. I finally got it out of his mouth (he kept a hold of the rat). I pulled the paper gently to see if it would come out and as I was trying to determine how hard he was biting down on it I think he must have adjusted his grip on the rat because it did come loose. I did not yank on it that hard, but I have no idea how much pressure it would take to damage their teeth. I swear I heard a scraping sound when it came out. Needless to say, we are going to need to develop a new feeding approach, but I am still worried sick in the meantime. How would I even know if he chipped a tooth? They are so tiny! I am also really worried about him putting so much pressure on his belly against the edge of the paper. Can a snake get a paper cut? I didn't notice any problem while watching him but was afraid to pick him up to inspect him since he had just finished swallowing the rat and I didn't want to cause a regurge. I will be taking a quick look at him tonight. Anyone have similar experiences or tips, I would absolutely hate for him to get mouth rot or something similar and I really don't want to spend the next few months dreading some problem coming up. Can anyone give me any reassurance about how quickly I would see symptoms if any damage occurred?? :confused:

[MDT]

a chipped tooth would be unlikely. if tooth damage were done, it would be a lost tooth (teeth) and typically not a big deal, as teeth are lost frequently in the wild and grow back very quickly. a paper plate causing a paper cut on the scutes or body scales would again be unlikely (i'm guessing you didn't see blood?)...or was it possibly a paper cut in the mouth (i wasn't following the description)? either way, given the relative cleanliness in a home enclosure vs the bacteria that they encounter in the wild, i think you're gonna be (and your snake will be) ok...just keep an eye on it for the next few days. if you see normal behavior, you're prob ok.

[Aaron_S]

To add to what Matt said. Snakes are hardy animals. They live on their bellies. It's unlikely to get a paper cut. Their scales are built to withstand some things. You need to give your animal credit for what it is and how it normally would live it's life.

Also, you can stop using the paper plate altogether if you're worried about it somehow affecting the snake during feeding. I have never used anything like that with all the substrates I've ever used. No issues. I doubt it's me being lucky by now.

[kiiarah]

Thank you both. I had originally tried to talk myself into the fact that they slither over sharp objects in nature and are fine but I was still worried that maybe under certain circumstances it can be a danger. Good to know this isn't an issue. His mouth is still looking fine so hopefully no problem there. I had originally been using the plate since I was having to set down the rat on the substrate and was afraid he would pick up a mouthful of bedding when trying to get his mouth around the rat. These days he knows what's up at feeding time so I think I can just give it to him with the tongs from here and it never has to touch the bedding at all unless he drags it through it (which I can't prevent anyway). I think next time I will ditch the plate altogether. :) Thank you for the reassurance!

[MDT]

No worries...and trust me, at some point, he's gonna swallow bedding/substrate. It happens in the wild, it's gonna happen in an enclosure w bedding. If your husbandry is good, it won't be a problem. Lots of people tend to really fixate on that, but forget about the twig/leaf/dirt encrusted mouse they eat in the wild.

Another option is switch to newspaper. I have this in my enclosures, not for ingestion issues, but for ease of clean up.