Mouth rot? or maybe it's just a bruise?

[Alicewave]

Gimley is doing well now but I noticed last night he has a little bruising on his mouth where I tried to syringe feed him a little Jumpstart and calcium a couple weeks ago. I don't know if it's just a bruise or if it's mouth rot (I don't really even know what mouth rot looks like). Any ideas of what I can do to treat this? I'll post a picture tonight if I can.

[Alicewave]

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/949bruise.jpg

Here's the picture. Any ideas how I should treat this?

[Linds]

What does it look like on the inside?

[damzookeeper]

OMG, gimley is sooooooo cute! I hope it's not mouth rot. From what you said it could be a bruise but I don't know much about mouth rott, sorry. I do know that it is like a fungus or something that starts inside the mouth though.
Hope he feels better soon.

[Alicewave]

I don't want to bother the area too much and his head is still really small so I haven't been able to look at it on the inside. I will try though.

[The_Omen]

Mouthrot is not a very typical thing for leos to get, however it is possible for any reptile to get it.

Mouthrot will make a sore spot, typically swollen with a lot of puss (in snakes and slower metabolizing reptiles, it will look quite like cottage cheese stuck in the gums and mouth), swelling, sometimes bleeding and in severe cases, enough swelling and puss to change the shape of the entire head and jaw.

Good news is, I seriously doubt it is mouthrot.
But, just in case, you can use the back end of a set of tweezers to gently open and hold the mouth open, in a fashion of using a speculum, inserting the 'hinge' side of the tweezers, then moving them across the mouth till the wide part of the 'legs' are holding the mouth open.
Look inside for any redness or small cuts.
If there is any, then it could become a problem.
You can treat it with diluted peroxide or highly diluted chlorohexadine, swabbing it on a few times a day until clear.

But to me it does look like a bruise from the syringe.
Syringes are pretty hard and sometimes may have mold imperfections that can act like a small knife on reptiles.
My reccomendation is to get a few catheter tubes, 14fr will work good, and attach one to the syringe for feedings.

The tube may need to be cut off near the syringe side as it will have a big 'funnel' that won't fit a standard syringe unless cut off and slightly forced on. (easy to make fit)
The delivery end of the cath will need to be cut off as well, since it will have two staggered holes on its' sides which are useless on such a small critter in this type of feeding.

[Alicewave]

Thanks for the info. :) Gimley is eating great on his own now but I will get a different syringe if I ever need on in the future. If it's just a bruise shall i let nature take it's course? Or would a warm wet compress help him? It's been 2-3 weeks since i used the syringe on him but maybe they take longer to heal.

[The_Omen]

Unless there are signs, like a cut, or reddness,(and/or others) just let nature take its course.
Their metabolism is a lot slower than ours, and look how long we can keep a bruise.

[Samba]

Meg, what a cute baby! I'm sure it's not mouthrot (Lord knows I've seen some terrible cases). It looks like a bruise. It could be caused from many things, not just syringe feedings. Just keep an eye on him, and watch to make sure he isn't showing any signs of distress.

On another note, have your other eggs hatched yet? I can't wait to see the babies! Good Luck!

[Alicewave]

Yeah he is pretty cute. I've got 6 eggs in the oven. One clutch which I thought was not fertile now looks like it may be. The other two clutches seem fertile so far also. A few more weeks yet before I see any more babies.