ATB with her mouth open

[jsshark1]

I Have had this ATB for about a year, never gave problem when it came to eating like the rest of the one I have till now,

Top tank temp 88 deg
bottom tank temp 79
Humidity 71%

open-1.jpg

if I have the top temp any lower then 88 deg she will put her head right under the screen with her mouth open as you can see in the picture.

open-3.jpg

a good shot of the inside of her mouth,

she started about a month and a half ago but I did not think it was to much of a problem when she ate on 8-18 since then every attempt she just drop the mouse,

when you look at her she will hisssss and open her moth more then closes her mouth and she looks good, like no problem till I leave then she will go back to basking in the heat with her mouth open,

I took her to the vet yesterday just to be told the only snakes he sees are kids pets snakes and snakes for one breeder so it was not good as she is a spicy girl 5 foot girl that had every one in the room on edge.

he agreed with me that her mouth looks good and she has no mouth rot , he also thinks she dose not have a respiratory problem , I have not seen any bubbles ever come out of her mouth..his recommendation was wait two week and see how she is , maybe start her on antibiotics shots..

do I have to worry ? , any thought on what problem it could be ?

thanks for reading

[millertime89]

Pic from the other side? Looks like she's got her lip stuck on her teeth. I've seen it before with animals prone to defensive strikes or aggressive eaters.

[Aaron_S]

Honestly, don't let the vet give her antibiotics for no reason. It's just a silly waste of money. It's throwing poop at the wall and hoping something sticks.

Cultures need to be done. Tests need to be done to figure out any bacteria growing.

[millertime89]

^werd, I skimmed and missed that part. Went back and read the rest of the post. Keep an eye on her but I wouldn't be too concerned at this point. If you don't want to attempt to fix it yourself (a firm grasp behind her head and a pair of tweezers if it is a lip stuck on teeth) she may fix it on her own when she next goes to shed. Just keep the enclosure clear to make sure nothing gets in her mouth.

[jsshark1]

thank you for the reply's,

Now that makes sense, yes she loves to strike the screen covering the heat light, I will take a look in her mouth and try to fix her lip problem today , you are talk about the upper lip ? .

[millertime89]

Correct, seems to be the offending one usually.

[jsshark1]

After getting her out of her cage she was spicy as ever, I held her head and with some tweezers I went between the lip and her teeth and made shear nothing was hanging up, I got this picture after to show that all the teeth are free and for some one to say something if they see another problem or something I am missing.

open-4.jpg

did fix it or do you still see a problem ?

Thanks

[millertime89]

How's her face look to you? Looks like a little bit of her lip in front my still be stuck on a tooth but that may just be the angle of the picture.

[jsshark1]

she did not want to eat last night , she would grab and wrap around the mouse but would drop it . she still basking in the heat with her mouth open i looked this morning and took another picture of your upper teeth,


open-5.jpg

do you still see a problem ?
while I was examining her she was wheezing and hissing the hole time , I thing I see a bit of yellow on the tip of the lower teeth.

[millertime89]

Looks fine to me in that picture. Time for another vet trip if you hear wheezing and see yellow. Is she staying hydrated?

[jsshark1]

not at first, I notes her mouth looked so dry and I have not seen her in the water bowl , I now spray her down and she looks to be drinking ( inflates her lower neck) so I spray her down at least once a day, I agree time for the vet , her mouth looks good and no bubbles come out but the wheezing that I am confused thinking she is hissing has me worried.

[shaunyboy]

if i'm reading this correctly she never closes her mouth ?

it stays open all the time like in your pictures ?

if so i'm thinking there's something wrong with her jaws

you say she likes to strike at the hard plastic screen,she may have broke one or more jaws

if i'm reading this correctly,i'm wondering why the vet didn't take an X Ray of the jaws

my apologies if i'm not reading this thread correctly


cheers shaun

[millertime89]

I'm inclined to agree with Shaun at this point. The yellow may be plaque (like the stuff on your teeth) and can be a sign of dehydration.

[shaunyboy]

BOTTOM JAWS.....


1st picture
her right jaw looks ok and in line


3rd picture
her left jaw is hanging down at the front and way out of line

my thinking is a broken BOTTOM left jaw

if the vet missed that he deserves his practice closed down.....!!!


cheers shaun

[jsshark1]

she dose close her mouth if she is in defense mode. , looks good when closed



it's when you leave her alone she open her mouth , so when i approach the tank she starts to open her mouth more wile whizzing or hissing .

I will keeper hydrated with spraying,

if it is a broken jaw will she recover, sound like a death sentence if her jaw is broken