| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 06:09:50
my corn twiglet has always been a bad shedder no matter what we try he never sheds in full he gets quater of a way down then hes skin seems to tight to for him to roll down and always results in me helping to shed the rest hes last shed was the same a month ago and then two weeks ago he spent five hours in hes water bowl submerged up to hes head which hes never done before when he came out he rubbed hes self on the front of the viv and round hes water bowl and hundreds of brown scales stuck to them i picked him up and my hands were littered with what looked like dead scales i rang the local pet shop who has a man who helps with snake issues and he advised i buff the remaining scales of with a sponge it took three days till he was clear his vent scales just came off in sheets alone until he had none of that clear film stuff showing after this he went very very very dull,dry and crispy rough feeling i bathed him everyday to try and rehydrate him but he stayed the same few days later i lifted himout and clear liquid spilled from hes mouth he hadnt done this before so i put him back to keep an eye on him and he went into blue mode the next day i thought he was gonna fix himself then 2 days ago he had lay on the hot side for two days i noticed hes eyes had cleared he was usually blue for over a week but this time was just 3 days i picked himout and a huge amount of thick clear liquid spilled from hes mouth it was horrific i took him to the vet an hour later thinking it was an RI but she said he had no other signs she checked for mites etc nothing she had no idea why hes scales fell off, why he has liquid building up, why hes so crusty and dry she said he seems to have got himself out of sorts and dehydrated but he baths everyday and drinks often i ggot a 5 day course of anti b's called baytril which i have to syringe into hes mouth once a day which he doesnt like being forced lol i have to soak him everyday for the 5 days and if he shows no sign of improvment he has to be seen by a specialist uk is in the middle of a heat wave so ive switched off hes heat mat as hes viv stays at 28c is this ok or should it be on constant ? sorry for the long post but im worried sick hope someone can help please x |
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| mikerichards |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 21:09:28
quote:
Originally posted by lotabob
My thinking is if mucus is running out of the mouth its not coming from the lung, It would have drowned long ago if that was the case. I'm thinking some sort of infection of the mouth, an infection of some sort in the salivary gland is possible too, are there any swellings, lumps, bumps, discolourations or obviously missing teeth in the mouth?
Unfortunately this is why a specialist reptile vet is needed as a first port of call as the subtle or not so subtle signs of illness can be missed, the non-specialist may have totally missed checking the mouth to examine the throat, even getting them to open their mouth safely and in a way it is easy to inspect is a delicate and semi-skilled task that takes practice. I live in Northern Ireland, there is 1 specialist in the whole country but thats the only name I have in my phone should it be needed, my dog's vet is a very skilled vet and also someone I know well but he wouldn't even entertain looking at any reptiles because thats not what he specialises in (his words not mine).
As for punctuation, it does make it very hard to read if there is no flow, it makes it much easier if you can just read the post and concentrate on its content rather than having to work out what is been said first. The clearer the post the more replies you will recieve that covers all aspects of your post rather than picking bits out as your eyes have just been assaulted 
Further to what has been said, mucus coming from the throat is not gonna be lung related, its stomach and throat. Its entirely possible that the way you picked him up and at that specific time his stomach was in a position to release whatever fluid it held.
unless its happening on a regular basis, for now, ignore it, one off events are exactly that. The dry skin, thats what you need to address, initial thought is dehydration, but if hes shedding down to a point and no more, then it points to an issue at that point, damaged scales, be it a burn or scale rot, or maybe some other kind of infection, i dont know, It could be either, seeing as you dont have a stat on the mat, and he spends a lot of time in the water.
Either way, when you get the stat, set it up so its about 30 degrees, remove all bedding, use newspaper or kitchen roll as bedding, use a much smaller water bowl so he cant get into it, make sure the humidity stays nice and low, no misting.
Thats all complete speculation, without pics, its useless me saying anything, its pure guess work. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 20:26:49
My thinking is if mucus is running out of the mouth its not coming from the lung, It would have drowned long ago if that was the case. I'm thinking some sort of infection of the mouth, an infection of some sort in the salivary gland is possible too, are there any swellings, lumps, bumps, discolourations or obviously missing teeth in the mouth?
Unfortunately this is why a specialist reptile vet is needed as a first port of call as the subtle or not so subtle signs of illness can be missed, the non-specialist may have totally missed checking the mouth to examine the throat, even getting them to open their mouth safely and in a way it is easy to inspect is a delicate and semi-skilled task that takes practice. I live in Northern Ireland, there is 1 specialist in the whole country but thats the only name I have in my phone should it be needed, my dog's vet is a very skilled vet and also someone I know well but he wouldn't even entertain looking at any reptiles because thats not what he specialises in (his words not mine).
As for punctuation, it does make it very hard to read if there is no flow, it makes it much easier if you can just read the post and concentrate on its content rather than having to work out what is been said first. The clearer the post the more replies you will recieve that covers all aspects of your post rather than picking bits out as your eyes have just been assaulted |
| kdlang |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 16:52:16
You came on here asking for advice and many people have given you the same advice. Put up pics so the experts (and believe me you wont get a much bigger one than mikerichards) can help. And don't bother going to your normal vet, go straight to the reptile specialist and save yourself some time and money. |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 13:22:23
I have to say I've not heard of snakes with that amount of mucus before! If I was you,I'd still go and see a specialist to be on the safe side.
Disregarding the little punctuation conflict,I would definitely take Mikes advice on getting some pics up etc as he really does know what he's talking about,and has helped many worried owners out. As they say a picture paints a thousand words.
Hope you get your snake back to normal soon.  |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 11:24:37
quote:
Originally posted by twigleroo
jesus what is your problem with my typing i only wanted a bit of advice regarding my snake not insults or abuse off some randomer on a forum,
good morning scottishbluebird yeah i agree she did state she wasnt an expert but i was to worried to wait for the three day waiting period for the specialist but twiglets back to the vet in a couple of hours and she decides then if he needs to see the reptile specialist but to be honest since he shed hes perked up loads and its been nearly a week now since any mucus and he does generally seem to be back to normal which makes me wonder was is the heat that made him fill with mucus as with the heat wave etc it was HOT hes thermostat should be here anyday so ill let you know how he gets on at the vet and thanx for your kind words :) x
the problem is you dont punctuate, which makes it very difficult to read, which makes it harder to help with the problem.
Its not the vet who decides to see a specialist, its you, you need to take the snake to a specialist, you are just wasting time and money going to see a normal vet.
If you dont put pics up, its impossible to to help, it could be any number of things, but i cant help you if you dont put up pics. |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 09:58:07
jesus what is your problem with my typing i only wanted a bit of advice regarding my snake not insults or abuse off some randomer on a forum,
good morning scottishbluebird yeah i agree she did state she wasnt an expert but i was to worried to wait for the three day waiting period for the specialist but twiglets back to the vet in a couple of hours and she decides then if he needs to see the reptile specialist but to be honest since he shed hes perked up loads and its been nearly a week now since any mucus and he does generally seem to be back to normal which makes me wonder was is the heat that made him fill with mucus as with the heat wave etc it was HOT hes thermostat should be here anyday so ill let you know how he gets on at the vet and thanx for your kind words :) x |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 09:14:20
quote:
Originally posted by scottishbluebird
I did have to lol at the punctuation comment then he spelt mucus wrong! I am really glad things are looking better, but have you thought about finding a vet with more experience of snakes? my vet is fantastic, but i would not take Kellogs there as even the guy who looks at snakes admitted he has not much experience with them.
I didnt mention anything about spelling!
Punctuation takes relatively few seconds to sort out, stop being lazy, everyone else manages it.
You need to see a vet who knows about reps, your vet apparently doesnt. That amount of mucus in the throat and lungs is only an indicator of a fairly serious infection. As for the skin, PICS, no one can help you without pictures, it could be any number of things.
Punctuation takes relatively few seconds to sort out, stop being lazy, everyone else manages it. |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 02:05:20
I did have to lol at the punctuation comment then he spelt mucus wrong! I am really glad things are looking better, but have you thought about finding a vet with more experience of snakes? my vet is fantastic, but i would not take Kellogs there as even the guy who looks at snakes admitted he has not much experience with them. |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 04/10/2011 : 01:08:35
i asked a snake forum for advice on a sick snake to take the time to comment on the way i type seems to be a bit of a waste of time and no need for it really as everyone else had the intelligence to understand what i was saying regardless of punctuation or lack of. thankyou to the members who have offered advice but im much more interested in helping my snake rather than being insulted im well aware the mucus is a worrying issue hence why the vet gave him antibiotics she thought it could be an infection of some sort on hes lung and he needed help to fight what ever was wrong with him hence why i asked here as most people seemed to know a lot about health issues he is back to the vet tommorow so i should know why as for my punctuation im often on an ipod touch or blackberry and if you have used these items you know it would take an age to put punctuation in and check everything before submit and that amount of time i seriously dont have thanx for the 'advice' tho its all appreciated. |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 03/10/2011 : 23:35:12
quote:
Originally posted by twigleroo
yeah i can get some pics on in a few hours when i get home i gave him his antibiotics two hours ago by mouth and he stressed out quite a bit so i rang the vet and she said hes last dose i can put them in hes water over night if he drinks often which he does and it should be fine so that i did, hes due back in tomorrow for hes check up as its been five days since hes meds began and then depending on any improvements hell be referred to the top specialist in our area for replties so ill be able to tell you tomorrow hes under belly etc is fine theres no burns or wounds or any sign of trauma etc no sign of mites or any other bugs he was just so so dry and crusty hes substrate is white kitchen towels ive tried him on aspen and bark and he didnt budge out of hes hide for days with either he just didnt like them and when he did come out he slithered around the top of hes house and logs rather then the floor so hes been on the kitchen towel ive had him out today to soak him and he was his usual chirpy self hes scales seem to have a bit of shine to them again touch wood but when i checked hes shed last night it wasnt like normal snake shed it was dry and almost like stiff rice paper i cant really explain but there was no gaps in the bottom scales like normal it was just like one big sheet of scaley skin i cant really explain but ill deffo get some pics on later and thanx for your advice everyone =)
No offence, but your lack of punctuation makes my eyes bleed, its like a wall of words!!
It does sound like hes healing from something, the mucous issue is far more worrying to me than his dry skin. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 03/10/2011 : 19:07:10
It really sounds like burn damage been shed off as its healing or scale rot but until pictures are available it will be difficult to pin down which one (or something totally different).
Why did the vet prescribe antibiotics when they said there was no sign of illness, did they explain as that doesn't make sense. The vet sounds like they had no clue about reptiles, You'd be better off going direct to the specialist they will have a much better idea of reptile treatment and save you the money and time of going through the throw baytril at it see if it helps approach. |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 03/10/2011 : 16:25:54
yeah i can get some pics on in a few hours when i get home i gave him his antibiotics two hours ago by mouth and he stressed out quite a bit so i rang the vet and she said hes last dose i can put them in hes water over night if he drinks often which he does and it should be fine so that i did, hes due back in tomorrow for hes check up as its been five days since hes meds began and then depending on any improvements hell be referred to the top specialist in our area for replties so ill be able to tell you tomorrow hes under belly etc is fine theres no burns or wounds or any sign of trauma etc no sign of mites or any other bugs he was just so so dry and crusty hes substrate is white kitchen towels ive tried him on aspen and bark and he didnt budge out of hes hide for days with either he just didnt like them and when he did come out he slithered around the top of hes house and logs rather then the floor so hes been on the kitchen towel ive had him out today to soak him and he was his usual chirpy self hes scales seem to have a bit of shine to them again touch wood but when i checked hes shed last night it wasnt like normal snake shed it was dry and almost like stiff rice paper i cant really explain but there was no gaps in the bottom scales like normal it was just like one big sheet of scaley skin i cant really explain but ill deffo get some pics on later and thanx for your advice everyone =) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 03/10/2011 : 15:13:00
quote:
Originally posted by lotabob
Is the problem more on the underside of the snake? My thinking been unstatted heat mat and a snake struggling to shed could possibly point to it been a burn. Also could be scale rot. Can you post some CLEAR pictures of your snake covering all angles and any areas that dont look right. Unfortunately when husbandry isn't right either through lack of research or bad advice the snake is the one to suffer, I've followed bad advice as well luckily these forums exist and it was quickly discovered and put right. Have a read of the caresheet, if you can get your setup matching that you can't go wrong and pop up some pictures (see photos sections for instructions on how to do it if you need them) and we'll se if we can't get this snake straightened out.
Second this, pics are important. Doesnt really sound like the vet had a clue what she was doing. Mucus out of the mouth isnt really that common with RI's, bubbling yes, but not pouring out. Sounds like something else is wrong to me. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 23:59:38
Is the problem more on the underside of the snake? My thinking been unstatted heat mat and a snake struggling to shed could possibly point to it been a burn. Also could be scale rot. Can you post some CLEAR pictures of your snake covering all angles and any areas that dont look right. Unfortunately when husbandry isn't right either through lack of research or bad advice the snake is the one to suffer, I've followed bad advice as well luckily these forums exist and it was quickly discovered and put right. Have a read of the caresheet, if you can get your setup matching that you can't go wrong and pop up some pictures (see photos sections for instructions on how to do it if you need them) and we'll se if we can't get this snake straightened out. |
| kdlang |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 22:21:50
Thats great about the thermostat. Many shops dont tell you that they are important which is really wrong.
I'm really pleased that he gave you a good shed. I really don't know about the dry skin. It might still be worthwhile you getting him referred to a specialist or even looking around for a reptile vet yourself. It would save the consultation fee of seeing your usual vet as well as the specialist. |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 18:33:14
sorry read you wrong thought you said thermometer ive got a digital one of them on either side to be honest never really heard of a thermostat but just read up and bought a new one off ebay which should be here in a few days, n thanx scottishbluebird out of all my dogs, snakes n turtle hes the one who stands out most with hes own little personality and a just feel so sorry for him lol i hope he gets sorted too xx |
| scottishbluebird |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 18:26:43
I really hope what ever is wrong, i do hope everything goes ok xx |
| kdlang |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 17:07:48
If you have a thermostat then you shouldn't have any need to turn the heatmat off. That is what the thermostat does when it gets to the temperature you have set it to. |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 16:17:47
yeah its hot 82-73 cold i hope this is right =/ and the mucus was horrific ive just fed him and he wolfed it down he weighs 200g and the vet said hes got a strong constrict on him and seems healthy enough but she did state she wasnt an expert she said she had a vast knowledge but if she couldnt help she would refer him to a specialist on tuesday when he goes back for hes check up. a friend of mine thought he may have been to hot and this caused the mucus i dunno if this is true ? but it was on the hottest day of the heatwave and like a douche it never occured to turn his heat mat off for a while and it hit 30c which was pure neglect on my part but he seems back to normal this afternoon and its got me puzzled big time |
| twigleroo |
Posted - 02/10/2011 : 16:07:21
hes got a humidity box hes lived in for the past few days is that the same thing ? ive just checked on him as i was gonna give him his meds and hes daily bath and hes shed fully for the first time in 18 months it was perfect but much diffo to hes normal type it was dry and crispy and specks of the dead scales show up on hes tail which i must of missed so thats fab and the pattern of scruffy scales also shows so most of hes 'damage' has came off but he still seems really dry altho nice n shiney now lol any ideads what could have caused this amount of dryness and the mucus business as the vet wasnt really sure either x |
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