Injured jaw?

[HeatherHavoc]

Hi guys, I've been reading around here and you guys seem to know your stuff. I recently found a baby garter in my basement and, due to the cold and his size, chosen to keep it. It's been a bit lethargic and I noticed that it seems to have something caught on it's jaw and the front of it's nose. We have two dogs and a cat so could one of them have taken a swipe at it?
It looks like some sort of gray gunk or something, I honestly don't know what it could be. It might be sticky because it has some fuzz stuck to it, which I'm too scared to pull off. It just appears to be stuck in it's mouth, but I don't want to pull it for fear of injuring him. Would a bath help loosen up the substance, or should I pull it off? He doesn't appear to be in any pain when I do. I'm very sorry I don't know what species it is, but I live in New England if that helps. Here's a picture, you can kind of see the substance on his nose.


http://i36.tinypic.com/19qaog.png


He did seem to perk up at the warmth of my laptop, could he just be a bit cold and that's making him appear sick?
I'm sorry if I was rambling or if this isn't an appropriate post, I'm just a bit worried because my friend said it seemed like it was dying and I don't want it to die, obviously.

[mustang]

i am amazed u found it like that....i wouldnt get him wet for fear of it expanding and getting bigger....in my opinion if u have steady hands rub the substane on the nod and see if its just connected to the top or if its rooted under the scales . do it gently DO NOT APPLY FORCE!! or atleaste a lot of force....if it comes off easy gon ahead and remove it
number 1 prioroty GET IT OUT OF THE MOUTH! the reason i said to check the nose first is beceause the wouth is one of the most important parts to a snakes survival and u dont want to screw up on that.... this is just my opinion .....if he can stil drink go ahead and wait for someone like asnakelovingbabe or guildfatherofive to reply the have more expertice in this field.

[jitami]

Could it be stomatitis?

Here's a good article about stomatitis (mouth rot):
Ulcerative Stomatitis (Mouthrot) in Reptiles (http://www.anapsid.org/stomatitis.html)

And this one has a picture of a ball python with stomititis - 3rd pic down:
Ball Python (http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/ballpython1.htm)

[GarterGeek]

I'm no expert, but that looks like an Eastern garter (sirtalis sirtalis). He/She is probably lethargic because it is brumating - Brumation is when a snake has slowed down it's metabolism due to the cold. During brumation the snake remains relatively inactive, and refuses food. All wild snakes brumate during the winter.

It's difficult to tell how the fuzz is connected to the snake from your photo, but a lukewarm (not hot!) bath wouldn't hurt the snake, just don't use soap or anything. I can't really tell if the snake has an injury on the face...the shape of the jaw does look somewhat peculiar though. Someone else will probably be able to give you more advice on that.

Anyhow, welcome! I hope I have been of some help to you. :) Thank you for caring for the little guy.

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum.

Could the snake have gotten into a glue trap? Have to tried to remove any of the substance? Does it look like an infection? Could it be a healing burn?
Sorry for all the questions but they all came to mind.
Best of luck with your little friend and thanks for taking the time to be concerned. Keep us informed.

[mustang]

may be somthing like lent.....once in middle school i found a baby gecko and people were trying to kill it so i grabbed it and put it in my back pack (an open spot so not to get squashed) and when i took him out after school it jaws were stuck together by some lent in my back pack....it died a little while later it was too far gone even after i removed the lent.

[ConcinusMan]

Snakes have a fixed expression. They can be in great pain, but won't necessarily show it! They show it by refusing food and generally hiding a lot.

Whatever it is, it's life threatening. Like it was said before, problems with the mouth must be diagnosed and treated right away. If you can't get it to clear up and heal, so as to no longer cause the snake any pain, he'll starve to death!

[mustang]

hows he doin?

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, HeatherHavoc :)
Hows he doin :confused:

[guidofatherof5]

Snakes have a fixed expression. They can be in great pain, but won't necessarily show it! They show it by refusing food and generally hiding a lot.

I'm not sure I would agree with that. I've seen many different expression on my snakes faces. It maybe subtle but they can give different looks. I work with them daily and have raised many from newborns. They do a lot of it with their eyes.

[ConcinusMan]

Well you and I, after having garters for YEARS can catch those subtle differences in mood and such. Also, those differences vary with individual snakes. My female was very expressive. My male was not. Someone who's never kept snakes once asked me "how can you tell?" referring to the snake's mood, and their fixed expressions. "Looks like he's smiling to me" when it was clear to me, that a particular snake was not happy at all.

Not everyone can see that. Not everyone sees the differences, and you have to admit, they are very subtle. Even for you and I, it's hard to tell with a new snake, or a species we have never kept. You have to get to know them. If you've never seen a particular snake happy or in a good mood, or distressed and in pain, you don't really know what it looks like. An angry or annoyed snake is usually pretty obvious. Not so with the other moods, or a snake in pain. I guess that's the point I was trying to make.

Hey, you know, it just occurred to me. It could be something as simple as a little pine tar, or sap. I saw that once on a garter's lips.