Swelling on mouth?

[GarterSnake]

Hi all,

My Ribbon Snake has an odd looking bump on the side of his mouth. It looks like it might be some sort of swelling. I noticed it when I was feeding him. He ate just fine with it, and it doesn't seem to be bothering him, but it still looks pretty bad and seems to have gotten worse in the last 48 hours. I took pictures earlier this afternoon, here they are.

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[d_virginiana]

That looks like an infection... Can't tell if that white stuff is just debris or the sort of cottage-cheese looking residue associated with stomatitis, but you should quarantine this guy and power clean everything he's been on (especially if other snakes are around) just to be safe. If this is actually stomatitis and not a regular mouth infection, I'm sure someone who has dealt with it before will be able to give you advice on how to handle that.

If it's getting worse quickly, you might want to treat with diluted hydrogen peroxide first (I find that H202 works well to initially 'nuke' really worrisome infections, but you don't want to use it for long as it can seriously damage the tissue). After that, I'd do twice-daily swabbings with diluted hibiclens (betadine works as well, but my snakes don't seem to mind hibiclens as much) and keep that up for awhile.
Also, you may want to change to using newspaper as substrate for the time being. Where the mouth can't seal 100%, dust and debris from most bedding will stick to it and make healing up that much harder.

[guidofatherof5]

It looks like an infection. Hibiclens in a 50/50 water mix has proven to do well on these. Daily treatments with a Q tip is required.
These things get an almost clear scab on them which can make them look worse then they really are.
My Vet. treats these by poking the infected area with a sterile needle then applying a med. His idea is to get the blood flowing through the infected area to help flush it out.
As a rule this thing are not a big deal but they can turn deadly(systemic infection).
Good eye finding it.

Hibiclens Antiseptic/Antimicrobial Skin Cleanser Liquid | Walgreens

[GarterSnake]

What is Hibiclens? And his substrate is already shredded blank newsprint. He gets himself stuck under it if it isn't shredded.

[guidofatherof5]

What is Hibiclens? And his substrate is already shredded blank newsprint. He gets himself stuck under it if it isn't shredded.

Amazon.com: Hibiclens Antimicrobial Skin Liquid Soap, 8 Fluid Ounce: Health & Personal Care

[GarterSnake]

Ok, thanks. Will look at that.

[d_virginiana]

When I had a very young one with a persistent mouth infection, the method Steve mentioned with poking the area with a needle to get the scab off and blood flowing worked really well (even if it was a little nerve-wracking to do!). If you try that, you might want to use tiny grade insulin needles from CVS. They are sterile, and small enough to work on something as small as a garter snake.

[guidofatherof5]

It should also be said that these things can heal without any intervention from us. It's a long process and usually the final scab will come off in a shed.
Treated or not there will be some scar tissue on the lip and it may not get back to a normal appearance.

[d_virginiana]

It should also be said that these things can heal without any intervention from us. It's a long process and usually the final scab will come off in a shed.
Treated or not there will be some scar tissue on the lip and it may not get back to a normal appearance.

How they heal seems to depend on the snake... I have a female whose mouth took almost two years to get back to normal after a relatively minor infection, and the baby with the pretty persistent one that I mentioned went completely back to normal in just a few months.

[GarterSnake]

Quick update:

I haven't ended up using the Hibiclens, at least not yet. I did the needle treatment as suggested a few times to get the blood flowing, and the swelling has gone down quite a bit. I will be monitoring him closely, but he seems to be doing much better. Is there anything I should be concerned about, other than just watching for a worsening in the swelling or the snake's general condition? Thanks for all your suggestions!