Eye coloration issue?

[xStatic]

So my new baby albino checkered garter finally arrived in the mail today (:

She's tiny! Just a few inches long, and thinner than a pencil.

Once I opened up the box I noticed something right away ): Her right eye is a darkish purple/red color and there's a little black spot near the bottom. Also there's a crinkly surface to the eye.. the other eye is clear and ruby red as you would expect. I'm worried she has an injury or birth defect that could leave her blind.. at the same time I'm wondering if it's just a stuck eye cap? She doesn't have any other pieces of shed stuck on her and the dixie cup didn't have any shed skin in it so if it is an eye cap then it had to have been there before she was shipped out... I'm just a little irked that the breeder didn't mention to me anything about her eye ):

I'll post some pics and if anyone has any advice or has had similar issues

Thanks!


(her right eye is discolored)


(her good eye looks fine)


(blurry view of her bad eye)



(this is the image that was posted on the for sale post, her eye looks good here.. unless the photo was flipped)

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful snake.

The dark area(purple/red) as you called it might be some kind of small hemorrhage.
It's not in the normal place you would find a pupil.
I've never seen a normal snake eye that wasn't curved and smooth.
Even a retained eye cap will still appear to be smooth.
It almost sounds like a deflated eye.
Some close up, clear photos would help.
Of course a visit to the Vet. might be best if you have a good reptile Vet. in your area.
I've had retained shed problems with many of my albinos, Checkereds in particular.
A little time in a shed box might be in order if you think it's a shed problem.
Hope some of this helps.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/husb...-shed-box.html

[xStatic]

Thanks ): I'm starting to get a little worried.... I mesages the breeder and asked if she has this condition before she shipped her out. We don't have the best reptile vet here but I can look around a little bit..

I did try to use a damp Q-tip to see if an eye cap would wipe off.. but it didn't and she ended up musking me so I put her down..

[guidofatherof5]

Look closely around the edge of the eye. Sometimes you can see a small piece of skin that is attached to the lens. That's the place to attempt a removal.
Before the eye is even messed with you must be certain that it is a retained cap. Otherwise you might damage the active lens.
A retained eye cap in itself isn't life or death. Many times I simply wait until the next shed for it to come off.
Hope the breeder gets back in touch with you and will work with you.
Please keep us posted on your progress.

[RedSidedSPR]

I've never heard of this.. weird.

Beautiful snake, hope it works out!

[xStatic]

She got back to me and said that her eye wasn't like this when she was shipped out! ): She did say that she was getting ready to shed right before she was sent, so I'm hoping it is shed related and will resolve itself once the snake sheds. I'm going to keep the humidity up just a little bit higher for the next few days. I love the pattern on this snake and I sure hope her eye starts to get better.. if nothing changes I will arrange a visit to the vet..

EDIT: I put her into her dixie cup with a damp tissue for about 10 or 15 minutes and it looks like her eye has puffed back out! The little indentation isn't there anymore (: it's still a little purple with the black dot but now I'm wondering if she was just really dehydrated???
She's very tiny and was in the mail about 19 or 20 hours.. plus I noticed she used the bathroom in her dixie cup several times. I'm hoping now that the discoloration is only shed related. She's still active and calmed down a lot this time when I removed her from her vid.

Thank you!!

[guidofatherof5]

Upping the humidity might not be enough and a retained shed on a baby can be deadly. Time in a high humidity/warm shed box followed by a warm water bath might resolve this issue.
Just my opinon.
Please keep us posted on this little one.

[xStatic]

okay will do! (: just wondering how warm "warm" should be? I know babies can be delicate and I don't want to overheat her. I have a thermometer to measure water temp, so any advice?

I'm also going to put a humid hide in her cage


I'm use to caring for corn snakes... in some ways snakes all have similar care.. but in other ways different species can be radically different

[guidofatherof5]

I use warm tap water as far as heat goes.

[d_virginiana]

That's so weird! If she got really dehydrated could that cause a small hemorrhage in the eye or something? I hope it keeps getting better. Keep us posted on how she's doing!