Something is wrong with my snake's eye

[SaytaSora]

Something is wrong with my snake! Yesterday I caught a glimpse of her like this and thought I just had to leave her alone for the day to shed but today its still like this 🙁. She has flakey skin bits all over (like in the last picture) so did she just give up on shedding? The eye looks bad and she can't see out of it and her mouth looks kinda off. Can I do anything for her? I've heard of doing hot compresses with cammomile tea for a cat's eye, can you do this for snakes or would the cammomile be bad for them?BCAF0947-7966-4847-BDB6-EC55592FD016.jpg1FAE3DA6-A39C-4C63-ADBE-D28C397220A3.jpg1ABE832E-76CF-496E-AF67-5D4797624D80.jpg7B4967C1-ED20-431C-A2D5-8C557ED1B1D6.jpgBCAF0947-7966-4847-BDB6-EC55592FD016.jpg1FAE3DA6-A39C-4C63-ADBE-D28C397220A3.jpg1ABE832E-76CF-496E-AF67-5D4797624D80.jpg7B4967C1-ED20-431C-A2D5-8C557ED1B1D6.jpg

[Albert Clark]

Whoa! It looks very problematic firstly bc it's the head and eye of the animal. Both of which are critical body parts. Treatments for mammals can be very different than the treatments for reptiles. Remember snakes have a spectacle outer covering that protects the inner eye structures. This animal has a very large swelling of the eye and surrounding structures and scales. A trip to the exotic vet is my recommendation. The flaking over the whole body is a attempt to shed but bc the animal is sick or injured or both the shedding is poor.

[Albert Clark]

Consider ditching the Chamomile compresses.. Snake looks like he may have gotten attacked or preyed upon. His mouth looks affected also, like it isn't closed all the way or swollen? Was this snake wild caught or captive born? The exotic vet has anti inflammatory meds for cases such as this. If that's what is needed.

[SaytaSora]

She was wild caught about 3-4 years ago. She was injured when I got her and after rehabilitating her she had babies so I ended up keeping her and 3 of her offspring. All 4 lived in the same tank together so if it was an attack it would have had to be from one of the smaller snakes? Doesn't really make sense to me though since garters usually don't prey on each other. I have asked around my area before and found no vets that treat garter snakes plus even if I found one they'd likely charge me $500 just to say they didn't know anyway. I've had a lot of bad run-ins with vets when my ferret was sick and he ultimately died because they weren't listening to me. People on another page are thinking its snake fungal disease so I've quarantined her and looking into that now ��

[guidofatherof5]

Possible retained eye caps. Needs to be in a warm shed box.

[Albert Clark]

Oh, ok. They may not prey upon each other but they certainly fight for dominance when housed together, fight over food as well, and even for the same desired spots in the enclosure. Some garters may even stop eating when cohabbing with other individuals even relatives. I only put my garters together if they are breeding and or groups of hatchlings. Try looking up the Centers for Avian and Exotics, they are the only vets I use bc they all are board certified by the A.A.H.A. (American Animal Hospital Association). Their pricing is very affordable also. They offer payment plans and have applications for the Care Credit Program for pets. It's kind of a pet insurance program in case of emergency visits to the vet or just plain wellness care. I think even if it is fungal it will help to have a professional give a definitive diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan that is affordable.

[SaytaSora]

What do you mean by warm shed box? Just separated in a warm space? She's now in their old enclosure by herself on paper towels with a water bowl, a skull decoration for shedding, and a cave to hide in.

I'm in Canada so I doubt AAHA stretches up here . The US does seem to have a better variety of vet care for exotics. I paid $1,000 for a surgery on my ferret that would have costed $200 in the US for example (chordoma removal at the end of his tail)

[Albert Clark]

Ok. Cool. I see it now. Well, best of luck with whatever you can do for her condition. Fingers crossed.

[BUSHSNAKE]

Snake fungal disease

[BUSHSNAKE]

What is Snake Fungal Disease? – Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory