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Has anyone ever run into this before? This girls head is very swollen, and it looks rather painful. This has occurred only this past week, and me and the vet are stumped. I was thinking she maybe head some sort of neck injury, and the vet thought some sort of infection, but cant really be sure until the tests come back. The x-rays looked good. Hasn't had a rat in like two weeks, no way of getting injured, lives on aspen (zoomed fine grade). Everything else is normal, temps, humidity, etc. Lives in a freedom breeder cb70, out of my 150 adults she has always been my best eater and breeder. I'm at a loss on this one, vet has her on antibiotics just in case. Anyone ever see this before or could offer my insight as to what it could be? The swelling is the entire head and down 2-3 inches on the throat. thanks
Will Wohlers

n/p

I've seen that in a Burm and a Macklot's python! What it ended up being, is part of a rat (nail. tooth) perforating tissue on it's way down! This caused air to be breathed into "scraped" area and displaying a "blown up" appearance! Antibiotics and crossed fingers is about all you can do! Both animals survived the ordeal!

Wow...I would think infection, but I would expect some kind of discharge from nose or mouth would be present if it was an infection? I would assume the vet check her teeth or that a impacted tooth would be picked up on the x-ray..?

It is not possible that you closed her head in the drawer or you dropped something on her head like the water dish? Maybe it is from an injury that didnt break any bones so it wasnt picked up on the xray, but is causing severe edema in the neck & head?

Please post the test results and updates on her as you go. I am curious that she comes through this OK (poor gal)and also what the problem turns out to be for future reference.

Best of luck.

Easily could be from a big rat sinking it's teeth into the head/jaw area then swelling up like it did. Meds will be needed I would have to agree , likely Baytril would be enough.

Anthony McCain

that exact same thing happened to one of my big females. it turned out to be an infection and went away with a weeks worth of baytril injections. just get it to your vet ASAP and it should be fine. =]

It happened to one of my black bloods. The swelling happened in hours for me, and I don't feed live. Neither I nor the vets ever figured out what it was. She was put on cefotaxime and the swelling eventually went down. That was last year and she's been fine since. The only other thing besides an infection we could think was that she struck the side of the cage. It didn't make sense though because my snake's swelling looked almost exactly like yours.

She seems to be doing well. We still have yet to figure out what it is, but the rat tooth or nail scenario seems to fit the profile. I don't feed her live, she only takes frozen thawed so there couldn't be anyway a rat could of bit her. Also I guess anything is possible as far as pulling the drawer out and pinching her head, but as careful as I am and as small of a gap there is in the freedom breeder it is highly unlikely. I am continuing her antibiotics on schedule and the swelling has gone down a lot. Also the water bowls I use are very light in weight and really no way that could of been it either. Like I said I am stumped as to what it is, and so is my vet but I am pulling for her and have high hopes of her pulling through. The swelling seems to have damaged her eye a bit as now that it is reduced a haziness seems to be clouding one of her eyes. guys I appreciate all your concerns and input into this issue and I will continue to keep you updated on her progress. Oh yeah, and she is a double het for caramel glow to boot =(
thanks
Will Wohlers

You might want to read this story: client.visuallink.com/~krawls/id37.htm - not saying it's the same thing but it might be useful in the event that you cant figure out what is going on.

Good Luck!
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Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl