Reptile & Amphibian Forums

it looks like a bull snake i'm trying take care of is having mouth problems but what does a healthy bull snake mouth look like? and for those of you who have answered my posts before this the bullsnake that was having trouble but i'm taking care of it now. also don't suggest the vet i can't afford that. he is also not eating and is acting oddly. thank you for any info given.

Hello,

I am a veterinarian and although, medically speaking, I am new to treating reptiles as I mainly work at a small mammal practice. I have been keeping colubrids since I was eight so I know a little about their husbandry. You can take my suggestions for what they're worth. You can probably assume it is stomatitis (mouth rot), if it is a young to middle-aged animal. Cancer cannot be excluded without a biopsy in older animals. If the animal is salivating alot, or has a cheesy exudate in his mouth it is probably mouth rot. You can try treating with gentamycin eye drops (for dogs and cats but you will need a willing veterinarian to prescribe this for you--call them and tell them you don't want an office call, just the script). You can also go to publix or walmart and buy 10% iodine and you can use this to treat topically (YOU MUST DILUTE THIS TO .05%). This is not as effective as antibiotics but it is budget friendly. If you can open his mouth and debride (scrape) the cheesiness out of his mouth this may help cure the infection faster. But a real vet's visit would be best for the animal, but they do get a a tad expensive.

thank you for the info but unfortunatley the snake died.