Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I adopted a Brazilian Rainbow that is worse for wear. He as hit the tank several times so his jaw is out of alignment but my main concern is his nose and jaw are very dark and very crusted is there anything I can do to help this wonderful guy and give him some comfort? I am sorry I don't know his background only what the pet store told me and they are guessing (hitting glass) oh one other thing he appears to be blind his eyes are totally black kind of like the eye caps did not come off when he shed at some point and it appears someone tried to scrape his eyes makes me mad the abuse these wonderful creatures go through. He is very gentle and very sweet I would really like to help him so anything ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!!!
Rita

Take him to a vet ASAP. Hitting the glass won't cause their mouths to look funny. Sounds like he has mouthrot or something else nasty like that. Also possibly retained eyecaps, respiratory infection, dehydration, who knows? This doesn't sound like something you can treat at home. I hope you didn't pay anything for this animal, because I think you're going to be spending enough getting him healthy.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Thanks so mch for the reply...but I do have a local vet that will have anything to do with snakes let alone treat one I don't know really what to do?/

Sorry did not spell check I do "not" have a local vet who will treat a snake

Ouch, you don't have anyone who will even look at it? I'm kind of spoiled because I have several vets who will see reptiles... not that that makes any of them any good.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Yah, I know. No, there is not one vet and the closest that would even be a possiblity is 4 hurs away I really don't know what to do???

Rita,
. Your problem with no available reptile qualified vets is common. We have a bunch of vets here in my area but only one of them I would want looking at a reptile. Most vets have limited experience with reptiles and even the ones who do often have very poor results treating them. The problem with your rescued BRB sounds pretty serious. If it is a little BRB it sounds especially serious. When BRBs get sick they often quit drinking and become dehydrated. The dehydration will kill them if left untreated for very long. So how do you know if your BRB is dehydrated? BRBs should have skin that feels smooth and almost moist. If the skin looks or feels dry or rough it is likely that the snake is dehydrated. If it seems dehydrated to you you should soak it for at least 30 minutes in lukewarm water. Little BRBs often have light colored eyes. After they are three feet long they most all have very dark eyes. Their eyes may look black but if you use a flashlight to illuminate them you should be able to see the pupils and the pupils should react to the light. Use a flashlight to have a look at your BRB and see if the pupils react to light. If you can see no pupils it may be that the snake is blind. Occasionally BRBs are born with no eyes and will just have small scars or dark spots where the eyes would have been. If the snake has a crusty nose or mouth that is usually a sign of either an injury or a respiratory infection. Very small BRBs are difficult to treat for injury or respiratory infection. When they are over three feet long they can be treated with injections of Amikacin. This antibiotic is administered subcutaneously every three days for a total of seven doses. The dosage is 5 mg of Amikacin for each kilogram of body weight. A local vet might supply the Amikacin to you if you talk to them about your difficulty finding a reptile qualified vet. Snakes that are being treated with antibiotics usually will not drink enough and so they should be soaked every day or have fluids tubed into them. This can be done with a 16 french single lumen catheter and a syringe. These items should be available from any vet. The catheter is inserted down the snakes gullet and when it is in the snake the syringe is used to tube the water into the snake. If the snake has an injured head or mouth this tubing should not be attempted. Let us know how things go and perhaps we can help you with the snake.
Jeff

>>Yah, I know. No, there is not one vet and the closest that would even be a possiblity is 4 hurs away I really don't know what to do???