Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, I posted this picture of my Brooksi Kingsnake on December 29, 2003. I was told that it looked like Nose Rub and not mouth rot, I wish that was the case. Unfortunately I have feared all along that this snake has mouth rot, even after posting the picture online, and bringing the snake to my local herp store. I think the reason people believed it was nose rub and not mouth rot was because I posted a picture right after the snake had shed, and the mouth wasn't too bad, even before the snake shed, it wasn't as bad as it is now, the snakes condition is regressing pretty rapidly, I will try and take the snake to a vet this coming week, but is there anything else I can do now?

Also I read that mouth rot is usually caused by an underlying condition, I recieved this snake for free, from a member of this board, along with another cornsnake, as the member was getting a puppy and could no longer take care of the animals, I don't think he realized the snake had mouth rot, as it was barely noticeable when I recieved the snake, many people just thought that was the way the snakes mouth was supposed to look(dark and dry)...When I got the snake, I noticed the snake sneezed a few times while being handled and whilst in it's enclosure, however this problem went away after a few days and I thought nothing of it...

I REALLY like this snake, it has eaten every time it is offered food, and it sheds without problems every 2 1/2-4 weeks. The snakes personality is one of the best, it NEVER bites or even goes to strike or musk, and does not mind being handled...

Here is the picture I posted on December 29, 2003, so as you can get an idea of how far the disease has progressed already...

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
0.0.1 Baby Aru Green Tree Python
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Here are two pictures I took today that show how the disease has progressed, I hadn't noticed it this past couple of days as the snake is once again going into it's shed cycle and has been in it's hide box all the time...

Incase it might help, the snake has shed three times since I took delivery of it on October 30, 2003. This upcoming shed will be number 4...It's shed data looks like this

Date of Shed Length of Shed
11/28/03 40 inches
12/8/03 41 inches
12/29/03 42 inches

What can I do??? Also, the snake has not yet been quarentined but will be later today...What precautions do I have to take when handling my other snakes now? Will Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizer be enough to "kill" the mouth rot once it is on my hands, what should I use to clean my camera after taking pictures? Can this disease be spread to humans? What about lizards??

Thank you for your time and for any help you can provide,
Ralph

P.S. To give you an idea of how much this snake eats, the snake has eatin a total of 19 fuzzies in under 3 months, and would have eaten more if offered...

HELP!

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
0.0.1 Baby Aru Green Tree Python
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

.

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
0.0.1 Baby Aru Green Tree Python
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Also, today is feeding day, should I feed this snake or not?
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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
0.0.1 Baby Aru Green Tree Python
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Therapeutically, keep feeding the snake at regular intervals (as long as it eats). It sounds like this "mouthrot" is a secondary symptom of a URI. If you can gently open the snakes mouth, you can swab out some of the bacteria with hydrogen peroxide & lightly swab the tissue with Betadine--if you can, this should be done daily. Increase the POTZ (prefered optimum temperature zone) to the upper limits of this kingsnake's species range to optimize its immune system. The main perogative is to get the snake to a vet for antibiotic treatment. Goodluck.

as a general rule if a snake can eat, it should. take a look inside of the mouth and if there's gray cheesy matter, gently clean it out with a Q-tip so the snake doesn't swallow it when he eats. Other than that, this snake needs antibiotics- Neosporin can't be used safely in delicate places like the mouth. Its a very strong topical anitbiotic that can destroy animal cells as well as bacteria-it goes after protien synthesis affecting ribosomes, which are in all cells. Betadine is also a topical-only antiseptic. You may be able to swab his outer mouth and nose with a very dilute concentration of it, but he shouldn't be able to digest any of it.

This is just in my case not saying this is right or wrong I had a boa with this and took it to my vet and the first thing he did was take a cotton schaub and put it in peroxide and cleaned out the rotted area, and also treated it with shots. My advice is to try this and get it to a vet SOON, in my case I was to late but we tried. Good luck. Rick