Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 4 month old Amel that has some kind of dark brown or black "something" on the right side of her mouth. When I first saw it, it looked like dirt or a piece of bark, but it has not gone away. I have fed her twice since I noticed it, but cannot discern what it might be while her mouth is open during feeding. It is really small and has not grown in size, and does not seem to be causing any problems. She appears to be in excellent health.

Can anyone offer some advice as to how I can safely open her mouth to try to wipe it off, or to at least figure out what it might be? Or am I better off leaving her alone? Her substrate is Repti-bark (fir pieces).

I've been tempted to try to use a Q-tip to wipe it off but I don't want to hurt her. Plus I have no idea how to keep her head still safely to accomplish the task.

Thanks for your help.

just a particle of dirt or something non problematic that will come off with its next shed. BUT...it could, also, very well be a mite. They usually like to 'hang out' on the snakes neck and around the mouth area, hiding partially under the scales. Is it partially imbedded under the scale? Is your snake rubbing along the bedding a lot, or soaking in its water all the time? Look closely at the rest of the snake, especially the upper portion and see if you find any more black flecks. If you do, then you may have an infestation of mites on your snake.
As I said, it could be nothing at all and will come off with the next shed, it is rather impossible to give you any specific answers without seeing the snake or at least a picture of the problem, but do check to make sure it is not mites, because if it is, you would want to catch them before they got too numerous.
If you think it may be of concern, it may be best to take your snake to a vet that knows herps.
Good luck!

It is really small, hasn't moved or grown...if it were in my skin I might call it a splinter because it is really narrow and long (but small). I don't know how to open her mouth, or to hold her head still, safely to examine it further. It is like a person having something on their lip just where the skin meets from the top and bottom lip. You can see something there but would need to open their mouth to identify it.

But to answer your mite question: there are no other spots, she is not rubbing or soaking, or otherwise behaving out of the ordinary.

Thank you for your help!

that is what it sounds like, maybe a piece of that bark stuff. Maybe it is stuck in there, if so, you might need to get someone else to help hold the snake while you use something flat to try to open her mouth and grab it with a pair of tweezers. Or maybe it isn't stuck, in which case it will just come out on its own. Or maybe it isn't a piece of the substrate at all.
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sue