Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well i just got home and my male tiger retic was acting funny and i checked him out and there was a white, um, kinda hard rubbery sheath around his tounge and in his glotis (sp?), or breathing tude when eating, well the thing is I had his out yesterday and he was fine and other people that came over said he was looking great.He was also fine this morning....From his head about 6inches back it felt like the bones had fused together and it was solid....

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN??????

PLZ RESPOND.....
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Hello peoples

Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins

Being a biology major, I think I can answer this with some degree of competance. For starters Ive seen snakes with glottis problems before mostly deformed or damaged. Now when you say the bones fused the whole point of the anatomical sturcture of the head is that the lower jaw is not fused and is flexible. If you could give a more accurate description that would help but, first when in doubt get the animal to a vet a picture would help to.

Best of Luck
P-Monster

well it has passed thats why i put it up as the subject.... and the skull fused to the back bone.... almost like rigamortist.... and the spine for 6 inches was togther.... and he was a heathy snake....i have had him for about ten months and this is the first problem and he died from it and it was a sudden death with no respitory or any other noticeible infection..... i handeled him last night and he wasn't a baby.... he was nearly 6 feet in leght and was fine untill i got home today......and the bottom part of the jaw was flexible......
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Hello peoples

Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins

and he doesn't like my cat..... a big white furry one.... could it of been that he struck and hit the glass when my cat was there ..... but the only time i have ever seen his strike.... was, um, at food.....and nothing else....

im open for any ideas on this......
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Hello peoples

Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins

...first post. I know what it's like to lose reptiles that you care about.

I have heard of snakes breaking their necks when striking and hitting a solid, unyeilding surface, just never a snake that small. Any case I have read about this happening has involved very large individuals with great power and a lot of body weight, which would render the neck as the only thing that would move under such an impact. A lighter, weaker snake like this would not only not have a strike of incredible force, but would also have a very light body that would be more likely to move and thus absorb some of the "blowback" force.

>>and he doesn't like my cat..... a big white furry one.... could it of been that he struck and hit the glass when my cat was there ..... but the only time i have ever seen his strike.... was, um, at food.....and nothing else....
>>
>>im open for any ideas on this......
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>>Hello peoples
>>
>>Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins
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Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

well he was about 6 feet and VERY strong and heathy.... he would eat 2 jumbo rats a week and was fine....well this isn't my only snake.....my 14 foot long burmese was probly about a strong.....and she can squeeze... i found out the hard way... she thought i was a rabbit and rapped me...... that was bad....
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Hello peoples

Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins

What feels like "fusing" may just be seized muscles due to rigor mortis. Can't say for sure what the "rubbery white sheath" may be, but it sounds like it may have been oxygen starved tissue due to poor circulation. If you want to know for sure what killed this snake get it to a qualified vet for a necropsy. Don't freeze the body as this can alter the results.

>>well i just got home and my male tiger retic was acting funny and i checked him out and there was a white, um, kinda hard rubbery sheath around his tounge and in his glotis (sp?), or breathing tude when eating, well the thing is I had his out yesterday and he was fine and other people that came over said he was looking great.He was also fine this morning....From his head about 6inches back it felt like the bones had fused together and it was solid....
>>
>>
>>DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN??????
>>
>>PLZ RESPOND.....
>>-----
>>Hello peoples
>>

>>Competence, not "competance"

>>Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins
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Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

too late i froze the body, the only person that could do it and i cant drive that far and pay that much for a qustionalbe herpatoligist to do a joke job and charge 100 or so and charge for stuff he didn't do....just to tell you he couldn't even do a scale count......
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Hello peoples

Dispite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage. - Billy Corgan ,Smashing Pumpkins