Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this mourning i found my baby grey banded king had a swollen bottom jaw. i opened his mouth and on the bottom in the back the tissue was very swollen also the glattus is swollen. he is just coming out of being milkly and blue and is about to shed today or tommorow. does anyone know what has caused this, seen somthing similar or know what the possible cause would be? and the apropriate treatment

joel.

Ok, this is hard to respond to and this is what is confusing.....
Keep in mind, Im responding because I want to HELP you, not because I want to make fun of you.
Have you ever opened your snakes mouth before to see what looks "normal" in there. How small is your snake? Has it eaten recently? Given that you think it's mouth looks abnormal inside, someone who can recognize that, I think, would already have enough years of experience to know what they are dealing with. Shedding will not cause any inflammation inside the mouth, however, a skin that is tight and getting ready to slough off might create some "pull" in areas of the snake, much like a sheet pulled tight over a bed. The bottom jaw having very little structural strength to it is a good candidate to be affected by a shed about to come off. In dry conditions, if it stays that way, can cause some issues since the snakes mouth will always be exposed to the dry air. Does the snake have trouble breathing? Can you hear or see any other signs of distress?
I know this a ton of stuff to have to think about, but we really cant help you out anymore until we have a lot more info about your situation with the snake.
If you think it's gonna have trouble shedding, put your snake in a small enclosure on paper towels scrunched up and wet down with tap water (or distilled water would be better). Give it a chance to shed and see how the snake looks after that.
Keep us posted
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Tom
TCJ Herps
"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

I LOVE the quote, Tom. That is true as can be. Dealing with the swollen jaw, you may be seeing it's throat being puffed up, which would indicate a respiratory infection. Scroll down to where I was asking questions about a respiratory infection and see if you think that's what the problem is. Hope to soon hear that your snake is better.