Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. My son got a baby Rosy boa about 3 weeks ago. We fed him for the second time this past Friday. We left it alone yesterday and today noticed that it's lips are red and it keeps opening and closing its mouth, which is a behavior we haven't seen before. Could the boa be sick or is this normal behavior and are the lips normally red after feeding (we didn't see this the after the first pinkie feeding). Thanks!

Is there a cheesy crust around the mouth? If so the only thing I can think of is mouth rot. Try spreading listerine and peroxide on the mouth with a q-tip 2 times a day for a week and see if it clears.

Mike

Thanks for the feedback. I will look to see what is around his mouth.

Mouth rot is a progressive bacterial infection involving the oral lining. It may begin with increased salivation. Often saliva bubbles from the mouth. Close inspection of the oral lining reveals tiny pinpoint areas of bleeding. The oral lining becomes increasingly inflamed and pus begins to accumulate within the mouth, especially among the rows of teeth. As the disease progresses, the underlying bone becomes infected and the teeth fall out. The differential diagnosis is respiratory tract infection. The specimens from snakes with infectious stomatitis yielded predominantly gram-negative bacteria. The organisms most frequently isolated from these specimens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Providencia rettgeri, and P maltophilia. The cloacal swabbing of healthy snakes also resulted in the isolation of predominantly gram-negative organisms, suggesting that these bacteria are not exogenous pathogens but opportunistic invaders.
Isolate any infected animal, and clean the mouth with a cotton swab dipped in a 1% Betadine (povodine-iodine) solution. Make sure the snake does not swallow any of the solution or infectious material; keep the snake's head pointed downwards while flushing. Some vetenarians advocate cautious use topical antibioticsi.e. polymyxin/neosporin. mainatin a source of hydration and increased temperature 85-92 degrees.
This infection must be recognized in the early stages to successfully reverse it The hobbyist must seek veterinary help when mouth rot is first evident.
The veterinarian may want to collect a saliva/pus specimen for bacterial culture and subsequent antibiotic sensitivity testing to determine the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use. A blood sample can also be collected to accurately assess the internal and overall status of the patient. Mouth rot often is an external manifestation of more serious internal problems.

Initial treatment involves injections of vitamins A, C and B complex, as well as a antibiotic one that the veterinarian believes has the best chance of fighting the infection until the results of antibiotic sensitivity tests are available. The best studied antibiotics have been the cephalosporins (3rd generation, aminoglycsides and fluoroquinolones. Supportive are involves daily or twice-daily cleansing of the mouth, application of topical antibiotics, administration of fluids to combat dehydration and the possible detrimental effects of certain antibiotics, and periodic forced-feedings (using a stomach tube).
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Robert J Kaplan MD

Dr. Kaplan,
Thanks for your reply to my question. If this were mouth rot, would the excess salivation be obvious to the naked eye or would we have to see inside his mouth to confirm? We can't see any bubbles but we see sand sticking around his mouth, which could possibly indicate that there is moisture around his mouth. I don't understand the potential relationship to his issue with the infectious stomatitis you mentioned, unless you are saying that the infectious stomatitis could be causing the mouth rot. Could this situation be caused by the pinkie he ate? We did take the snake back to the store where we got it and they think the snake may have a mild respiratory infection but they did not say anything about potential mouth rot. We are working to get his cage warmer to help. Would the snake still be opening & closing his mouth if it is mouth rot? We have not seen that behavior continue after Sunday.

Thanks!

Opening and closing of the mouth could be it just trying to get its jaw back in place after eating pinky. It was awhile after i got my first snake that i saw that behavior for the first time. If it is doing it excessively then it might be something else. This could all be from a weird feeding, i have had experiences with a mouse i over thawed in water making it easy to rupture and my snake then had some mouse inside on its face and gave it a red look. If you want more advise observe it more and post on what its been doing more information is needed i think. Also a herp vet visit won't hurt, most people suggest taking new acquisitions to the vet.
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Love small boids always looking for new ones.
1.0.0Hogg Island Boa, Quey
0.0.1Ball Python, Apophis(my sisters now)
1.0.0Irian Jaya Carpet Python, Riddick
1.0.0Spotted Python, Bobbi
1.0.0Savu Python, Fossa or Hubi
Snakes to get list: Solomand Island ground boa, Soloman island tree boa, Bolivian Boa, Rosy boa(san felipe or san matias) and ATBs.

it is very sick. it sounds like the lips have been worn out by digging or the jaw broke inside. and opening the mouth is a sign of hyperventilation and is not getting enough direct oxegen to the glottis
hey i hope this helps you