If he's not used to being handled tapping on the nose while holding him firmly will usually get an al to open his mouth, If you get his mouth open look along the jaw line for any swelline, signs of infection, foreign objects etc. I once found a wild al who exhibitted some swelling that led to a gap in the lips but in that case it didn't go the length of the mouth. The swelling was due to a thorn stuck in the lower jaw. I removed the torn and held onto the al until it recovered (it was fairly emaciated at the time of capture). If everything looks normal and he's eating fine, it may just be some sort of congenital defect.
-Alice

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