snake deformity?

[codykrr]

hi guys, i have kept snakes for many years and have seen a few spinal deformities from inbreeding and too small of enclosures but i recently aquired a crn snake or rat snake whichever you may call them that seems to have a "hair lip" he has shed once in my care and it did not come out of it, he is only about a foot long tops and was wondering if this may have a potential to devolope "mouth rot" it appears one of his nostrils grew lower than the other because i can only see one nostril, the other is right on the lip line and has formed a hole where his lip should be. he is a healty eater and doesnt seem to bother him but i keep him on cocofiber and im afraid of him getting bacteria in his mouth, is this common or has any one seen this before if so any help would be appreciated, thanks

 

[davidbarber1]

Cody, could it possibly be a rodent bite or something of that nature? I had a RTB that had a problem like that. The previous owner had fed it a live rat and the snake got bit. Even after shedding, I had to keep the wound clean.

David

 

[codykrr]

nope, it is a deformity, this was htched by a friend, and he only fed it pinkies so far, it is still eating pinkies so it couldnt be a bite...though i have seen a nasty bite by a rabbit tha was knocked out and still bit before, that was gruesom(buddies reticulated python) he has to glue the wound up...i will try to get a pic in a bit...

 

[codykrr]

ok just put the pic of it on my pic link....one is a good shot while the other is blurry but this lil guy is a serious bitter haha i got bit about 6 times in just 5 min

 

[Boanerges]

I personally have never seen anything like that minus what David said (seen lip battle wounds and seen mouth rot in books) but i have never seen a snke born with that kind of deformity. That is very interesting :? Keep us updated on how he/she makes out. Hopefully she wont develop any problems down the road and will just live a long happy life with a scarred lip. Gives her character

 

[Mushroom Spore]

i recently aquired a crn snake or rat snake whichever you may call them

Corn snakes and rat snakes are completely different species (or rather, rat snakes are a huge group of MANY snakes, and only one of those is corns). I haven't seen a corn that looks like the one in your pics, it's really quite pretty but the pattern does make it hard to see the defect we're looking for.

It's possible it is a deformity - does your friend inbreed his snakes? Some breeders apparently do, so it's worth checking on that. If his snakes are carrying physical defects, he needs to bring in some new animals to refresh the gene pool.

It goes without saying that you should not breed your snake in the future.

 

[codykrr]

ok well no he didnt or doesnt imbreed his snakes also this is a missouri prairy rat snake, but most people call them corn snakes due to where there found(corn field), also i didnt think pattern has anythingto due with the hole in its lip because i can clearly see it, it doesnt affect HIM (yeah i sexed him) but he does like to burrow, my main concearn it that dirt will get in it and get a infection, and no i wont use astro turn either, also from my understanding most spinal deformities are due to imbreeding normall like kinked spines or deformed ribs, like i said though he is not imbred he just hatched out diffrent. he is a mean lil guy though (bites any chance he gets)

 

[codykrr]

oh yeah....mouth rot is a bacterial infetion of the mouth that will kill your snake(s) if not treated promptly it literally rots the mouth, more common among water bound snakes or burrowing snakes....

 

[JohnEDove]

It is an Emory's/Great Plains Rat Snake. I understand the Corn Snake moniker though, our state herp society did the same thing on their web site. Just one of the reasons I don’t belong anymore.

Is the snake able to drink okay like that?

Mouth rot (Infectious or Ulcerative Stomatitis) can be viral, bacterial, parasitic, or even fungal in origin but it generally starts because of something else like poor husbandry or an injury.

Though I agree that the defect looks like an injury there is a possibility that one of the parents is a carrier of some hidden genetic flaw or even that something happened during incubation that caused that.

I would not suggest ever breeding it just in case but if you follow standard husbandry practices for Genus Pantherophis snake species it could make a good pet as long as it can eat and drink ok.

 

[codykrr]

yeah he eats and drinks just fine, it isnt an injury for sure like i said he was hatched by a friend who gave him to me 3 weeks after hatching out. and has only eaten pinkies so far all frozen, then thawed out....and he is a very good snake just a bit mean and bitey, and yeah i practice good husbandry just dont want this lil fellow to get an infection due to burrowing thats all

 

[JohnEDove]

If your worried about something getting into its mouth and causing infection I'd say keep it on paper towels as a substrate and make it a glad ware hide filled with crumpled paper towels that you can dampen around shed periods.

 

[codykrr]

sorry but i just cant bring myself to use paper towels or news paper, or astro turf...i like it to be natural....i took him to a vet and had him checked out...and the vet said he had seen other snakes particually pythons with this sort of hair lip...it is genetic, and i dont ever plan on breeding him so no worries...vet said if he was to get an infection to bring him up there and he would give it some medicine, but he Also said that as long as i keep the sub clean it is unlikly to affect him in any way

 

[Boanerges]

That's good to hear!!! Thanks for the update, some people leave you left wondering what ever happened.

 

[davidbarber1]

If your worried about something getting into its mouth and causing infection I'd say keep it on paper towels as a substrate and make it a glad ware hide filled with crumpled paper towels that you can dampen around shed periods.

Cody, I like the natural look too, but I always use newspaper as a substrate. It's easier to keep clean and it does not bother the animal. Just keep the temp and humidity right. And yeah, it is a deformity from the look of the pics. Sorry about that. You know how to take care of it so no worries.

David