The corn snake cannot breathe after eating, sticks out its tongue, opens its mouth

Did the vet take any x-rays or ultrasounds? It almost sounds like he has some sort of obstruction.

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The video shows that he constantly puts out the breathing tube when he opens his mouth. Also his tongue is chaotic, appearing left and right. This is different from a normal yawn, whereby pressing the breathing tube against the lower palate, it appears symmetrical and controlled

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@noodlehaus and @solarserpents Since it appears that this snake has had no room to stretch out could he possibly have a respiratory issue? I know my vet has warned of respiratory issues that can result from enclosures that are too small for the snake. :thinking:

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It’s not something I’ve ever heard of, but I’m not a vet. I think if enclosure size could cause respiratory issues, it would have to be a severely undersized enclosure - keeping in mind that 20 gallon tanks were the ‘standard’ size for adult corns for years and many breeders kept/keep adult corns in 28 qt bins without issue. The only thing I’ve ever seen from a corn kept in an extremely small enclosure (and not ever taken out for exercise) was permanent folds in the scales. In any case, I think a vet visit with an experienced exotics vet is called for since this does seem to be a breathing issue.

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Yep I agree that an exotics vet visit is imperative!!! :pray:

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I have seen this before when something is stuck in the mouth, like a shred of substrate. Could possibly be a stuck tooth or an injury of some sort in that area. Maybe there is some price of debris caught in there somehow.

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I am not a vet, but this behavior definitely looks concerning. The length of time the snake has its tongue out, the way the tongue is moving, the way in which the snake moves its neck kind of backwards all appear worrisome to me. None of these behaviors would have anything to do with size of prey. That simply doesn’t make sense.

He looks like his weight is appropriate. There’s no real way to assess body condition from a picture. Smashes have only one functional lung. They need to be able to stretch out at length and move in order to ensure proper lung function. I don’t mean that this looks like a respiratory infection to me. I’m only saying that the snake needs to be able to move at length for good health.

I concur that the snake needs to see a vet. Based upon what you’ve said,

This also sounds concerning to me. A regurgitation is very damaging to a snake’s esophagus, its throat, even its mouth. Stomach acids are in contact with the tract much longer than when a human must vomit and it takes time for the digestive tract to heal. It’s very unusual to recommend anything except after water orally following a regurge.

You might want to try and get an appointment soon with a vet who is experienced with snakes.

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Ok thank you @caryl Caryl! I’m revisiting my days of yore when I was a vet assistant and now I remember that the stretching is for lung function and not to prevent respiratory problems! That’s what Dr Clarke taught me!

I’m such a ditz! :pray:

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Don’t be hard on yourself, my friend! I mean, lung function and respiratory health certainly go together.

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Friends, are there any devices that help the snake lie still and motionless during an x-ray?

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there are a lot of different ways to get them to sit still. a tube is the easiest and most successful. you can put them in a hide box and remove it and take the x ray as quickly as possible. another way is to take the x ray in sections. hold down about a 1/3-1/4 of a the snake and repeat for the rest of the body keeping the smaller sections still

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They make snake tubes for x-rays.

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Have you had any luck at getting a vet appointment?

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There will be an appointment with a herpetologist on Sunday evening. Now he’s after eating, don’t bother him

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Where I live, the situation with snake specialists and veterinarians in general is not very good. Not even all clinics have X-rays for animals, let alone X-ray tubes for snakes. It is very sad. Now there are only 2 snake specialists in total (they also deal with dogs, cats, birds). There are no snake specialists as such. And to get tested, you need to go to several animal clinics. Therefore, I am very worried whether they will be able to help, or whether they will only make things worse.

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Now he wanted to take a walk. I took it on video

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I am sorry, I don’t understand this. Are you saying that you’ll have to take your snake to multiple vets?

I watched your video. I don’t see anything unusual happening with his head/mouth/neck. I do notice that he’s breathing in what seems to be an exaggerated way. I can see what looks like ribcage expansion and contraction. If so, this is highly unusual. It would indicate that the snake is short of breath. I don’t normally see any of mine noticeably expanding unless they’re eating. I can’t recall ever seeing this while they’re simply moving around. Maybe it happens and I’ve just missed it but it looks alarming.

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Are you talking about seeing it several inches past his head? If so I can see it too. Maybe fluid like pneumonia? I know that is probably a far fetched notion anyway……

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So I’m going to be honest here, considering the vet situation and the previous treatment, I’m not sure that’s the route to go. I would see if there are any snake breeders in your area who could recommend a specialist to you. The wrong treatment by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing could easily make things worse.

Also, could you provide photos of the entire enclosure? I’d like to see how much space and enrichment he has, as both can impact overall health. From all the photos you’ve posted so far, the lack of any way for him to fully stretch out or exercise could be playing a role here.

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Yes, that’s where I’m seeing it. I don’t know what’s happening, but it doesn’t appear normal. Maybe it’s pneumonia, maybe it’s an animal who is unaccustomed to any exercise at all.

Agreed. I’m concerned about several of the treatments which have been recommended in the past (@moonlily , I’m not criticizing you. I understand that you sought and followed veterinary advice). Trips and exams are stressors and only worth it if one is reasonably confident of good care.

It’s easy and important to increase your snake’s level of activity in his enclosure. It doesn’t even have to cost a penny. Toss in a cereal box, a paper towel core, and a couple of crinkled sheets of newspaper or a small cloth item (no loose threads). Fake plants are also great. Unless it’s too desperately ill to move, which doesn’t seem to be the case in your video, the snake will explore because he’s naturally a curious creature. This is good for him. In a week, change out an item or two, and/or rearrange a bit. If his home is too small to permit this, he needs a bigger home.

Don’t take his favorite hide, ever, unless it’s become unsafe in some way. Stressing a sick animal is a no-no, of course. But encouraging him to move voluntarily in his home is a good thing.

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