Please help diagnose my Ball Python.

It's not any sort of discharge. It looks almost like the scales are raise from some sort of inflamation. I cant even distinguish where the nostril hole is. I have tried cleaning the area with ChlorhexiDerm Flush, a topical antimicrobial cleansing/drying solution, but there is nothing to clean off. The area is clean, just inflamed. I also tried a soak but that really didn't help much either. The mouth looks normal with a nice uniform color throughout, but I'll check it again later when I get him out. At one time his head seemed to be a little swollen in the fatty area behind his eye, almost like a fluid buildup, but that has since returned to normal.

sorry derek i was calling you warner lol!

anyway... so is he wc or cbb?

from my experience you should be very careful with pythons and sinus infections... they have a very busy matrix, and an infection can do real damage in no time at all.

sounds like your doing the right thing though. it would be nice if you could give us updates... thanks!

~ Brian

Might it simply be a nose rub?

Honestly I don't know. I bought him as a 100% Het Pied but I never recieved any paperwork. I have to assume he is a normal but I don't know if he is CBB or WC. I have had him for about two years and this is just now becoming an issue.

Originally Posted by Cat_72

Might it simply be a nose rub?

It could be I guess but I don't know what a nose rub looks like or how they get it. This is the first time I have had any problems with any of my snakes.

I am just going to offer my musings in case they inspire anyone.

Reptiles (and birds), unlike mammals have a cleft pallate. So the sinus cavity and nostrils communicate directly with the mouth. Infections in one level can readily transport into the other.

You describe this as being one sided rather than bilateral. It is inflammed and swollen. The inflammation and swelling have worsened, but only in this one nostril.
Sure seems strongly indicative of an infection. But what type?

Respiratory fits the differential, as does stomatitis. It could even be both--one being secondary to the other.

Someone needs to get a good look inside the snakes mouth right under this nostril to see what is going on with the tissue in the area. A quick glance isn't going to do the job.

Stomatitis/oral infection can be caused by an injury or even a foreign body. Treatment would be pretty much the same--except a FB would have to be removed. Do you feed live?

You can make the appropriate husbandry adjustments and ride it out for a bit to see if it resolves on it's own. You will still need to get a good look inside in order to know how extensive this is. Or, you can take it to a competent reptile vet now, get an accurate diagnosis and get started right away on antibiotics if warranted and appropriate nursing care (ie cleansing).

Sorry, no magic bullet. Just your common garden variety advice.

this is what nose rub can look like:



and after some TLC:



what kind of enclosure do you keep it in?

He is currently in an aquarium with a screened lid. I keep about 90% of the top covered to help with the humidity.

From the picture above, the problem looks like the gums or inside of the mouth is swollen. That is not the case here.

I took a good look in his mouth and everything look uniform on both sides. No inflamation or discoloration. The only thing I noticed is one of his front teeth on the bad side was a bright blood red dot at the base of the tooth.

I have kept the temps up in the cage and he has been a little more active. He has also started a shed cycle so I have increased the humidity to 60-70%.