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Emerald Tree Boa white stuff in mouth

E

exotic reptiles.

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Hi, I have a 2ft ETB.

I was checking her mouth today and noticed white stuff along the gum line.

I used a wet q-tip and gently rubbed it along and the stuff came off easily. No redness. Looks like chicken meat. Anyone ever hear of this? Thanks.

I'll try and upload pics later today.
 
From the description, it sounds like infectious stomatitis (aka mouthrot, but the pictures will help confirm. There is generally some redness seen when the caseous matter is removed, though.
Stomatitis is generally considered to be a secondary condition, but it can occur in response to an injury or irritation within the mouth (I once had a puff adder that ended up with it whenever I put him on display, because he would push his face through the display substrate & get pieces of it lodged in his mouth).
Double check your husbandry - temp, humidity, etc. Is she still eating? Any other signs of problems?
 
Well the reason I checked her mouth because I saw a few pieces of wood chips. I use cypress mulch. I removed the chips then I saw this white meaty looking stuff. Temp is at 79.8f humidity is 88%.

Its hard to hold on to her head with one hand and camera with the other.
 
I agree with Harald. Remove the caseous material with a cu-tip and apply Hydrogen peroxide applied daily for a few days. This will ensure that at least the lesion won't progress and affect the bone and teeth. This of course is no substitute for a vet visit as you may have to administer some ATB. Slight mouthrot can turn into more severe lesions and upon aspiration to URI.
 
If you opt for the hydrogen peroxide route, be careful where the foam flows (or goes when you swab)
 
I've been using Chlorhexidine at 2% solution. It seems to cure infection fast. What strenght is Hy. peroxide used at?
 
While hydrogen peroxide has been an effective option for treatment of stomatitis for many years, now that it is quite readily available, I personally prefer the chlorhexidine. There are benefits to both, however.
The hydrogen peroxide will help break up and facilitate removal of the caseation...but the foaming can increase the risk of ingestion or aspiration if the handler is not very careful. Some recommend against its use for mouthrot, on the basis that it also disrupts healthy tissue and can actually prolong the healing process (specifically, the tissue under/around the affected spot - not normal, unblemished mucosa)....in other words, once it goes through the white stuff, it starts on the pink stuff. Don't take that the wrong way, its not going to just keep eating its way through good tissue & turn a small sore into a gaping wound...it just, well, aggravates the injured area. (trying to think of a good description.........ok - kind of like using a scrub brush to clean a scrape on your arm every day. It works, but sometimes the scrape takes longer to heal because the brush aggravates the condition and disrupts the healing skin)
When using chlorhexidine, you sometimes have to work a little harder to clean/clear the affected area sufficiently...but it works quite nicely and is neater.

There are also varying recommendations regarding cleaning/treatment: ranging from twice/day, to every 2-3 days. Personally, I tailor it to the snake & the particular situation. If this is just a matter of irritation due to foreign particles in the mouth, it should clear up pretty quickly. If, on the other hand, it is a secondary issue, you will need to find/correct the primary problem.
 
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hhmoore said:
While hydrogen peroxide has been an effective option for treatment of stomatitis for many years, now that it is quite readily available, I personally prefer the chlorhexidine. There are benefits to both, however.
The hydrogen peroxide will help break up and facilitate removal of the caseation...but the foaming can increase the risk of ingestion or aspiration if the handler is not very careful. Some recommend against its use for mouthrot, on the basis that it also disrupts healthy tissue and can actually prolong the healing process (specifically, the tissue under/around the affected spot - not normal, unblemished mucosa)....in other words, once it goes through the white stuff, it starts on the pink stuff. Don't take that the wrong way, its not going to just keep eating its way through good tissue & turn a small sore into a gaping wound...it just, well, aggravates the injured area. (trying to think of a good description.........ok - kind of like using a scrub brush to clean a scrape on your arm every day. It works, but sometimes the scrape takes longer to heal because the brush aggravates the condition and disrupts the healing skin)
When using chlorhexidine, you sometimes have to work a little harder to clean/clear the affected area sufficiently...but it works quite nicely and is neater.

There are also varying recommendations regarding cleaning/treatment: ranging from twice/day, to every 2-3 days. Personally, I tailor it to the snake & the particular situation. If this is just a matter of irritation do to foreign particles in the mouth, it should clear up pretty quickly. If, on the other hand, it is a secondary issue, you will need to find/correct the primary problem.
Click to expand...

That's true, hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizing agent. The rationale behind it's use is that some of the bacteria usually involved in stomatitis are gram negative and anaerobic. That's why it works. Obviously you need to take precautions (as with other topical medicines) to avoid aspiration by the animal. But consider the pluses and minuses I like it, pretty much like the aspirin, "old but still good" ;)
 
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old, but still good
Click to expand...
There's no reason to discard the way we used to do things, just because there are now other options. Its good to have choices...sometimes the old ways are still better, and sometimes our comfort level with a technique/practice is as important as any other factor.
Having dealt with a lot of fresh imports & rescues over the years, I've dealt with my share of problems. When things flare up now, sometimes my approach is old school...sometimes I try the new kids' tricks, lol (sometimes I mix & match :thumbsup: )
 
Hello

Hello,

Oh yeah that is definitely sounding like mouthrot. You will need to up the temps & decrease the humidity a bit.
I actually use a diluted betadine. I guess between the betadine which is not cytotoxic at all, the nolvasan is decent too.
I agree, the hydrogen perioxide has been around a long time. It is very cytotoxic so care definitely needs to be taken. It actually kills scales & they will not grow back.

I hope your snake gets to feeling better.
Do you have a good vet to go to?

Tracie
 
I'm no expert on this, but I just read somewhere that certain woods have toxic oils in them - I think it was pine and cedar, but are you sure the cypress mulch is OK to use? Just in case it's aggravated by oils in the bedding.
 
What woods are toxic?

OK, thanks,
I know this is a bit off topic, but do you know off hand if there are any other woods (other than Pine and Cedar) to avoid for boas?

Helen
 
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