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Help!! Emerald won't close her mouth

I

iluvmyboa

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Hello, I have a problem with my Emerald. Yesterday I noticed that she was rubbing her chin on his perch. Today she has his mouth slightly open all day with some saliva around the mouth area. I checked for mites,,none. I checked for mouth rot...I can't see any. Temp is 86F during day and 80 at night. Humidity is 80%. I didn't want to open her mouth. I'm afraid of those upper 4 fangs. She's about 2 years old. 4.5feet. I've had her for about 2 months now. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Some possible reason for you to check not in any order:

1- Could be going to regurgitate. You'll probably know this by now.
2- Poor ventilation or dusty substrate
3- Too warm where snake likes to rest. Possibly with spot light.
4- Respiratory infection. Which may also cause audible wheezing.
5 - Nasal openings blocked from rubbing. Happy snakes don't rub so there is something wrong with your set up if this is the case.
6- getting ready to shed.
 
Is Her/his Jaw Lined Up Sometimes After Dislocation They Have A Hard Time Locateing It Again If This Is The Case It Should Be Noticeable Hers/his Upper Jaw Will Be Slightly Left/right Of Her/his Lower Jaw.
I Once Had House Carpet In My Hypo's Cage And His Teeth Got Stuck On One Of The Tiny Nylon Loops In The Carpet When He Struck For A Rat And Missed (this Was B4 I Knew About F/t Rodents) When He Finally Got Loose His Jaw Was Not Lined Up For Like 20 Minutes Causeing His Mouth To Be Open Eventually He Got It Straightened Out And Closed His Mouth.
Thank God He Was Fine.
-vin
 
Saliva? Sure it's not flem? Some simptoms of RI would be open mouth or agape breathing, wheezing, and mucous in advanced stages. Check for wheezing, look at her breathing and see if it seems labored.

I would seek a vet Myself.

Rick
 
Today, she has her mouth closed. No rubbing her chin on her perch. Breathing o.k. Weird. But I'm watching her closely. I'll keep you up to date. I want to open her mouth and see close inside but I'm a chicken.
 
What type of enclosure is she in ,and what are you using for substrate? Has it been feeding, and keeping the meals down?
The temperature and humidity you quoted are good; but if there is not sufficient air circulation, they are a recipe for disaster (bacteria and molds flourish in that environment). The open mouth that you describe can be attributed to a variety of factors - most typically involve a decrease in the patency of the nasal air passages (from the nares to the choana). This can be due to impending/retained shed; insufficient humidity - which shouldn't be a problem if your stated RH is accurate; "respiratory infection" - in quotes because IMO the term is over- and misused. Another possible reason - again, if your stated info is correct, this is likely not applicable - is excessive temperature. Another reason that you might see the mouth open is something akin to pneumonitis - this can occur if cage maintenance is not kept up...especially in cases where there is inadequate ventilation. That is why I asked about substrate - with mulch, and similar natural substrates, it is easy to not notice when the snake urinates, and the odor can build quickly.

Rule out the obvious, then double check temps and humidity. If everything checks out, try to maintain stable temps (84-86) and decrease the humidity somewhat (~60-65%). Depending on how long this has been going on, it may be best to bring get the animal to a qualified vet...once emeralds start showing symptoms like this, it is often a fairly rapid downward spiral.
 
you must have posted just as I was starting.
Glad to hear she seems to be doing better, but keep a close eye on her.
 
Well its been a few days now and everything seem to be OK. The substrait I use is Aspen chips, I'm going to increase the air circulation a little more. Thanks, for the input.
 
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