subject: Common Health Problems for Pet Snakes [print this page] Stomatitis: Stomatitis:
Stomatitis, or more commonly referred to as mouth rot, is pretty common among captive reptiles. It's caused by bacteria in the mouth that gets into n open wound, which causes infection within the lining of the gums, mouth, and potentially the entire digestive tract. Also known as mouth rot, this is a fairly common illness in captive snakes. Signs of mouth rot include swelling or color change in your snake's mouth and gums, gaps in the snake's mouth in regards closing his mouth, or frequent rubbing or opening its mouth.
You want to keep the bacteria in the enclosure to a minimum so to prevent infection, so make sure to regularly clean the entire enclosure, provide fresh water, and eliminate any source of injury to the mouth or the surrounding area.
Put the snake in a quarantine enclosure with paper towels and clean the mouth with a cotton swab dipped in 1% Betadine solution. Make sure that the snake doesn't swallow any of the Betadine or any infectious material by keeping his head downwards while flushing out his mouth. If the condition doesn't improve within 1 week, consult a vet.
