eye problem in baby corn

[mustang445]

My son got a baby corn snake last weekend. He is only about 10" long and he started to shed on monday. So far he has only gotten the skin off of his head. Tonight when I looked at him his left eye was swollen - kind of half white. Not eye caps or like before they shed (we have two ball pythons so I've seen that). I tried to take pics but they are blurry. It was not like that this morning at 7am I am very sure. Injury? infection? I haven't messed with it b/c I am unsure of what to do. My son is 9 and is very worried.
We also have a argument going as to how much heat they need. His room is about 78 because of the lamp for the ball pythons. Right now he has two of these little baby corn snakes. The other seems perfectly fine and ate like a peek on sunday. The other did not eat but since he was shedding we did not worry at the time. He also seems to be having slight trouble opening his mouth b/c he is yawning occassionaly but I figured that was bc of the shed.
The two of them are just in a little critter keeper for now. They will go to a 10 gallon next week.
thanks in advance - j

 

[doortech9]

It's really hard to tell with the photo you have. Is it just one shed stuck on him or are there multiples? Is it just a bad angle or is he a bit thin? What condition was this snake in when you recieved it?

 

[mustang445]

we've only had him since sunday night. I think he is thin. He wouldn't eat , but then he started shedding so I wasn't too worried. But the shed came off his head on tuesday and hasn't gone any further. He still won't eat. I only have f/t and nowhere to get live before saturday. Isn't this too long for a baby, especailly since I don't know when he ate last. My son got him from a friend who himself had just gotten him.
It's not an eye cap. I saw both eye caps come off with the shed from his head. His left eye is slightly swollen (as opposed to the right). Yesterday both eyes were dark compared to his face but now the left one is white - not milky but actually white from the bottom edge to about half way up. If he were a dog I would say he had a cherry eye - where the inner lower membrane gets swollen.

 

[Saffleur]

Looks thin too. Looks like you can see his backbone in the second pic.

I'd say take them to the vet, that really doesn't sound good.

 

[doortech9]

Well for the shed i would put him in a small tupperware container with just enough room temperature water to cover the bottom, along with a washcloth for him to crawl through. This should un-stick what is left on him. It probably couldn't hurt to leave him soak for a while in case he is dehydrated. Is it possible that he rubbed his eye raw on something rough trying to slough off old skin? Do you have any additional pictures to share? I'm no expert but it sounds like it might be a vet visit for you guys. Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[mustang445]

I'm thinking that he has damaged his cornea while taking the shed off of his head. I am also feeling guilty because he took the shed off his head while rubbing on me and I let his rub pretty hard through my fingers. Maybe it wasn't really ready to come off yet? Anyway, I think he is sick. He sits with his head up vertical as well and he keeps getting shaving stucks in his mouth so I am assuming there is mucus there. He still doesn't want to eat. I have put him in a plastic shoe box by himself. As far as the vet goes, I know you will think I'm callous but he is very little and if he won't eat and possibly has an RTI (mucous? head vertical?) i really don't know about spending alot at the vet. His Ball Python did get an RTI last year and one trip to the vet cost $125. I guess I will leave his de-headed pinkie with him for the night and just keep checking on him till saturday. Then we will take him to the reptile man at the flea market to look at him.

 

[doortech9]

I don't want to come across as rude in any way, but wasn't it apparent that the snake was ill when you purchased it? It seems awfully thin and if it is showing symptoms as bad as you describe, it probably didn't get sick as soon as you got it home. What is the snake guy at the flea market going to do for him? It is your responsibility to take it to the vet if it is sick in your care.Or if it is too costly to spend any money on maybe you should euthanize it as humanely as possible. I just hate to see an animal suffer, hoping in the mean time that it gets better without money being spent.

 

[bitsy]

First you need to deal with that incomplete shed. There's no way he'll be able to eat with a hardened shed constricting his body. Create a humid hide and leave him in there for a few hours. Search the board for instructions - not complex.

Temps should range from the low-mid seventies, to the mid-high eighties, so 78 degrees all over the Corn's enclosure isn't warm enough. Unless the temps go up, you risk regurge/digestion problems in both Corns.

As for the eye, that looks infected. I hatched one that was missing the duct in the eye scale which allowed excess fluid to drain from in front of the eye - that caused a swelling which looked similar. Don't know if that's the case with yours, but my vet told me that infection was always a risk.

If the eye was OK, I'd say you'd just been sold an underweight, sickly hatchling that you could probably get on the straight-and-narrow with some TLC. But that eye is a potential killer; I'd get it to the vet, then decide whether any recommended treatment is worthwhile, or whether you'll have it euthanased, depending on what's diagnosed.