Recued him from a spider web

[Squish]

I don't know if maybe "he" has a broken jaw. His lower jaw was a little askew when I finally got all the web untangled. I haven't seen his toungue yet and I'm not sure what to feed him. I,ve had him for a couple of days.

[abcat1993]

If you're talking about a garter, since you posted this at Thamnophis.com, then you should feed it worms, slugs, fish, or small toads, but probably worms for now. I think I heard something about the jaws of snakes reajusting after they do something but not sure.

[Cazador]

Hi Squish, and welcome to the forum.
I don't know if this applies to your snake's jaw problem, but snakes make "yawning" motions to reset their jaws after they dislocate them to swallow something large (or presumably dislocate it during a struggle). Their jaws look somewhat askew before doing so. Hopefully that's all that happened when he was in the web. If you ever have to force-feed an ill snake, they sometimes fail to reset their jaws promptly, and it makes them look a bit odd for a while. I'd offer him small (1/2" to 1") segments of a worm at two day intervals until he eats or another week has passed. If this is the case, it'll reset its jaws on its own after it eats. After your snake accepts a worm segment, continue to feed it as much as it will take for its first meal. It's really hard to offer a better assessment without a good picture and since you just found it.
Rick

P.S. Interesting rescue. His dinner almost ate him!

[Squish]

His jaw seems to look OK now but he doesn't flick his toungue out to smell anything so I don't know if there is a problem there. I tried to give him some worm pieces yesterday but he didn't seem interested. One piece was crawling on him and he didn't move. I'll keep trying though. Thanx!

[Cazador]

Make sure his new habitat has plenty of places for him to hide (even if it's just under crumbled paper). It sounds like he's not comfortable in his new surroundings. Make sure the worms you offer are nightcrawlers... not red worms or red wigglers (same thing, different names). Once he's more comfortable, try gently blowing air toward his head. He might flick out his tongue to check out the new scent. He has to feel comfortable, first.

[abcat1993]

Originally Posted by Squish

I tried to give him some worm pieces yesterday but he didn't seem interested. One piece was crawling on him and he didn't move. I'll keep trying though. Thanx!

I had to try for one whole week before mine would eat; but when he did, oh boy was he hungry.

[Cazador]

Sorry for the disjointed suggestions, but I just thought of another tip that might help get your new snake to feed. Try offering worm pieces when you see it cruising the cage. This may indicate it's looking for food, and it may be more willing to accept your offerings.

[Thamnophis]

There is a possibility that it was bitten by the spider.
Do you think that is possible?
Depending on what spider-species this can be not so good for the snake.
And I have no idea what to do about it.

Not eating is not that bad, but not flicking its tongue is something to worry about.

[abcat1993]

when I caught my garter snake (sorry for all the "when i got mine" stories) I didn't see it flick it's tongue for at least 2 days after I put it in it's permanent cage.