Ball Python Sick (HELP)

[TheWayOfTheWind]

Hello,

I've noticed my regular morph ball python wheezing one day, I checked up on him and saw bubbles in his mouth.

I took him to the vet soon after and apparently he had no bubbles this time, he had some strand of substrate stuck in his nose, it was removed and he stopped sniffing.

Not long after he got home he started wheezing again, even had some mucus on his nose, wheezing has been on and off.

I also noted that he was almost cork screwing a bit on and off, and if you flipped him on his back, he wouldn't right himself.

I fear that this is IBD or Nidovirus, the route causes are unknown afaik, but I hear it either comes from other snakes or snake mites(snake mites for IBD atleast).

My ball python has been with been with me for 10 years with no other snakes and he's never had mites afaik.

What's going on?? OMPV??

The vet is prescribing him general antibiotics in the meantime, before we find the illness

The biggest thing that scares me is him not being able to right himself.

[Homebody]

Here's a link to a recent thread where someone's boa was diagnosed with IBD after 11 years, so it can happen.

[TheWayOfTheWind]

Thing is from the research I've made, yes boa's can live fairly long with IBD dormant, but I don't believe that's the case with BP's, it finishes them off rather swiftly.

[Malum Argenteum]

Here's a link to a recent thread where someone's boa was diagnosed with IBD after 11 years, so it can happen.

Great link. Also, many snakes that carry nido are asymptomatic (reliable sources suggest as many as 10% of captive snakes of the relevant taxa are carriers). I don't know about the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers of ferlavirus (OPMV), and I'm not sure it is known.

Your vet should be able to screen for the three viral diseases you mention. That would be a good start in getting a diagnosis, but keep in mind that false negatives are possible (mostly from irregular viral shedding even when symptomatic).

[TheWayOfTheWind]

He'll just lay like this

I don't know if it's because he's curled into a ball I don't think this is the case when he's not in a ball.

[Malum Argenteum]

Keep us posted on what the vet finds.