Vet and possible RI questions

[thegoalie22]

For the last 2-3 months or so, my 7 year old bp has been showing possible signs of an RI. His "symptom" is that he has been whistling and clicking a little bit. The vast majority of these noises are very quiet, and I have to have his head close to my ear to hear them at all. They don't really sound like hisses, but I'm not totally sure. My temps are good, the humidity stays around 20 percent without misting, but I mist multiple times a day because I am home all day, and he has a humid mossy hide that he uses. He has shed once during the time that I have heard these noises. He is eating like an absoloute pig, and does not show any other signs of an RI. Does anyone else think he has one? I would rather be safe that sorry.

My other question is, if it is reccomended I take him to the vet, what would it cost to get a bacteria culture ( is that what the test for RI's are?) and get "him" sexed, because I received him from my cousin and he did not know the sex.

On another partially related note: I was at the Washington Pa reptile show on Saturday, and they were auctioning off a albino BP. It was about 20 degrees outside, and it was MAYBE 65 inside. This BP was sitting pretty close to the door and probably caught alot of drafts from outside. There did not appear to be a heat source of any kind for him. This was only a 1 day show, but couldn't he get a RI from that?

Sorry for the long post

[ericswan_1]

its hard to say yes or no it is. like you said to be safe rather than sorry i Would take it for a culture at least. the last vet visit i had for an RI was only about $65 bucks I think. but could be more else where.


Eric

[jason79]

Sounds like RI. You should go to the vet and get antibiotics the longer you wait to treat it the worse it will get and more it will cost.

[docturgonzo]

If you can hear a clicking i would definately get him checked out straight away as it could be a RI and the sooner you get it sorted the better.

2-3 months is a long time to go unchecked really. Has symptoms got worse or remained the same?

What temps is he at?
Until you get him checked i would bump temps to 94-95 deg to help him out a bit.
My last female i took in with an RI could only be heard clicking when there was no background noise whatso ever.

Im in the uk and My last treatment for RI was £125 including baytril injections , mouth swab and lab sample ect.

Its a small price to pay really for pece of mind and a healthy animal in my eyes

[thegoalie22]

it has gotten slightly worse
i want to take him to a vet,but my mom will not take him unless he exhibits another sign of an ri like mucus

[dr del]

Hi,

Have you checked to see if there are any sounds coming from his lungs?

Can you see any sign of any blockages in his nostrils? You can try one of those "snot suckers" you get for babies to see if that clears anything.

I take it you have checked in his mouth and he doesn't sit with his head elevated open mouthed breathing or anything?


dr del

[thegoalie22]

how do i check if it is coming from his lungs?
he doesnt have any mucus or bubbles around his nostrils
he doesnt do any open mouth breathing

[dr del]

Hi,

Hold his head near your ear and then put your ear against his sides about a third of the way down his body. You're listening for pops, clicks, crackles and wheezes.

If you open his mouth is there a lot of frothy mucus in there?


dr del

[exiled reptile]

unless you're seeing mucus its not definitely ri my babies whisper sweet nothings in my ear and it sounds like a whistle all of my babies are in good health i thought it was weird the first time i heard it asked the vet about it when i took them for their physical exam and he told me what signs to look for ie mucus mouth rot in really bad cases so far healthy and happy snakes just whistle when they breath but not generalised for all of my babies don't whistle just 2 of them

[thegoalie22]

@dr del
i dont really understand the first test.
he definetely does not make noises with every breath he takes
i pulled his lips down to look for mucus cuz i didnt want to open his full mouth
there wasnt exactly mucus,but there was a couple of clear saliva bubbles on one side that looked pretty normal

sry for the spelling,i am typin this on a cell phone