Very unusual behavior, why is she doing this?

[Ash]

My friend called me at about 10 this morning to tell me that her 09 female spider was behaving strangely. I got her into bp's in the first place so she assumed I might know better and be able to explain what's happening.

She said that she had put a live mouse in the aquarium with the snake, but every time the mouse got close, the snake would make a sort of high-pitched, quiet screaming sound, like a kettle boiling. The snake did this with the mouth open. I didn't believe her, so she put a camera on it right away and told me to go over and see. Unfortunately she didn't get film of the noise, and it didn't happen again after I arrived. She said it appeared as though the sound was happening on an inhale rather than an exhale. I also saw the snake open and close her mouth a few times. It wasn't a wide yawn like after they feed, it looked sort of like soft chewing.

Her snake has been refusing food (which I told her is normal this time of year). She also just recently changed the tank to a bigger 20G and put in slightly bigger hides.

During her last feeding two weeks ago, the snake ate the mouse half-way and then regurgitated. She resumed eating a few minutes later and nothing unusual happened again.

I checked the mouth for signs of an R.I. and it looked completely normal. There is no crackling sound when the snake breathes. The snake's environment is pristine, 89 degrees hot side, 75 on the cold side, identical hides, fresh water, and occasional misting. Substrate is white paper towels, changed weekly. Has anybody else seen/heard about this? What's going on?

[Moofins07]

Most indications still point to an RI. Mostly the excessive yawning. As for the "screaming" noise, you have me stumped. My best guess is this IS some form of wheezing, even though it doesn't seem like it. The snake could be sucking in air, trying to breathe, when it yawns, causing this high-pitched wheezing.

However, with an RI, by the time you DO hear popping and see the bubbles/mucus, that means it's quite advanced. The BP could still have an RI, just in the beginning stages. That would explain why she's refusing food. We don't feel much like eating when we're sick, either.

I would suggest bumping up the ambient and the warm spot temperatures by a few degrees. Have the ambient temp at a minimum of 80, and aim for a warm spot of 90-92. Low temps can cause an RI. People say to not go any lower than 75 degrees, but that doesn't mean it's a suitable permanent living temperature.

I also didn't see an info on the humidity. If it's too low, that can cause an RI on its own. My best suggestion is to have your friend fix the temps right away (and maybe the humidity) and make a vet appointment. If it's there, catch it before it gets bad. You can never be too sure.

Good luck!

[Ash]

Ok, thanks so much! I actually stayed overnight there recently and I saw the snake holding its head perpendicular to the ground for a really long time, so now I'm almost positive that its an RI. I figure that was to drain the fluid back and help it to breathe better. I referred her to a reptile vet and will tell her about the humidity issue. Thanks again