HELP!!! Is she sick? SHE BIT ME!!!!

[ZoeFugazi]

hello all, my wife and i have a 2ft male bp, a 3ft male ca-king, and a new 4ft female bp. We got the 4ft fem bp (Zoe) 3 weeks ago. She was doing fine up untill about 1 week ago. I'm worrying she has an RI but I've never had a sick snake including ones i've owned in the past so I'm not quite sure.

I started noticing:

- weird, almost hissing or clicking sounds when she was hanging on my neck or close to my ear.
- constant, all day soaking in water bowl.
- she struck my hand (bite strong enough for my finger to bleed) when i was fixing the bedding and water bowl last night. this is completely out of her character so far...shes very docile...we were shocked because it was no where close to feeding time and, as always, my hands were washed and sanatized with germ-ex.
- as ive read other postings i have noticed that when coiled up, or in her water bowl, she does have her head raised up against the tub or resting at a 45* angle.
- when she struck my hand she got some aspen bedding stuck in her mouth. I took her out and held her gently behind the head to pull the aspen out. I noticed some saliva or something on the aspen chip. My wife held her and she left a couple streaks of this saliva on her shirt. I'm not sure if the saliva is from an RI or if it was induced in trying to get the aspen out of her mouth.
- rubbing her face against a rock the other day.
- i have not noticed any mice.
- the cal king and baby BP are doing fine.

Here are pics and details:
*aspen shavings for bedding
*fake plants
*zoo-med forest moss for additional humidity
*no heating pad (have never used one in the past 6 yrs of owning snakes)
*heat is from infrared bulb with a dimmer switch
*temp and humidity monitored with accurite weather station
*temps are around 80-85 (cool side) and 90-95 (warm side)
*humidity 50-60% (i have a hard time keeping this constant even with the moss and daily misting)
*water is changed daily
*she eats 1 large rat (frozen then thawed) every 7-9 days with no problems

so my questions are:
• Does my snake have an RI?
• What causes an RI?
• Are there any home remedies for it?


Here are pics of enclosure (Click to enlarge):




P.s. Sorry for all the info on post, but i want the best possible answer to my questions.. THANK YOU!!!

P.s.s. Any critique on our enclosure setup will be helpfull..

[zina10]

Hello, first of all, congrats on the new addition

You say you had the female for 3 weeks. And she seems to be an adult at 4 foot long.
How was her husbandry before you got her? How many times has she eaten for you in those 3 weeks ?

Moving a BP to a new home/enclosure can be quite stressful for them. On top of that it seems like you've already been handling her a bit ? Her strike could have been out of stress and fear.

Not sure how she was kept previously, but your current setup isn't ideal. Its very pretty, and might work for some colubrids or lizards, but your BP really should have belly heat instead. The heat bulbs completely burn through the humidity and you will be hard pressed to keep the humidity up without keeping your snake or the substrate "wet". Which in itself is very unhealthy.

I also noticed that there is no hide on the hot side. The snake seems to be using the water dish as her "hide". Esp. with the overhanging plant. It is possible she has a RI from staying to damp and not being able to heat her insides correctly. Its also possible that she is simply going into a shed cycle and being cranky because of that.

Making a few simple adjustments would make your life (maintenance) much easier and it would be safer and more comfortable for the snake. I would get belly heat installed and connected to a thermostat. Then have a hide in both cool AND hot side. IMHO no need for a large water dish. I think having proper hides is more important use of the space. A smaller water dish in the middle of the enclosure. Getting rid of the heat lamp will make it easy to maintain proper humidity, and therefor no need for large water dish.

If you suspect an RI its important to keep her out of the water and make sure that she has sufficient heat and is able to use the hot end rather then seeking out the security of a hide in a cooler area. Also , since your tub isn't in a rack I would black out the sides and back. (perhaps even the top) It will help in making her feel more secure, not so "exposed" on all sides. You will still be able to see her through the front. You could also only black out the back half of the lid, if you want to be able to peek in from above...

While you aren't sure about the health, I would leave the snake completely alone aside from maintenance. Give her time to adjust and feel safe. After she is confirmed healthy and has eaten at least twice for you, I would start handling again.

Should her symptoms get worse, it is time for a visit to a Vet, as she will need some meds.

Please remember, those are just the things I would do, I'm no expert. You will probably get a lot more advice as the day goes on.

Good luck and keep us up to date

[Dundee]

Id keep a eye on her like said could be a deffensive bite. To high of humidty i was told can cause ri. Plus not cleaning cages no heat and alot of other stuff can cause r.i. Bps can also stress very easy. I dont know any home remadys for ri i had to take my redtail to the vet when she had it once a week for 2-3 weeks for shots then i had to soak her everyday for 10-15 mins a day 3 times a day so the medication wouldnt dry her out.