My new RTB has an R.I infection! Help!

[Animals As Leaders]

I was recently given a male 7ft RTB. They couldn't keep it in their apartment so they had to get rid of it. I went and checked him out when I first got him, and he seemed fine. I didn't see any kind of R.I symptoms, or anything close to an imperfection on his body. I went home as planned, and set him up. I also fed him the next day as the owner said he only fed him the one rat rather then both the previous day. He seemed to be transitioning nicely. I had him out a couple days after he ate, and I noticed a small whistle coming from his nose. I didn't know if it was possibly a stuck shed, so I didn't worry too much about it.

Today, I decided I wanted to take him out to stretch out a little. And as I was handling him, I noticed a huge bubble come out of his mouth! I immediately knew what the whistle was coming from...Now, I just want to know if its possible to acquire baytril without going to a vet. I've heard a bunch of stories a people finding it in other ways. Also, shouldn't his appetite be effected by this somehow? I found it pretty weird how he's still acting pretty normal.

[BallsUnlimited]

if its an r.i deff take him to the vet. baytril may not be the drug needed to take care of his strain of bacteria. he needs to be taken to the vet to be cultured to see what antibiotics are going to help him fight off the infection. You will prob have to do injections for around a month or so. If you where closer and you didnt know how to do them properly I woulda been more than happy to help\show you.

[Maixx]

Go to the vet, there are multiple things that can cause a RTI. In my little Russian, it wasn't an RTI, it was a reaction to a new fake rock hide from ZooMed. Fungial and viral infections are not treated with antibiotics, and are other forms of RTI but less common. Baytril is far from harmless to your snake, it does permanent damage to the kidneys, but compared to a RTI, its worth it.

I'd spend the $$ on a vet visit and a culture, even if I thought it was a bacterial RTI, and had the meds to deal with it.

[Animals As Leaders]

Gonna call tomorrow to make an appointment. How much should everything cost me when its all said and done?

[Maixx]

My visit was about $110, but ended up not being a RTI, just fumes from a new vanity hide, she was back to normal in 3 days.
Her symptoms were runny nose, sneezing and lethargic.

As advised I switched to a dustless enviorment and raised the temps a couple deg, and daily soaks.

I felt bad because I caused it, I won't use painted things like that again. Then it was bad because my wife got it for her, she's just starting to get into reptiles, and it was the first thing she got for my snakes.

http://www.petco.com/product/15053/Z...in-1-Cave.aspx

[Animals As Leaders]

**UPDATE**

Well, thanks to his hot weather we've been having I've been able to keep temp's nice and high. For the last few days he's been in a smaller enclosure (42qt rubbermaid tub rack with heat) and seems to be enjoying it. I took him out to see if his symptoms we're looking any better, and to my eye's he seemed to be fine...I didn't hear him wheeze or see any kind of fluid around his face. I pulled his lower lip down (to view his gum's) and nothing...I'm not sure if it is gone, but sure seemed that way. Just the other day Jake was blowing bubbles at me...I've been reading that once at this point, it is usually imperative you get them to a vet as soon as you can. How could he from full blown R.I symptoms to basically nil in just a few days? Ambient temps have been around 90+ in my room. Never going past 92-93. But totally seems like its doing the trick. His basking spot is around 90-92, and he's been on and off it.

My questions are, has this been done before? I was told RI is something that NEEDS anti-biotic's and nothing else. You can do what I do to help deal with it, but it by no means makes it better was my understanding. And, what happens when a snake in the wild gets RI? Do they all perish, or have there own way of fighting it?

[Maixx]

Possible RTI mimic? Or you beat it before it really set in.
What kinds of hides and enclosures are you using, look at what's different between the 2 enclosures?

[Animals As Leaders]

What do you mean by RTI mimic?

Well the only thing that I can say was different was I didn't use a hide in the tub he is in now.

He was in 55 gallon tank with a cardboard hide. This was just a temporary thing until I went to the store. He was only in it a day, and I have never had anything like this happen using a temporary cardboard hide. The tank did however have low humidity...As soon as I put him in the rack, with the proper humidity, he seemed to really get better fast!

[Maixx]

RTI mimic is something that has the same symptoms an a RTI, but isn't. Like in the case I explained above about my RRS, she had respiratory inflammation from the fumes from her plastic hide.

( pasted from other source)
http://www.anapsid.org/rti.html
RTI Mimics
Other situations and conditions that may cause symptoms similar to respiratory infections are inclusion body disease in boas and pythons and ingestion of toxic substances -both of which require veterinary diagnosis and, in the latter case, intervention. Choking or gagging on a piece of food or foreign object may result in temporary excess saliva. Being handled too soon after eating or drinking may result in water being regurged and spit out;
since it is now mixed with saliva, it will be rather viscous rather than thin like plain water. If too soon after eating, some food may be partially regurged and stuck in the throat which may cause increased salivation. No other signs of RTI occur in these instances, so they are easily told apart from an RTI.. Some reptiles may exhibit signs of respiratory infection as a signal to you that they have been handled enough or want (or need) to be put down.

[Animals As Leaders]

VERY INTERESTING!!

Thanks for the information....I really wonder if this was happened! I mean, now that I think about it I fed him on monday, and handled him wednesday. Maybe this was too soon, or maybe he had a drink....Its funny because I DO remember lifting him out of the enclosure and hearing stomach sounds lol. I thought it was just normal stomach noises. Maybe it was his food/liquids sloshing around, and making him salivate like that? Very weird, thanks again for the info!