Wheezed a little while constricting a F/T mouse- possible infection or paranoid?

[sugar]

Ok I promised myself I wouldn't post about all my silly little concerns, only being an owner for 2 weeks now- But this really bothered me and I want opinions.
My tank temps are 81 on the cool side, 92.5 on the warm side, about 98 on the glass over the UTH, ambient temp varies 77-80. The only thing I'm having an issue with is humidity. I live in the prairies where it's very dry and my tank was at 40% for a week. It's more consistent now at 55-60% by spraying the tank once or twice a day, keeping a damp sponge in a container with holes, and keeping half the mesh lid covered with a damp towel, which I also have to do atleast once a day. My substrate is cypress mulch.
Now, last night while he was coiled up on a f/t mouse he made a few wheezing noises. I've handled him plenty and never heard any of the tell-tale sounds and he seems ok. He did act weird after that mouse though, tore up his substrate, rearranged his hides and struck at nothing... He didn't do that last time. Also he's getting kind of dull and pink-bellied, should I bring him to a vet before he starts shedding just in case? or keep an eye on him to see if there's more symptoms?

[coopaloop2121]

hes fine... i wouldnt take him to the vet. mine did this a while back and i got really scared too but its honestly nothing... unless he starts wheezing all the time and sneezing and you see a mucus build up around the mouth. also 98 is too hot for your bp.... i wouldnt let it get above 93. but honestly hes fine just keep on eye out

[Rickys_Reptiles]

I'd just keep an eye on him.

Ball Pythons don't typically eat wheh they have a RI as it's hard to breath. Also, prior to shedding thier faces sometimes get a bit swollen, which causes some people to mistake preshed symptoms with RI. I'd just keep an eye on him, and listed regularly. If you hear weezing here and there, then it's probably not a big deal. But, if the weezing gets stronger, or closer together than I'd get your snake checked out. If you catch a RI early they're easy to treat.

[MarkS]

A lot of people will confuse hissing with wheezing. He may be feeling a little touchy since he's starting a shed cycle. Another possibility is that he may have gotten some dust from the substrate in his nose or throat while eating and is trying to clear it. (I used to notice a lot more huffing and puffing when I was using particulate substrates which almost completely disappeared when I went back to using newspaper) In any case I wouldn't worry about it too much, as long as he's active and you don't see any signs of mucus.

Also your hot spot is a little high, if it were me I'd cut it back by at least 5 degrees.

[sugar]

Thanks everyone, I never thought it could be hissing or something else. That's a relief. As for the temperature issue at hand, I thought the ideal substrate temp on the warm side was 90-92? Should I really cut it back to 87? He seems to spend all his time on the warm side.

[MarkS]

Well, you'll get different answers from different people depending on their personal experience. The temperatures of the part of the world where they come from will not vary much over the course of a year. The temperature typically varies from 74°F to 91°F and is rarely below 70°F or above 94°F. I personally try to keep my hot spot temps under 90 degrees, generally somewhere between 86-90 and I've had good luck with it.