HELP! pink belly on my new bp

[srking1993]

Hey guys,
New BP owner here..

Just got Max about a week ago..
took him to the vet on Monday because he had some louder breather.. he sounded strained.
She gave him an antibiotic for the beginning of a URI..
but now 3 days later, his whole belly is pink.. very pink.

any ideas?
possibly time to shed? or bacterial infection getting worse??

[KingJv2020]

Could be time to shed, my bp's belly turns a light pink before it sheds


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[srking1993]

Thanks! That's what I figured.. I scheduled him another appointment just in case. (:

[KMG]

Did the vet test for an RI or just prescribe antibiotics? Did you have mucus coming from the snake?

Sometimes when a snake is getting ready to shed they will start having clicks, pops, or irregular breathing sounds caused by their loosening skin. I'm not saying that's what this is but it does happen.

Your snake will have a pink belly, then the skin will become cloudy which is the "blue" phase, then the skin and eyes will clear up and a few days later it will shed. At the first signs of a shed its usually important to bump up the humidity.

[srking1993]

Okay, then my other BP must be in the blue phase now.. her belly is barely pink but her eyes are very milky and her color is extremely dull.

When I took the older one to the vet, she listened for respiratory issues and examined him.. if there's another test for respiratory infection, I'm unaware of it.. so let me know if that is something that could be done as well.. she have him one dose of antibiotic on Monday and told me to come back in within 72 hours for a second dose.. she said she thought he had the beginning of a URI. I called this morning and added his pink belly to be examined during the visit today too.

[Skiploder]

Okay, then my other BP must be in the blue phase now.. her belly is barely pink but her eyes are very milky and her color is extremely dull.

When I took the older one to the vet, she listened for respiratory issues and examined him.. if there's another test for respiratory infection, I'm unaware of it.. so let me know if that is something that could be done as well.. she have him one dose of antibiotic on Monday and told me to come back in within 72 hours for a second dose.. she said she thought he had the beginning of a URI. I called this morning and added his pink belly to be examined during the visit today too.

As has already been stated, snakes make some raspy noises.

Some are natural noises they make when they are stressed - some come with being in shed. Since the noise coincides with your snake's imminent shed, there is a good chance that (in the absence of any other symptoms) there is nothing wrong with your snake.

What a QUALIFIED reptile vet does is observe the animal and look for signs like mucous, odd head positions, a recent history of food refusals, etc. to confirm the presence of a URI. Unless the odd breathing sounds are constant, they likely may mean nothing.

Once additional symptoms are observed, the vet then takes a bacterial culture - either from a tracheal wash or a swab. This is so that they can pinpoint the bacteria involved and what is susceptible to. Without it, the vet is guessing at the efficacy of the antibiotic. In the world of increasing antibiotic resistance, it is imperative to treat bacterial infections correctly - and on the first try.

Secondly, not all RIs are bacterial in nature. Some may be secondary opportunistic infections to another underlying disease.

So, again - if your vet heard a constant breathing irregularity and did not take a culture - then she did not do her job. On the same token, if your vet heard only an occasional crackle or wheeze during direct examination with no other symptoms and did not take a culture and then sent you home with an antibiotic regimen, well, then I'd find another vet.

[CORBIN911]

Find a new vet... And do a little bit of self research! These are very common, and not irregular things, that under all basic research for animal you will learn! its good you did take to vet adnd o care, but alot could be avoided with simple searching!

Aswell i hate to ask but is your heat source regulated ​by a thermostat?

[srking1993]

the heat source is not regulated by a thermostat.. I have a thermostat in the tank, but an infrared bulb above one end of the tank creating a temp gradient throughout the tank.

...why do you ask?
.

[sho220]

the heat source is not regulated by a thermostat.. I have a thermostat in the tank, but an infrared bulb above one end of the tank creating a temp gradient throughout the tank.

...why do you ask?
.

Is the bulb your only heat source?

[srking1993]

yes, the vet and the reptile store we purchased him from said that a warm side of about 90/95 degrees and a cool side of about 80 degrees was necessary but not to use heat rocks or under tank heat mats for risk of burning him.. and humidity of about 50-60% normally and increased when during shed..