New snake is here - worried about potential RI, though.

[Rina]

Finally have this snake. ;; Poor boy has had a very rough couple of months.
Picked him up last night and was able to get his heating pad and temp monitoring stuff up today (didn't have the right tape, glue etc). The temp is a WIP...

I've handled him a lot these past two days and I feel awful about it. :C I know it stresses him out, although he's got an incredibly good temperament. I need to get a divider for the tank ASAP so I can continue tuning the rheostat without having to pull him out of the tank (I leave him in my bed since he likes to hide in the sheets and I'm hoping it's less stressful). I skipped feeding him this week since I doubted he was going to eat + I still need to grab a separate container for him to eat in.

This snake is 10 years old, VERY handle-able & a great eater (1 rat every week, always eats it!) brought into my workplace by his old owner a few months back and he was moved around until I finally agreed to take him. We first placed him with a coworker's roommate, who treated his tank like a coffee table so my coworker took over his care temporarily until I said I'd take him home. All that being said, it's been a few months since he's had a proper setup /: I hear wheezing/whistling noises when he breathes - I'm wondering if it's an RI, although there are no bubbles that I can see. What else could it be?

I don't know of an exotic vet yet. It was a scramble to get everything together this week, to be honest. I do work under an exotic vet (work at a wildlife sanctuary) & can take him to her in an emergency, but her job is to take care of the animals at my *workplace* so I'd prefer to avoid asking that of her. Any tips? :x

[alan12013]

Really does sound like an RI to me but I have no experience with that. If its an RI a simple vet visit will make your snake healthy instead of having to live with an infection. As far as finding a vet though... I just googled them and went down the list calling them. I bet it wont cost much and it will be worth it maybe 50 dollars appointment and 35 dollars for the meds. I paid 160 for an abscess removal and a whole bunch of antibiotics for a chameleon that I purchased that was housed very poorly for his whole life. Also just my opinion but feeding them after a couple days of settling in is perfect. I've bought 5 snakes just this month off of CL (most from people who bought at an expo or from a breeder, no need to hear about it from the watchdogs) and they all ate willingly after a couple days. I feed them in their enclosure and I've also heard from many reputable snake keepers that have had them for years that feeding them in the enclosure they live in does not create territory issues.

[Rina]

I would be more sure of myself re: the RI, but the other day I suspected one of our work snakes had one and it turns out they just have a habit of rubbing their nose against the tank and irritating her nasal passages. They had the same loud breathing, so...

Ok! I can go ahead and feed him tomorrow if that's the case. I wasn't feeding in another enclosure because of territorial concerns (he's been fed in his tank so far + I've heard that's a myth anyway), but because I wanted to feed on a different substrate. I use coconut fiber at the moment & would prefer to feed on newspaper or paper towels (: although I'm gonna use newspaper for about a week or so to monitor his poos, as per a snake friend's recommendation.

eta: oh also, re: the vet! A quick google search actually showed me that there are a ton in my area, including the one I take my cat to. I'd heard it can be a challenge to find them, so I didn't think I would already know of several otz so that's not a problem anyway!
My cat needs her yearly checkup, too... maybe I could make a day out of it. p:

[alan12013]

Ya I am prone to suspect deathly diseases when it turns out nothing is wrong with the animal so I understand the asking and whatnot. Good point to about the substrate as I use aspen bedding and if I drop the food I will have to wash it off to remove the bedding stuck to it. I'm not that worried about impaction though but it's better to be safe then sorry.

[Rina]

I'm not very worried about compaction, but this is my first snake so I'm afraid of something going wrong ^^; I figure better safe than sorry!
If his breathing doesn't improve within a day or two (after his cage temps are properly regulated) I'll be taking him to the vet for sure anyway. Snuffly snakes make me sad ):

[kc261]

Sometimes weird breathing noises can be caused by a shed. A bit of loose shed can get in the nostril and make whistles or other sounds. If the snake has just shed or is about to shed, that might be the issue. However, since it sounds like this guy hasn't had proper conditions in a month...I'm afraid RI is fairly likely.

[Rina]

His last shed wasn't the greatest - he still has a bit on his eye etc. It might be that. Either way, I'll take him to the vet in a few days if it doesn't clear up and/or if I can spot bubbles!

[alan12013]

Are you measuring the humidity level? Humidity is a tough thing to get right depending on the enclosure.

[brock lesser]

Make sure the veterinarian is an exotic pet specialist, many veterinarian's
that treat dogs and cats don't specialise in exotics so do your homework.

[grcforce327]

Finally have this snake. ;; Poor boy has had a very rough couple of months.
Picked him up last night
I've handled him a lot these past two days and I feel awful about it. :C I know it stresses him out,

Just incredible!