please help i think he is sick

[liveart]

i am new to the bp game an need some help. i got my first bp baby a few months ago ( shes sooo cute only about 1 1/2 feet!) a few weeks ago some one i knew HAD to get rid of his 4 foot BP so i took him in. thing is he weezes realy bad and im scared to death that he may die. i uped his temp to 90 and also got an under tank heat mat to try and help. i cant find any vets in my area who will look at him and i dont know what else to do. i live in ohio if anyone has any suggestions it would greatly help. also how close in size must the two BP be to be housed together?

[Marla]

Please don't house the two together at any point. The new one probably has a respiratory infection and ideally should be taken to the vet. RI's can be deadly and could be passed to your baby if it is contagious. You can find a vet through www.arav.org or www.herpvetconnection.com in your area or a reasonable distance. There are definitely some herp vets available in Ohio. In the meantime, bump the temps up to mid to high 90's on the warm side and keep the two snakies separated and always handle the baby and its dishes and supplies first and wash well after handling the big one. Good luck!

[frankykeno]

Ditto everything Marla said. Also Marla I'm not sure being a newbie owner myself but is RI an airborne disease? Just wondering if the sick snake is in the same room with the baby snake? If it's airborne then they need to not only be in seperate enclosures but also in seperate rooms, correct?

I did a web search and came up with this site which may be a some help also in locating a vet that will see this snake.

http://www.herpo.com/societies.html#oh

I'm sure one of these societies could hook you up with a vet. As well I'd phone all the local vets for a recommendation as well as pet stores, local humane societies, etc. Someone must know a vet that will see a sick snake. I know it took a few phone calls where we live in northern Michigan to find a vet that has snake experience.

Good luck and hope all goes well for both snakes.


~~Joanna~~

[Marla]

Most of the time RI's are not infectious, but better safe than sorry. Definitely separate rooms, as far apart as possible. RI's do kill, especially if left untreated. We lost a poss. het pied to one after several weeks of treatment with an experienced herp vet over a year ago. It is important to really see a qualified herp vet and not just a domestic or farm animal vet, as they have been known to give really bad advice just as pet stores frequently do. One of our members had a snake mis-sexed by his vet, and it wasn't due to an ambiguous probe depth. Others have had incorrect dosages or meds prescribed for their snakes, sometimes with bad results.

[Ginevive]

Yes, getting the snake to a vet is pretty much necessary at this point.
How is it doing otherwise; does it appear to be thin or dehydrated? Retained shed or wrinkly eye scales?

[liveart]

no other than his weezing he seems healthy.he has already eaten 2 mice and one med. rat it takes both hands to hold his middle so hes not thin i dont think. he is very active and i have never seen any fluid coming out of his nose or mouth. i have even come in on him drinking, which was cool. he can be a little grumpy when you reach for him though, got to get him quick or he'll strike right at your face.