On the fence about an RI

[Maggie Louise]

I know that the slightest possibility of an RI should be checked out by a herp doc. Rest assured that upon my first suspicion, which occurred last night, I called the only herpetologist in my area and scheduled an appointment for a culture for Wednesday, two days from now.

I posted yesterday about about my struggle with humidity and temp, so from the beginning an RI has been a worry of mine. Humidity has ranged from as low as 38% to as high as 75, with temp ranging from 75-100, and the no-no numbers have occurred in different combination about 4 or 5 times in the last 26 days. I know it's bad, and I love him so much I feel awful about it.

Last night he was soaking for about 25 minutes - this is the first time I've seen him soak, and his belly is slightly pink, so I have a feeling he may shed soon but his eyes have been clear, and he hasn't had a shed cycle since I got him on November 30th. About 45 minutes after soaking I noticed that he was elevating his head and at one point he was propped up vertically on his terrarium wall for awhile - I think it's called stargazing. I'm not sure if this is because he got water in his nose or if he was trying to clear mucus out of his airway. No open mouth breathing, no mucus dripping or nose bubbles, and no wheezing/popping/clicking or labored breathing that I've noticed at all. I got him out to try to check his gums, but he's young and wouldn't let me, and I didn't want to stress him out because he's started to really trust that I'm not a threat to him.

Though I have an appointment scheduled I'm still extremely worried. What's your input? Thoughts? I'm concerned and being very cautious - should I be flipping out? What level of crappy husbandry calls for an RI? He does seem a little stressed, but it might be because I moved him to a quieter room with zero foot traffic. What should I do between now and wednesday? Tonight is also feeding night. I'll stop rambling. I'd love to hear your ideas. Thanks guys.

[KMG]

Sounds fine and normal.

Your temps are not that bad. 75 is actually fine with a proper hotspot. 100 is a bit much and you need to find a way to keep that from happening again.

With no signs of RI the behavior you described sound snakelike to me. My BRB will soak in his corner bowl with his head and about six inches standing straight up in the corner.

I think you need to relax and work on getting the cage right and regular.

[Ogre]

Yeah as far as husbandry goes BPs are pretty forgiving. Also star gazers isn't staring up it's actually when the snake slithers around on its back.

[Maggie Louise]

Yeah I'll be the first one to admit I've been way too paranoid since I got him but it's getting easier. Luckily it's only risen above 90 once. Never having had a reptile before has had me a little on edge. But thanks guys I really appreciate the reassurance