Transporting sick snake?

[Conicality]

Hey Everybody,

So it looks to me like my ball python has developed a respiratory infection. Unfortunately there's not an exotic vet nearby, so I've had to diagnose him myself but he's been yawning and gaping and clicking and rubbing his face on everything.

I bought a repti-fogger and some f10 SC, and I've been giving him daily 20 min nebulizer treatments. He hates them, but I think I can say it's helped. After the 4th treatment he is resting without elevating his head and with his mouth closed. The amount of clicking has gone way down, and his yawning has almost stopped. The issue is it's winter break and I'm heading down to stay at my mom's house for about 3 weeks. I have time for 2 more treatments before I'm headed out. It's a five hour car ride in winter which isn't optimal but I imagine it would be ill-advised to stop an antibiotic treatment when I'm not positive the infection is gone. Especially when I'm in a position where I can't monitor him. A bonus is that if I bring him with me I can probably get him checked out by a proper exotic vet.

I need some advice. I hate the thought of stressing him out even more, but I can't see any other options. Is there a big difference in transporting a sick snake vs a healthy one? Can I get him to my mom's house without the stress killing him?

Thanks in advance

[bcr229]

I would take him with you and make a vet appointment for proper antibiotics.

Transport is easy, put him in a bag and put the bag in a tub with secure handles. Keep the interior of the car warm but not too hot.

I would make sure that the gas was topped off and I had snacks and drinks with me so I could drive straight through with just a one quick pee break.

[Conicality]

Great that sounds like a very manageable strategy. Both me and the person giving me a ride hate taking stops on car trips so no issues there haha.

Thank you!

[SDA]

I may get criticized for this but please reconsider self diagnosis and treatment with non approved oral medication for any animal. F10 products are not designed for ingestion or inhalation. Respiratory infections can be an underlying condition of other illnesses or immuno compromise and can be varied infection sources.

Broadly treating something with methods not designed to attack the infection source directly and treat the underlying symptoms is a very risky proposition and one that can put a snake at risk. The cost of a vet visit is far less than the loss of a snake of compounding other issues down the road by using improper treatment.



It's not as bad as you think transporting a snake ever a few hours to a vet visit. I had to take my GTP yesterday to the vet for treatment and was able to do so with little stress to it. You can either pack them as if shipping them or put them in a tight fitting container with a cheap digital temp probe to gauge the temperature and adjust the heat in the car to keep it on the lower side of their tolerance. Your snake can handle lower temps (as in upper 70s) for a brief period of time. The main important aspect is securing them so they will not escape. A tupperware like container that seals around the lid or a zipper soft cooler with a plastic insert will work if you do not want to place them in a snake bag. The snake bag will work well but it can be an ordeal getting them in and out (my GTP would never allow me to put her in a bag for example but a sealed container worked fine).

Last advice is pay for a culture. Most likely they are going to give baytril anyway but if it is not bacterial or if the bacteria is resistant to baytril you need to know. one thing to know about baytril, it will take the system a bit so make sure water is offered at all times. The snake needs to stay hydrated during treatment.

Administration of antibiotics by injection is simple but there are steps to follow. Here is a great video on how to inject a snake if they do not give oral antibiotics.

[Conicality]

This is excellent advice thank you very much for taking the time. Under normal circumstances I would never provide medical treatment to an animal without a veterinary opinion or knowing for certain what it has. I understand that by doing so I was taking a gamble with his health, but living in the middle of cow country means my closest bet for specialized treatment is likely my hometown. Unfortunately uni plus my job limits opportunities for long distance travel. This is my first time dealing with an RI and while there's a wealth of information out there on the web it's hard to tell how much of it is good so I really wasn't sure how much trouble he was in or how much time I had to act. Hopefully I don't give the impression that I was DIY-ing to save a buck or to avoid a vet trip.

It's really good to know that the drive won't make the situation worse. Getting him checked out and getting a culture will certainly put my mind at ease, and the Baytril treatment information is good to have as well. I'm not looking forward to administering shots, but at least he's not a retic.

Again, this is very illuminating. Thank you for leaving such a detailed reply!