help! my ball python is sick

[Shawnfireball]

my ball python hasn't been eating for many months which at first i thought was normal. but now she has developed red patches on her scales and a dark spot on her head. i sometimes can hear wheezing. Does she have septicemia?
http://s925.photobucket.com/user/ILY...728_n.jpg.html

[Armiyana]

Please get your snake to a veterinarian ASAP

Anytime a snake has unexplained lesions or discoloration on its body there is a cause for concern. Septicemia will typically show up as a very pink or red spotted belly when it first shows signs. The body lesions are more advanced signs. It may be the lighting, but that snake does look quite a bit pink.

The other possibilities can be early signs of a burn or rot... Which is still a reason to go to the vet.

However... just to rule out some other possible causes:
Is there anything that the snake may have leaned on or dug into to discolor the skin? Dirty bedding?
How is the temp/humidity levels in the habitat?
Does the snake eat f/t food or did it possibly get bit by the last meal?
Did the snake show any signs of starting to shed? Blue/cloudy eyecaps maybe? Some snakes look more pink when they're going into shed.


I still do recommend going to the vet. ASAP
The combo of body discoloration and wheezing can be quite serious! And especially if there has been sudden weight loss or lethargy.

[fluffykitten]

A picture of your setup could help. What are you using for a heat source, we're is it placed, and how is it controlled. Do you know what they enclosure temps are? While it's normal for ball pythons to go off food for awhile, it could also be a sign that's something is not right. A trip to a reptile vet would be a good idea too.

[Bogertophis]

There's more than enough questionable symptoms going on to merit a trip to a qualified herp vet with your snake, not to mention that rather odd posture,
which may or may not mean something is amiss.

[Shawnfireball]

thank you everyone for chiming in. I was able to receive help from a vet. my ball python was prescribed ceftazadime 90mg syringes. Though they said they weren't reptile specialist, they also suspect that it was septic just by looking at the redness on her scales and pinkness all around. I usually keep my snakes in sterilite tubs but now that I have one snake i used a terrarium. I have a heat pad on the bottom side that regulates the temperature through a herpstat ND. the temperature is typically around 92 degrees. Cool side uses a infrared headlamp at around 80 degrees in winter and its off during the summer. I don't have a humidity gauge but I use tinfoil to cover the screen to keep humidity in. I am going to purchase a humidity gauge and possibly move her back into a plastic tub if I do not achieve ideal humidity levels. Hopefully the antibiotics given will treat her and help her recover back to 100% I think i might have found the culprit that caused this. she had peed on the paper towel that i use as substrate but i haven't changed it for quite some time because i didn't know she peed. Poor thing must've been laying on dirty paper towel for quite some time... I feel so terrible.

[Shawnfireball]

the posture is because i flipped her to take a pic of her belly.

[Armiyana]

Mistakes happen. And sometimes septicemia can just creep up on even a well maintained snake.

My 18 year old just had a case of septicemia a few months back. Clean bedding, good temps and humidity. Unfortunately, this is my largest snake who also refuses to eat anything but live. So she probably picked up a bacterial infection from a minor rat bite I missed (which is thankfully rare). I am always careful to watch and clean out any bite wounds immediately to avoid this situation when I can. But it may have just been coincidence or a bacteria the rat was carrying and as a live rat, wasn't killed off in a freezing process.

As a heads up, antibiotics may keep your snake off food a while longer. Orals are worse on that than the injectable.
I would still offer food just in case of you have another snake you can drop the food to if this one still refuses.

I've had good recovery time on a septicemia inflicted turtle on that same medication. Unless it's a very resistant bacteria, that should do the trick.

Hope your noodle gets well soon!

[Bogertophis]

...I would still offer food just in case of you have another snake you can drop the food to if this one still refuses....

I don't think it's a good idea to re-offer food to another snake once it has been exposed to a snake that isn't healthy. Even with apparently healthy snakes it's
not the best practice or without risks; I hate to waste food too, but in this case I would.

[Armiyana]

This is what I get for poking around on forums and trying to type a reply on work breaks. =_=;;
This is absolutely right and that was a terrible slip on my part.