Rti in bp?

i picked up my first BP last week on thursday.
The previous owner wasn't taking care of him very well as the temperature inside his enclosure was always around 75-79:rage:...
as soon as i picked him up i was at the pet store picking up infrared bulbs and lamps a new hide, some new aspen substrate(the previous owner had regular mulch:mad: )
i keep him in 90% (hot side) and 84% (cool side) he's got a hide on each side as so i'd like to think that he's pretty confortable..

but yesterday as i had him wrapped around my neck i heard a weird whistle...after about 20 seconds i noticed that it was actually my BP, wheezing a little when he breathed. he doesn't do it all the time but it happens i guess 2 our of every 5-6 times he breathes.

now...to state the obvious, he's probably got some kind of respiratory infection.

Since i'm a MAJOR NEWB, anybody got any suggestions on what i can do to get rid of the infection? or should i just take him to a vet pronto.

do you see bubbles coming from her nostrils or mouth? this would indeed point to ri. i think bumping up your temps would be a good idea and keep your humidity low. bring him to the vet just to be safe.:)

A whistle or a wheeze could also be from a shed, either upcoming shed or a previous bad shed.

As already posted, any mucus or bubbles in or around the mouth is almost a sure sign of RI. Have you seen anything like that?

pull the side of his lip down and check for mucus or bubbles. You can also take a q tip and open his mouth, with the middle part of the q tip, while holding his head.....again look for mucus and bubbles. Warning....they are not too keen on the opening of the mouth thing....:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

pull the side of his lip down and check for mucus or bubbles. You can also take a q tip and open his mouth, with the middle part of the q tip, while holding his head.....again look for mucus and bubbles. Warning....they are not too keen on the opening of the mouth thing....:rolleyes:

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thanks everybody.
i'm guessing he had a bad shed the last time because he is still getting rid of some skin (i helped him by soaking) and i figure he'll manage to get rid of it in another 2-3 days.

he yawned last night and i didn't see any bubbles or mucus in or around his mouth..

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

Warning....they are not too keen on the opening of the mouth thing....:rolleyes:

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LOL, yea, little death dealers they are.:D gotta love' em.

If you only notice it while he is around your neck or wrapped around your arm, he may just be breathing heavy from holding on. I wouldn't worry unless it becomes constant or you notice some of the other signs of RI...

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Originally Posted by vypyrz

if you only notice it while he is around your neck or wrapped around your arm, he may just be breathing heavy from holding on. I wouldn't worry unless it becomes constant or you notice some of the other signs of ri...

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thanks.

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Originally Posted by snakeyes

as soon as i picked him up i was at the pet store picking up infrared bulbs and lamps a new hide, some new aspen substrate(the previous owner had regular mulch:mad: )

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I keep all my adult ball pythons on mulch from the local nursery... And so do many other successful keepers and breeders :salute: