Urgent help needed! Carpet python acting very strange...

Ok, first off with the back story. About 9 months ago we purchased an adult female coastal carpet python. After a 90 day quarantine and a clean bill of health from our vet she joined our collection. She quickly became one of our favorites because of her calm and gentle nature.

Well about two week ago she got what we suspected to be an upper respitory infection. We put her in quarantine and bumped up her temps a bit to see if it would clear itself up. It didn't so we took her to the vet and he agreed that it seemed like an URI. He prescribed her amikacin and aminophylline to treat it. It was run through a nebulizer in her cage twice a day for 5 days. After her treatment she seemed to improve. Tonight after work I get home and she is spazzing out. She keeps holding her head up and tilting her head and flailing her body around, usually making jerking motions and coiling herself up backwards, if that makes sense. After observing her I tried to take her out to get a better look at her. That was a mistake because she instantly latched onto my stomach and bit the crap out of me. She has never even hissed at me! So I put her back in her tank and gave her a few to calm down.

I figured I'd take a video for yall and see what you think. I'm really hoping its not IBD. Its strange since this all happened since I left for work this evening.

Please help however you can. There is no vet available around here this time of night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08yEknOJke4

Could it be head wobble..? I've heard of it happening in some kinds of carpets.. not too sure about coastas though. Im sorry I cant be much of a help :(
As for it being IBD, maybe.. has she been "star gazing"?
I hope everything is ok

Did the vet do a f/u culture for the RI?
Was she on injections, in addition to the neb tx?

She has not been stargazing as far as I've seen. Its seems to be more akin to head tilt, which I've seen in rats a couple times. I have not handled her since she bit me. I am giving her some alone right now because she does NOT want to be messed with. I have just been checking in on her periodically. I am not sure how well she can right herself. Its weird because she was just fine when I left for work.

The vet did not do a culture. He took a sample and said would run it if she didn't didn't show improvement from the antibiotics after a couple days, which she did. No injections, just nebulizer. She will be going in tomorrow.

Overheats, toxins, and a few other things can cause things like this. I wouldn't suspect IBD right way. But with strange behavior with movement it's always in the back of anyone's mind. She didn't appear to have the locomotion problems like IBD snakes usually do. But it Is a progressive disease. Is there any way she could have come in contact with anything, has she been treated with anything beyond The abos? Any way an overheat could have occurred?


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Homegrownscales

Overheats, toxins, and a few other things can cause things like this. I wouldn't suspect IBD right way. But with strange behavior with movement it's always in the back of anyone's mind. She didn't appear to have the locomotion problems like IBD snakes usually do. But it Is a progressive disease. Is there any way she could have come in contact with anything, has she been treated with anything beyond The abos? Any way an overheat could have occurred?

---

Yeah, I met a lady once with a redtail that had the later stages of IBD. The more I think about it the carpet isn't acting quite like that. The boa's locomotion was more like that of a spider ball python with a really bad wobble. I've also heard IBD was progressive and this is sudden.

I am doubting toxins other than her original abos. She has been in lockdown since we noticed her first symptoms. We've changed her bedding a couple times and given her fresh water, but nothing other than that has entered her tank.

Overheating is a possibility. Her temps were ok when I got home and they are good now, but there is definitely the possibility of a spike at some point. I'll keep an eye on it in case my thermostat is going out since this is my only spare one at the moment. How much of a spike would it take and how long? I've never experienced overheating. If its from overheating, will she recover from it?

If it's from am over heat no. She could possibly always have a tic from it. I have a rescue female ball that was overheated and she has a tilt at all times. She also has a bit of a quirky wandering habit. She'll make wide loops when she's exploring sometimes going upside down much like a spider wobble.
I don't know how much of a spike is needed to cause this but I'm sure a 10-20.f spike and you'll have issues.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

Thank you for your help. I feel horrible right now. :(

Don't feel bad. I am just curious, did you nebulize her with anything but water(steam)?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sarin

Don't feel bad. I am just curious, did you nebulize her with anything but water(steam)?

---

Just her antibiotics. Its been a week since she was off them.

Now its a waiting game. Vet is doing some tests. So far its pointing towards overheating. She is still spazzing quite a bit, especially whenever she sees us and she is still being very aggressive.