Not good!! Dum is making breathy sounds.

My dum was in blue 2~5 days ago, and has now cleared, but hasn't shed yet. I just noticed today that she's making a short airy sound from her mouth sometimes that sounds like she's expelling air. It's clearly coming from her mouth and not her nostrils, and she sometimes moves her "lips" or looks like she's readjusting her mouth a little when she does it... I've never had a snake with RI before, and it sure sounds like the RI symptoms everybody's talking about. Or could this be sounds from her shed on her lips somehow, or is it RI?

I just moved her from her large tub into a melamine enclosure (with small vents in the back) about 3 months ago. The substrate is teklad aspen and the heating element is a heat pad under the enclosure, set to a vivarium electronics thermostat at 90 (measures right around 90 on the surface inside). The ambient temp over the past couple months has been 70~73. Humidity is always around 50~60%.

Should I be raising humidity or lowering humidity? Clean out her whole enclosure? Put her on paper towels or just new aspen? I just increased the temp to 90.5. Tips on treating potential RI in a dum? And what could this possibly be caused by?? I can't even imagine what it could be caused by, but I have to fix it FAST.

I'll still wait for her to shed to see if she still makes the breathing sound afterward, but need tips on treating potential RI right now.

I wish I didn't move her to this melamine enclosure, god dang it. Everyone was fine before. I'm betting on poor ventilation being the reason, but I really have no idea. I'm freaking out, because I like her the best, I admit.

Someone on facebook said that she might be moving her mouth due to starting the shed from her mouth? And that something related to the start of the shed might be making those sounds? Does that sound legit?

In other news (assuming she is totally fine and I'm having a panic attack for nothing), what can I do to increase ventilation in my melamine enclosure?

Just keep the humidity up and wait for her to shed. All the things you listed can be caused by the shed process.

If it persists after shedding disinfect the cage, use paper towel as substrate and book a vet visit. RI are not something you treat with homemade solutions.

I have no advice to offer. Hope it is just the shed.
Good luck with her!

Sounds like she is shedding to me. Snakes don't need a ton of air flow. Look at all the PVC cages made like Boaphiles, AP, Constrictors NW, they only have a few slots cut out for ventilation. I'm not sure how much ventilation your melamine cage has as I cant see it but considering its for a dumerils which don't need high humidity anyways, you are probably fine. The biggest problem comes when you got high humidity and stagnant air which can breed bacteria and all sorts of little critters.

Thanks guys- yep, it was totally the shed! I've just never seen/heard this part of the shedding process! Now I know more. And thank god that I panicked for nothing. Panicking for something is always worse.

Glad to hear it was the shed! Hopefully now you can breathe again. =)

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Thanks guys- yep, it was totally the shed! I've just never seen/heard this part of the shedding process! Now I know more. And thank god that I panicked for nothing. Panicking for something is always worse.

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Great news, hope the shed went well otherwise.