Possible RI - Advice appreciated

I have noticed that my female pied has started to have a very slight wheeze. There is no mucus or discharge that I can see alat this point just a little wheeze you may not even notice it if you are not listening for it. She still feeds enthusiasticly and last ate a medium rat Friday.

To begin with I have schedualed an appointment with a local vet, but as many of you know vets who do exotics can be hit or miss. I just want to know what kinds of questions I should be asking and if there is anything else I need to be aware of, any thing I should watch out for in regard to dealing with an exotics vet?

I've already slightly raised the temps in her enclosure.

She is housed in a rack with a 90 degree hotspot(heat tape, controlled by a herpstat), in a room with a mid 70's ambient. Humidity in her tub is typically around 70-75%, coco fiber substrate.

Since noticing symptoms I have added an additional heatmat to raise the cold side of her tub to at least 80, this is also controlled by a t-stat.

While waiting to be seen by a vet is there anything else I should be doing for her?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f75f871cb3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e5c1320ddf.jpg

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Good on raising cool side temps. You really want cool side temps for a BP to be 78F+. Mid 70's is low and asking for trouble, IMO, especially with mid 70's humidity.

BP's want 88-90F hot spot, 80-84 ambient temps, and a 78-80F cool spot. They also want humidity about 60%. 55%-65% is a good range. 70-75% is an acceptable spike, and an in shed range. However, cool temps and high humidity are both recipes for RI's. BP's do not understand a little too hot or a little too cold, but will try to thermoregulate anyway.

If healthy otherwise, you might be able to nip in the bud by keeping humidity under 65-70% and keeping temps 80-90F in the tub.

If symptoms persist, and you do need a vet visit, the only way to tell what is causing the RI, specifically, is with a tracheal flush/lung flush. They put fluid in the snakes trachea/lungs quickly and then flush it out and culture it. This will determine if fungal or bacterial and what kind, I believe of either, but definitely of bacteria, you are dealing with.

If the vet does not do this and prescribes antibiotics, etc. they are just guessing and they probably are not really aware of how to treat your animal. It is common to do a flush in cases that are really bad/dire, start a common antibiotic, but be ready to change if necessary.

If your BP is eating, not bubbling, not open mouth breathing, not holding his/her head up all the time, etc. there is hope it can resolve itself, or medication intervention will solve quickly.

Remember, reptiles get sick slowly and get better slowly. Slow metabolisms. They also are hesitant to show any weakness as it could be fatal.

What substrate are you using? If it's one that holds humidity well, you might want to switch to one that does not hold humidity as well, such as printless newspaper.

One final note. Humidity too low can also cause RI's. Please do not have a knee jerk reaction and lower humidity drastically either. Over 50-55% and below 70% is ideal, with the goal being 60% or so.

A few more thoughts: when did your snake shed last? Is she due to shed?

I ask because they shed the outer lining of their nostrils, and sometimes a bit of shed skin fails to come out, causing a little blockage & thus a little noisy breathing.
Also, if your snake is going INTO a shed cycle, they can make a little noise breathing but actually be fine...if it's not bad, you might want to wait & see if this issue
"self-corrects".

The additional heat mat on the "cool" side may also help if it truly is the beginning of an RI. Stay vigilant...you already know what to look for (bubbles, mucus, etc).

Do you hear the slight wheeze when she is at rest in her cage (not being held) or only when you are holding her? Sometimes being held can cause an exhale that
may sound like a minor RI but it isn't...it's just the result of pressure on their long narrow lung when they're held & their body is "folded".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dakski

Good on raising cool side temps. You really want cool side temps for a BP to be 78F+. Mid 70's is low and asking for trouble, IMO, especially with mid 70's humidity.

BP's want 88-90F hot spot, 80-84 ambient temps, and a 78-80F cool spot. They also want humidity about 60%. 55%-65% is a good range. 70-75% is an acceptable spike, and an in shed range. However, cool temps and high humidity are both recipes for RI's. BP's do not understand a little too hot or a little too cold, but will try to thermoregulate anyway.

If healthy otherwise, you might be able to nip in the bud by keeping humidity under 65-70% and keeping temps 80-90F in the tub.

If symptoms persist, and you do need a vet visit, the only way to tell what is causing the RI, specifically, is with a tracheal flush/lung flush. They put fluid in the snakes trachea/lungs quickly and then flush it out and culture it. This will determine if fungal or bacterial and what kind, I believe of either, but definitely of bacteria, you are dealing with.

If the vet does not do this and prescribes antibiotics, etc. they are just guessing and they probably are not really aware of how to treat your animal. It is common to do a flush in cases that are really bad/dire, start a common antibiotic, but be ready to change if necessary.

If your BP is eating, not bubbling, not open mouth breathing, not holding his/her head up all the time, etc. there is hope it can resolve itself, or medication intervention will solve quickly.

Remember, reptiles get sick slowly and get better slowly. Slow metabolisms. They also are hesitant to show any weakness as it could be fatal.

What substrate are you using? If it's one that holds humidity well, you might want to switch to one that does not hold humidity as well, such as printless newspaper.

One final note. Humidity too low can also cause RI's. Please do not have a knee jerk reaction and lower humidity drastically either. Over 50-55% and below 70% is ideal, with the goal being 60% or so.

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She is on a coco substrate and she has a sizable water bowl because low humidity was a problem in her old set up. I will probably switch her to paper.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

A few more thoughts: when did your snake shed last? Is she due to shed?

I ask because they shed the outer lining of their nostrils, and sometimes a bit of shed skin fails to come out, causing a little blockage & thus a little noisy breathing.
Also, if your snake is going INTO a shed cycle, they can make a little noise breathing but actually be fine...if it's not bad, you might want to wait & see if this issue
"self-corrects".

The additional heat mat on the "cool" side may also help if it truly is the beginning of an RI. Stay vigilant...you already know what to look for (bubbles, mucus, etc).

Do you hear the slight wheeze when she is at rest in her cage (not being held) or only when you are holding her? Sometimes being held can cause an exhale that
may sound like a minor RI but it isn't...it's just the result of pressure on their long narrow lung when they're held & their body is "folded".

---

I don't really hear any noises when she is in her cage. She is in a rack, I only notice when handling.

She las shed on October 24th. It was all in one peice.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by KillerKame

I don't really hear any noises when she is in her cage. She is in a rack, I only notice when handling.

She las shed on October 24th. It was all in one peice.

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If that was my snake, I'd take her out & lay her flat on a couch or bed for a short while to allow her to relax, then lean over close to listen to her breathing, and see if
you still hear noises when she isn't being held.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KillerKame

I don't really hear any noises when she is in her cage. She is in a rack, I only notice when handling

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

see if
you still hear noises when she isn't being held.

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I agree with Bogertophis. You might have a 'talker' like one of mine.
He'll puff up and hiss when you pick him up and even when he stretches out a bit, he continues to hiss or wheeze while being handled. He stops when he gets back into his tub and settles down.

I would follow what was said and let her relax on the couch or listen while still in the tub to be sure.

Otherwise, a vet check is a great idea if any other signs pop up. You can ask the vet to check for any lesions or excessive mucus in the mouth. If she poops before the check, you can bring a same in for a parasite check of you wanted as week. Just pop it in a zip lock baggie and refrigerate it until vet time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

A few more thoughts: when did your snake shed last? Is she due to shed?

I ask because they shed the outer lining of their nostrils, and sometimes a bit of shed skin fails to come out, causing a little blockage & thus a little noisy breathing.
Also, if your snake is going INTO a shed cycle, they can make a little noise breathing but actually be fine...if it's not bad, you might want to wait & see if this issue
"self-corrects".

The additional heat mat on the "cool" side may also help if it truly is the beginning of an RI. Stay vigilant...you already know what to look for (bubbles, mucus, etc).

Do you hear the slight wheeze when she is at rest in her cage (not being held) or only when you are holding her? Sometimes being held can cause an exhale that
may sound like a minor RI but it isn't...it's just the result of pressure on their long narrow lung when they're held & their body is "folded".

---

just wondering, how would you tell if a snake has a bit of stuck shed in the nose?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jasmijn

just wondering, how would you tell if a snake has a bit of stuck shed in the nose?

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Look. A magnifier of some kind helps too. Sometimes you can see just a tiny tag that you can grab with a small tweezer, but don't accidentally pinch their nostril
or you won't be "popular" with your :snake:. If you see something but cannot grab it, just leave it (should come out w/ next shed), at least you'll know why the noise, and avoid treating for an R.I. that your snake might not have.

Did she "pass" the "laying flat, not held" test?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Did she "pass" the "laying flat, not held" test?

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It is hard to say. She is a cruiser. I set her down and listen and she'd just want to climb.


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