His mouth keeps opening

Hey guys!

i came home from work today and picked up ekans (my BP) and he seemed to be acting fine. But I could hear him breathing again from time to time and he kept opening his mouth. Any ideas on why he was doing this?

Does he have any mucus on his nostrils? What sounds does he make while breathing (raspy, wheezing, etc.)? What humidity level is it in the tank and how long has it been since it was last cleaned fully? It could be a respiratory infection.

It sounds like he does have a respiratory infection.
Mucous and drooling and such wouldn't be noticeable until it's already pretty severe, so it's better to catch it in the beginning symptoms like this. You'll want to bring him to an exotics vet to do a culture.

Yes, I believe a trip to the vet would be a great option. It does sound like a RI.

As already said, "mouth breathing" is the initial sign of an RI (respiratory infection); better you get antibiotics going before it gets severe enough to result in
bubbles & mucus in his mouth, as snakes cannot cough & they can choke to death, unable to breathe, with an RI. Not a nice way to die...

Like other people have said, it does sound like a respiratory infection. "Mouth breathing" is one sign of it. A wheezing or gurgling sound when breathing is also a sign. A slight whistling sound can be attributed to a small piece of stuck shed in the nostril area, but with the noises he's making, plus the open mouth breathing, makes me think respiratory infection.

Thank you everyone for your replies!I was just telling my husband I think it’s connected with a RI. We do our best to keep his cage humidity at 50 but once in a while after we mist when it drops it will go to 60-65 until it drops back to 50. I also am in a search for a reptile vet so I can get him seen. Just got my wisdom teeth taken out this morning so I’ll have a lot of time to look for a vet!

It’s been about two weeks since it was fully cleaned.
also the noise he is making isn’t like a wheezing it’s more of a little whistle but very faint. I am going to take him out and see how he is acting and I’ll shoot an update

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RatchelMatchel

It’s been about two weeks since it was fully cleaned.
also the noise he is making isn’t like a wheezing it’s more of a little whistle but very faint. I am going to take him out and see how he is acting and I’ll shoot an update

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Might also be that he needs a little more humidity...a consistent 60% (& 70% when in shed)? Could also be a bit of dry stuck shed in nostrils. They shed the outer lining of their nostrils, & when it's too dry, a bit can get stuck in there & cause a whistling. They don't know how to "blow their noses"! ;)

Hope you feel better soon...I can remember the day I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth out. Didn't feel a thing: I even watched with a
mirror while my excellent & trusted dentist worked on them...they came out pretty easily, but oh, later on...ouch!