concerned?

i was cleaning out her water today and i noticed she was making a strange noise...it was sort of like the noise you make when you breathe out through your nose when it's blocked...i don't think she was scared or mad because i've been cleaning out her water everyday with no problems...is she sick? does anybody know of this happening to their snakes before? thanks

It could be a sign of the start of a respatory infection. However, it could be a small piece of retained shed in her nostril. Keep a close eye on her for the next few days. If the sound gets worse, or you notice her starting to breathe through her mouth, get her to a vet and get that URI treated. Otherwise, just wait for the next shed and check out the skin from the head. See if you can see some extra skin that may have come from her nostril.

that's some serious stuff...her temperatures are perfect though, and she just ate this past Sunday....could it have anything to do with that?

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Originally Posted by nlankas

that's some serious stuff...her temperatures are perfect though, and she just ate this past Sunday....could it have anything to do with that?

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So you got all the temps fixed since you posted this 4 days ago? I'm actually asking as I can't find the other thread just now.

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Originally Posted by nlankas

Our setup right now averages around 80 F on the warm side everyday, but drops to around 65-70 F at night!

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Your snake has been exposed to a LOT of low temps lately duder. It's quite likely this could indeed lead to her getting a respiratory infection. Not certain by any means - but possible.

Main question is - is she doing it all the time?

Some snakes hiss ocasionally but if its with every breath then it might be either the shed skin thing (though I don't remember you mentioning her shedding - did the person you got her from say when she last shed?) or the start of an infection.

If it is an infection it's going to need vet treatment as it will not get better on its own. And while she is recuperating she will definately need the right temperature range.

Hope its nothing serious dude.




dr del

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Originally Posted by nlankas

i was cleaning out her water today and i noticed she was making a strange noise...it was sort of like the noise you make when you breathe out through your nose when it's blocked...i don't think she was scared or mad because i've been cleaning out her water everyday with no problems...is she sick? does anybody know of this happening to their snakes before? thanks

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The other reason why your BP could make this noise is as mentioned previously a piece of stuck shed, however if your BP has been exposed to temps lower then 75 for a certain amount of time it could very likely be the first symptom of RI and if it is the case you will need to make an appointment to an herp vet as a RI does not clear on it's onw (here is how to find an Herp Vet in your area http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm )

And while waiting for an appointment here is what you can do, boost the temps as well as the humidity.

You need to look inside her mouth. If it looks stringy with mucos or foamy, if so you got a respitory infection. keep her warm in the mid 90's and get her to a vet if thats the case. If left untreated it can cause the snake to drown in it's own flem. Snakes have a very primitive lung and cannot cough things up like we can. Low temps and stress can cause respitory infections.

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Originally Posted by GA_Ball_Pythons

The other reason why your BP could make this noise is as mentioned previously a piece of stuck shed, however if your BP has been exposed to temps lower then 75 for a certain amount of time it could very likely be the first symptom of RI and if it is the case you will need to make an appointment to an herp vet as a RI does not clear on it's onw (here is how to find an Herp Vet in your area http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm )

And while waiting for an appointment here is what you can do, boost the temps as well as the humidity.

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sorry this is an off topic post, but that link you posted was of great help to me. Turns out there is a vet not even a mile from my house that is on that list. Thanks a ton!!

well, she hasn't made anymore strange noises for the rest of the day, so i'm guessing it was just her getting a little agitated at me earlier...it was just not like her to do that and it threw me off because she's been quite calm since the day we got her...and yes dr. del, we finally fixed her temperatures 85-90 on the warm side and at night, we've got it up to around 78-83 from what i recall, the cover on the top of the tank really did the trick...we also took out alot of the substrate and her humidity has been stuck between 50 and 60 ever since :) she yawns every now and then, and nothing looks foamy or stringy, etc. so i'm guessing everythings okay...thanks for the help everyone and yeah the website is extremely helpful :) thanks.

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Originally Posted by nlankas

well, she hasn't made anymore strange noises for the rest of the day, so i'm guessing it was just her getting a little agitated at me earlier...it was just not like her to do that and it threw me off because she's been quite calm since the day we got her...and yes dr. del, we finally fixed her temperatures 85-90 on the warm side and at night, we've got it up to around 78-83 from what i recall, the cover on the top of the tank really did the trick...we also took out alot of the substrate and her humidity has been stuck between 50 and 60 ever since :) she yawns every now and then, and nothing looks foamy or stringy, etc. so i'm guessing everythings okay...thanks for the help everyone and yeah the website is extremely helpful :) thanks.

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Temps still aren't perfect - 92-94 on the warm side, 82-84 on the cool side.

Ball pythons are very good at hiding symptoms of illness, because being sick makes them more vulnerable to predators.

I'd be really concerned about the cool temperatures she's been kept in, especially with the noise you said you heard, and now the yawning. By the time you start seeing mucus, you're in a more advanced stage of an RI.

I don't know, if it was me, I'd be taking her into the vet and getting a culture done, just to be sure.

frequent yawning is also a sign of RI. I'd take her to a vet just to be sure. For no reason should your temps drop below 80 in your tank. Also, they should not fluctuate (I'm assuming you are not breeding her), as this will also cause stress to the snake.