Safe home remedy to treat possible RI in ball python? Is it too late?

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Originally Posted by tomjones456

I've taken the snake to the vet, a year ago. She told me she was fine and gave me oral antibiotics. Doesn't seem to have worked. I wasted $60.

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For $60 I doubt a culture was done. You need to get a culture done to find out exactly the type of "bug" causing the RI so you know what antibiotics will work best if at all. I would not go back to that vet if they didn't even bother to do a culture. Doesn't sound like a good vet imo. Call around and find one that is more into reptiles or check with your local herp society on who they have check their reptiles and adoptions. A good vet also wont be cheap. Harley got mild RI a couple years ago and it ran me about $270 to get everything done. I did tell the vet I wanted a full blood work up done too though it was her first time into the vet. So without that, it still would have run around $170. A good herp vet is not cheap but is very valuable imo.

Glass tanks can work, it just takes more work. I would advise you cover the whole top with a sheet of thick cardboard wrapped in tin foil. You can use lexan or plexi if the tank is going to be a permanent home. Then assuming you are using a dome to get an ambient temp, cut a hole in the cardboard about 1/2" bigger than the dome on the warm side of the cage. Then place the water bowl close under the dome. That should help with humidity. If you need a lot more, you can also place wet folded paper towels on top of the cool and warm hides. Those will raise humidity too. Using that method, I can easily hit 70%+ humidity in a 36x18x12 cage. Anyways good luck.

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Originally Posted by enginee837

I have had success treating mild RI with Vicks and eucalyptus.

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Hmm you gave my an idea...I hope I never have this problem though.

I have Eucalyptus inserts for a plug in that I use when my kids are sick, I'm wondering if this on an extension cord sitting on an open part of the tank that allows air flow would work. I think I get insert packs of 6 for about $7 bucks at the drug store. Sometimes Sprawlmart sells off brand versions too.

OP...I agree, another $60 vet visit for a $50 pet :(

Or do yourself a favor and ditch the glass tank, they are more trouble than they are worth.


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Originally Posted by Hammertime1977

OP...I agree, another $60 vet visit for a $50 pet :(

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Where's the eye roll emoticon on mobile

Again , not trying to debate f10 . Some
people love it some people hate it . All
i can say is when my vet recommended it I gave it a shot and it did what I needed It to do.

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Originally Posted by Hammertime1977

OP...I agree, another $60 vet visit for a $50 pet :(

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So if you got a free puppy and it got sick after 6 years of keeping it, would you just drive it to the woods and dump it off? Don't know about you but regardless of how much my pets cost, each one is special and I will do whatever I can to keep them healthy and happy. Heck Harley cost me $225 but her vet bill was $270. I also know lots of other people who have spent thousands of dollars on their dogs who needed surgeries as well as other pets. Kind of surprised how you look at a pet as just a dollar figure. Hope the rest of your life isn't evaluated by dollar figures.

*steps onto my soapbox*

Animal ownership is very similar to owning an automobile. When a person buys a car, there are certain things that are required before you can even take it off the lot, before you can even sign the papers to own it. You need to have a driver's license, proof of insurance, and the necessary funds to purchase the car (or a clear line of credit for most of us). Even then, when purchasing a car, you don't expect to never spend money on it again. Parts wear out, accidents happen, "time and chance happeneth to them all," and as such you recognize the need for a mechanic. If you keep up with the recommended maintenance, by the time a major part breaks (an axle, a transmission, etc) you have probably already spent the car's value in Preventative Maintenance. But most people will still opt to at least get one or two major repairs done.

Pet ownership differs in one way from this, however...there are no requirements for pet ownership. Any schmuck can go to PetMart, buy an animal with a 20 year life expectancy, and then take it back to whatever hell-hole they live in and expect it to thrive. These are the kind of people who tend to look at an animal as a dollar value; they have no sense of respect for the privilege of animal ownership, and the responsibility that comes with caring for a living thing.

On the subject of medical costs, the drugs, tests, procedures, and skills needed to treat animals in a veterinary clinic are the same that are used/needed in a human hospital, but at a fraction of the cost. Ever look at the bill for a human surgery? Let's take an ACL repair. The average price for an ACL repair in a human in 2010 was 5-6 thousand dollars, not including surgeon's fees or anesthesiologist fees. Compare that to the $800 ACL repair for your Golden Retriever, diagnostic testing and "fees" included, and the picture changes a bit. The only reason most of us never see the huge expenses that our own medical bills cost is because of Human Health Insurance, which magically lowers the drain on our pocketbooks.

So please, if you're going to be getting a pet, consider the cost. You aren't just owning a piece of machinery; you are responsible for an animal's LIFE. And just like any living thing, animals get sick and get hurt. And just like us, their medical bills get expensive. But don't let the price of a medical bill influence the quality of life that your animal enjoys. If you aren't able to pay for the bills, that's where euthanasia becomes an option; but please Please PLEASE don't allow a sick animal to linger on through chronic illness without proper medical care. And if you can't afford the vet care, but are unwilling to man up and have the animal euthanized, perhaps at this point in life you aren't qualified for the responsibility to own an animal [1].

*all done*


[1]--All use of the second-person pronoun "you" are made in the general sense, and are not directed towards specific members of this forum/participants in this thread

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Originally Posted by Hammertime1977

OP...I agree, another $60 vet visit for a $50 pet :(

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And people think feeding pics put a bad name on the hobby-personally I'm surprised this type of attitude along with the OP's animal neglect aren't called out more instead.

OP, take your snake back to the vet, or to a better vet as suggested and have a culture done, get the proper medication and treat, it may take an extended period of treatment especially with how long this has been going on, your snake is very ill if it's been showing signs for over a year and has a mouthful of mucus. This is far beyond home treatment. Not all vets are alike and not all those that claim to see exotics actually know anything. Do your research, ask questions. I called about five vets in four different towns before I found one worth the drive when I needed one.


Btw, Mephibosheth1, I need your vet, around here a doggy knee repair runs around $2600.

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

Btw, Mephibosheth1, I need your vet, around here a doggy knee repair runs around $2600.

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Wish I could help...he's one of a kind. Good mix of old-school knowledge mixed with new-age tech. Do you know off hand which treatment method the vets in your area used?