Snake makes loud breathing sounds

I have heard that bumping up the humidity may help ease the symptoms, but it will not cure a respiratory infection. You definitely need to get the snake to a vet, the longer you put it off, the longer and more costly it will be to cure.

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Originally Posted by Rascal

Ive been kinda putting this off because i want to see how it developes. buuut

I checked on my snake thismorning and before i picked her up, or she really even noticed me i heard abit of a whistling wheezing sound on almost every breath from her. Before it was just once and again but now its much more constant. I'm deff. going to take her in on monday since im absolutly convinced.

What can I do to relieve her symptoms at this point?

I still havent seen 'bubbles' on her nose, or her keeping her mouth open or anything weird like that.

You said warm water was good. Should I try to coax the snake into submerging herself? ie. get her fresh warm water and put her near/alittle in it?

Also i'm kinda getting mixed messages on the humitity.

Should I kick it up a notch?

BAM!

thanks

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How about a vet visit? If she does in fact have an RI, anything you do will only mask the symptoms while the snake gets more sick. The cure is a vet visit, a culture and proper meds.

Look not to be rude or pushy here but if you are going to rescue snakes you are going to have to spend hard earned cash on them. Any rescue, especially one found loose in a yard, needs to see a vet. This particular snake is making suspicious breathing sounds, was loose in less than ideal circumstances, has a completely unknown past and could be either very ill or carrying gawd knows what parasitic load (either externally or internally).

Any one of those things would have me at the vet with the snake yesterday, yet your first post was some 8 days ago! If you aren't ready and willing to do these things for a rescue, and are more interested in online "vetting", then I would respectfully suggest you turn this snake over to a herp rescue or an experienced keeper who will be willing to have it's health needs immediately seen to.

Vet vet vet... no other way around it unless you want a really sick / dead snake soon.

I'll sixth everyone else. TAKE IT TO A VET! Your snake is going to die unless you get antibiotics to combat the infection and only your vet can help you with that.

Woah woah, calm down. I took her to the vet the other day and she got a clean bill of health. I got a bill for $60. Now the doctor wants to do a culture test for $110, just to "make sure". Just to milk alittle more money out of the visit of coarse.
I declined because I felt it was extravagant.

I'm going to bring them a 'sample' when i can to test for parasites.
I haven't seen any symptoms lately. Also the house heater was discovered to be broken and was promptly fixed. Now the temp. is much more stable. She seems to be feeling much better as a whole.

Thanks for all your concern

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Originally Posted by Rascal

Woah woah, calm down. I took her to the vet the other day and she got a clean bill of health. I got a bill for $60. Now the doctor wants to do a culture test for $110, just to "make sure". Just to milk alittle more money out of the visit of coarse.
I declined because I felt it was extravagant.

I'm going to bring them a 'sample' when i can to test for parasites.
I haven't seen any symptoms lately. Also the house heater was discovered to be broken and was promptly fixed. Now the temp. is much more stable. She seems to be feeling much better as a whole.

Thanks for all your concern

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If it was a clean bill of health, I doubt the vet would have ordered a culture. But its cool that in your vast experience you deemed it as extravagant! Rock on!

In most every thread you have started the main focus is how cheap you can get things. Keeping a living creature properly is not cheap. If you can't afford the essentials, you probably shouldn't be caring for an animal.

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Originally Posted by Rascal

Woah woah, calm down. I took her to the vet the other day and she got a clean bill of health. I got a bill for $60. Now the doctor wants to do a culture test for $110, just to "make sure". Just to milk alittle more money out of the visit of coarse.
I declined because I felt it was extravagant.

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If I were you, I'd call them back and tell you that you re-considered, because a culture ABSOLUTELY necessary to determine the course of treatment of an RI, or to eliminate that it's an RI all together.

It amazes me how many people seem to have so little trust in their vets, that they are willing to allow their animals to suffer the consequences of not getting the care advised by a professional.

How much experience do you personally have with RI's that you think that an expert is just trying to milk a little more money from you?

If MY vet recommends something, no matter what the expense, I trust him enough to provide only the very best care possible for my animals.

Let me clarify. The vet told me she was very healthy, but 'lets do a culture anyways'.
It seemed as though he didn't want to do a culture from anything HE saw, but just as a precaution just because thats what I originally brought her in for. I understand that since there are no visible symptoms the only way to be 100% sure there isn't RI is a lab culture.

Both my Biology teacher and a 'reptile' freind of mine told me a vet visit was unnecessary and the culture even more so. They were not convinced that my snake had RI.

I took the snake to the vet anyways because I felt it was important for her to be examined. I'm also following up with the vet to test for parasites.

There have been no "RI" symptoms (noises) for almost a week.
She stayed hidden to shed for afew days and when she emerged the sounds had stopped.

and Jamie, I'm not cheap and every thread I've made Isn't about being cheap. Its just called not being lavish. I don't have hundreds of dollars to throw around like you seem to be able to. I would guess that most of the time its not even your own money your spending Jamie.

So, if not a single petstore in your COUNTY carries a hide large enough for your snake, is it "cheap" to cut a hole in a platic bowl? Almost all of the pictures of setups I've seen on this website incorporate homemade things. God forbid you keep any of your animals in rubbermaid or clay pot hides.

and Okay so I can't afford to spend $200 on a thermostat "setup" from one of your guyses websites (that you all shamelessly promote) so tell me again whats wrong with asking about which brands are reliable and affordable? Is anything but what you use inadiquate and horrific? and "cheap"?

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Originally Posted by Rascal

and Jamie, I'm not cheap and every thread I've made Isn't about being cheap. Its just called not being lavish. I don't have hundreds of dollars to throw around like you seem to be able to. I would guess that most of the time its not even your own money your spending Jamie.

So, if not a single petstore in your COUNTY carries a hide large enough for your snake, is it "cheap" to cut a hole in a platic bowl? Almost all of the pictures of setups I've seen on this website incorporate homemade things. God forbid you keep any of your animals in rubbermaid or clay pot hides.

and Okay so I can't afford to spend $200 on a thermostat "setup" from one of your guyses websites (that you all shamelessly promote) so tell me again whats wrong with asking about which brands are reliable and affordable? Is anything but what you use inadiquate and horrific? and "cheap"?

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Who's money do you believe I am spending? I wish it was someone elses but unfortunately I have to go out and work for it everyday.

If you had the least bit of comprehension it would be crystal clear that I am not referring to making your own hides or keeping a snake in a Rubbermaid.

It sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder and my comments struck a nerve. For the future, being more clear when you type a post will help everyone else understand what you are trying to convey.