Common question... i know. RI? Please help

So I have my spider ball out, he has been off feed for a total of 12-13 weeks now, with 2 weeks in a row in the middle where he ate fine. I was handling him while cleaning up, and i heard a puff come out of him 2 times in like 20 minutes.. Not a wheezy sound, just a puff... Could it be the beginnings of an RI? Is he just puffing? Just 2 times literally in 20 minutes. If it is anything, I want your opinions. He hasnt made any noise or sound at all, aside from that. I never hear anything coming from his cage, i have the vents closed, and the fan off to avoid any draft that could go into the cage. He has been fine, he hasnt lost any weight, but 20 grams since he went off feed, and he roams for a total of about an hour every night from about 10-11 PM like clockwork. Then hes back to sleep until 10 PM the next day. He has fresh water, and proper temps etc. I moved him into a tub like was suggested to me, but was restlessly wandering. He would not stop moving, for hours, I put him back in the boamaster cage I have, and he was completely comfortable again.

But is it something to worry about?
Something to watch?
Or am I just worrying too much about nothing?

Matt

if u want him in a tub put him in there and let him settle in for a few days. dont keep moving him around. bump up temps and humidity a lil bit to help his immune system fight off the RI if it is one. it may be nothing but its better to be safe. keep an eye on him and hold him near ur ear when holding him. let him crawl around on the floor, get him breathing heavier and if it is an RI u will be more likely to hear something that way

I have noticed that sometimes when balls are about to go into a shed they will do this. I was told by a vet that there is mucus in between the old and new skin. Just be safe and monitor him.

I'm wondering if he was just hissing??

thats kind of what i was wondering. I only heard it when he was right up in my ear, pulling his whole body behind him up my arm. He was in the tub for a week, he was wandering, nose-rubbing, and i didnt want it to get worse, so I put him back to the old cage, and he went straight to his hide, and has pretty much been chilling there since. I dont handle him unless im cleaning, because I am eliminating as many factors as possible to keep stress low until he eats again. I had to deal with a very advanced RI before, and the snake died, so I dont want anything to happen, the temps are already at 93-96 warm side, and 77-80 cool side. Humidity around 55%, it fluctuates though. He stays on the warm side alot of the time, but does move every now and then. he has identical hides, and a water crock, same kind of thing that Ralph Davis uses. I have a heat pad that covers 1/2 the bottom of the cage, and I use blank newsprint as the substrate. It was just the 2 little puffs that made me wonder. I will keep listening, and as suggested, I will bump up the temp, only on the cool side though, because the warm side is definitely fine.
Thanks guys for the quick reply, ill keep everyone posted on how hes doing.. I want him to eat so badly..

Matt

Took a big breath then exhaled out? They do this, there was a thread on it a while back. Someone described it as "huffing".

How big is he and what was he eating?

Yea, it did sound like a huff, or a BP sigh. He been curled up tight in his hides since.

You may want to try feeding him a smaller-sized prey item...My 800g male went off food about 6 weeks ago (was eating f/t small rats). After a few weeks or so of refusing, I tried a live mouse and he's been gobbling them up ever since (hopefully, he'll go back to rats...multiple mice are getting expensive)! :)

Hes 840 grams, and I was feeding small rats, and I was told not to, so I bumped him down to rat pup fuzzies, he ate them for a month, and has been refusing since. I know they are imprint feeders, but he started off on mice, like any other BP, maybe he'd go back, and do better on mice? I have no problem using multiple live mice, but he was doing really good on 30 gram rat pups, so a 30-50 gram mouse would be fine. I also work at a pet store, so I have no problem getting multiple mice. I have them on a feed/offer routine of every tuesday. My female mojo has gained over 300 grams since september, and he has been staying in the same range. The mojo has no problems at all, its just the refusal, and the huffing. But do you think the refusal has to do with size, and if he eats, he doesnt have RI, because every snake with an RI that ive dealt with does not eat.

So, my question would be, should I try mice, and if he eats those, keep him on those for awhile, and if he eats fine for a few weeks, he doesnt have an RI, or shouldnt?

I have an account specifically for vet funds, so if there ever is an emergency, I have the money set aside.

Ok, well sorry for rambling,
Matt

Others with more experience will hopefully chime in...but I suspect once spring hits, you'll be able to get him back into his old routine. I think we stress more than our snakes do about "winter fasting!" But I do think a smaller prey item might help get you back on track until his appetite gets into full swing again. If it's mice that do it for him right now, why not? My boy was never a picky eater before winter (rats, mice, live, f/t, he ate anything that enters his tub) so I suspect he won't be afterwards. But if he is, that's okay, too. I'll get them whatever they want!

As far as the RI issue, I've never experienced one (rather new keeper), so I'm not familiar with any correlation between appetite and illness...sounds, to me, like he's just a little "frustrated!" LOL! My male, who never had a temper prior to breeding season (and this is his first) was pretty short with me...he hissed a couple of times as I was pulling him out of his tub but settled down shortly thereafter! I just chalked it up to "his situation"...ie. my female is nowhere near breeding age... ;)

I was assuming that once spring hits he would start to get his appetite back, I dont think its an RI, because the 1st BP i got was a big male from a show that came home from a reptile show. He kept refusing meals, I didnt really know what to do that well at all. My friends nicknamed him wheezy, I guess thats something that shouldve clued me in, or I shouldve read about. His huffing sound has happened that time, and once before, and under the same circumstances. He is using his head, and neck right behind his head to pull his big fat body up my arm or something, then he makes the huffing sound. That is the only time.
I guess its just me being worried, this is his first breeding season at size, he was hatched in august of 08, I got him christmas of 08, and he was only 100 grams, so this is his first season at the proper size, so hes fasting for that reason. It must be the combination of the 2 huffs, and the not eating that worried me.

But more input from people is 110% welcome!
Thanks to all that have answered my questions, and quickly too!

Matt

My 700g python was eating small rats, then started refusing. I put him back on adult mice. One per feeding. He's currently in full blue, I plan to still feed tomorrow.

Why were you told not to feed rats? Advice goes all over the place but he'll be fine on one large mouse weekly.

Pay close attention to the BP. If it is RI, it probably won't take long before it gets worse.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

I will pay close attention, I dont want anything to happen to him.'
I wasnt told to not feed rats, I was told not to feed small rats, to feed rat pup fuzzies, because they are smaller meals.

I tried to feed my 700g python today with a mouse that was a lot more manic than usual. Paradox is in shed but he's not refused in shed before tho he's refused about half his meals over the past 2 months.

Anyhow the mouse kept scurrying on top of him and Paradox "chuffed" a lot when he got ran over.

He showed interest when I let him smell the mouse container (strong urine smell) but still refused. This mouse wouldn't die by flicking it in the head, so now I know what other people are talking about there. :( So I killed it by another means and froze it (Paradox wouldn't take the pre-killed either). Poor mousie.