Is my Ball Python Ok??!?!??? HELP

He is making these weird wheezing noises not often but he is doing it... Also I saw some bubbles coming out of his mouth? please help me I don't know what I should do since I just bought him. :( is it R.I. I need as much help as i can get please.

Probably an RI . what are the temps? There needs to be a basking temp of 90 F and if he'd bubbling, you can bump that up by 3-5 degrees to get him warmer. Higher heat can help them fight an infection. Get him to a GOOD reptile vet as soon as you can! There is only so much anyone else, even a vet can do over the internet!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by darkbloodwyvern

Probably an RI . what are the temps? There needs to be a basking temp of 90 F and if he'd bubbling, you can bump that up by 3-5 degrees to get him warmer. Higher heat can help them fight an infection. Get him to a GOOD reptile vet as soon as you can! There is only so much anyone else, even a vet can do over the internet!

---

Should i feed him?

Yup he has a r.I I agree with darkblood make the temp more higher

HOw much does it cost for the medicine? I do not have that much money :(

Quarantine him, don't feed tonight or until a vet says its ok, bump temps up, call vet ASAP.
Then call who ever you got him from.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maixx

Quarantine him, don't feed tonight or until a vet says its ok, bump temps up, call vet ASAP.
Then call who ever you got him from.

---

He ate today :(

You said you just got him...
From a business, pro- breeder,
Depending on how long it has been since you got him they might cover some of the expenses.

Not a basking temp.. Belly heat of 90 degrees. They need belly heat to properly digest food. An under tank heater, controlled by a thermostat or it will cause burns, thermometer, hygrometer, proper tight fitting hides, etc..

Read the care sheet on this site and get it's enclosure set up properly. If it's eating, keep an eye on it. If it's still making noises in a few days, a visit to the vet for treatment is in order for a respiratory infection. They have strict temperature and humidity requirements which they never get at pet stores and often end up sick.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maixx

You said you just got him...
From a business, pro- breeder,
Depending on how long it has been since you got him they might cover some of the expenses.

---

I asked and he said it was fed today. i got him today but it was just form a reptile collector. i will ask him in the morning but likely not. how do i certainly know it has I.r? is it easily treatable?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schiffy

I asked and he said it was fed today. i got him today but it was just form a reptile collector. i will ask him in the morning but likely not. how do i certainly know it has I.r? is it easily treatable?

---

You know it's an RI when you take him/her to a vet and the vet says that what it is. There is nothing I can tell ya over the internet to diagnose an illness. He really ought to be seen by a Dr. to be sure it's not serious. It SOUNDS like he has an infection and he needs more belly heat, though nothing higher than 95-96 at the hot spot. If you have a lamp, it is ok to bump up temps with it to dry things out for a few days, but you really don't want to lower humidity with it all the time, just when he's sick.

Lastly, take him to a vet! Pets are expensive and if you are going to have them, you really need to be able to take them in in an emergency! If he is sick, putting it off is risking his life...

from what it sounds like to me he definitely has some ri a herpvet visit would tell you for sure. vets can be expensive but meds not so much.your going to have to inject your snake with something as the doc prescribes and get everything stable and do what was mentioned in previous posts with the temps.the injection sometimes can be very difficult depending on the size and temperament of your snake.injecting wrong could possibly do damage,death or not work.possibly every snake owner has had to do it at one point,i think?

Hi,

If you just got him today I'd try and return him.

Somebody who sells sick snakes who have eaten on the same day they sell them doesn't deserve your money.

And they certainly shouldn't cost you a vet bill for a brand new snake.


dr del

I everyone and thank you for your replies, i might have to trade it back which he is offering. He would actually just let me upgrade only though for a spider which he thinks are all healthy. I do not know if i will trade him though but my neighbor is a vet and i was able to grab a free appointment with him today and he will throw in the treatment for free too since i take care of his dogs! so should i keep this guy pastel or trade for the spider?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schiffy

He would actually just let me upgrade only though for a spider which he thinks are all healthy.

---

I wouldn't do anymore trading or business with this guy if he "thinks" all his pets are healthy...which they clearly aren't. I'd get your snake back and quarantine him and hope he doesn't get whatever this guy is passing along to his animals.

I wouldn't trade. get your money back and don't do business with anyone who feeds their snakes when they are obviously sick! If you could see he was sick, he should have known better. It sounds like he either doesn't know what he is doing, or he care more about your money than your snake's health and your happiness! If he doesn't even consider refunding your money, I would request that after the snake is either returned or taken care of, you should join Faunaclassifieds.com and post a warning about the seller. If you need help, I am already a member and can show you how to do this. Personally though, worry about the snake first.

They may have good intentions, but they are still selling sick animals and that is not ok!

Let alone if its a bacterial infection, all the snakes this person has could be infected.
Walk away, find a different supplier.
If money is an issue, look up the local Herp society in your area, they might have rescues that you could adopt, as well as local help and guidance.

When I purchased my pastel the breeder asked if I was in a Herp society or club, and that the best thing I could do for my snakes was to join one. She was right.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schiffy

HOw much does it cost for the medicine? I do not have that much money :(

---

I can't stand seeing things like this! The way you treat you pets is the EXACT same way you would treat your children. If your not willing to do what it takes to properly care for things, dont have them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lferg

I can't stand seeing things like this! The way you treat you pets is the EXACT same way you would treat your children. If your not willing to do what it takes to properly care for things, dont have them.

---

I do not know why you posted this i found it kind of rude. There are thousands of families that barely have enough money to put food on the table for their children so that made no sense. Economy is hard and this snake is better off with me, someone that caught the infection while the last owner didn't know or care. Kind of hard for me to even think about having children if I'm just seventeen. I breed my own mice and do everything i can to keep them healthy the only reason why i didn't know what this snake had was because all my original snakes are healthy. So please don't tell me I should not have reptiles I care about them more than I care about my own self.

If your keeping it, and if its better off with you, then you should be taking it to the vet ASAP, like in the next day or so. For an URI you will probably be giving Batyril injections, and if its really bad, nebulizer treatments.

Are you prepared to do this?

You have other reptiles, quarantine this one or you could be treating them all for this

Good links with a lot of info.

URI
http://www.anapsid.org/rti.html

Medicating snakes
http://www.anapsid.org/signs2.html

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Maixx

If your keeping it, and if its better off with you, then you should be taking it to the vet ASAP, like in the next day or so. For an URI you will probably be giving Batyril injections, and if its really bad, nebulizer treatments.

Are you prepared to do this?

You have other reptiles, quarantine this one or you could be treating them all for this

---

Vet taken care of, he is ordering Batyril and should come the beginning of the week. Hopefully its not viral cause then it would just be a waste of time sad to say..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schiffy

Vet taken care of, he is ordering Batyril and should come the beginning of the week. Hopefully its not viral cause then it would just be a waste of time sad to say..

---

I hope this works for you. Good luck! :)

He was given his injection of Baytril according to his weight, how the vet says he need oral injections of a type of Baytril for oral? Is this correct or should he be needle injected?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schiffy

Vet taken care of, he is ordering Batyril and should come the beginning of the week. Hopefully its not viral cause then it would just be a waste of time sad to say..

---

If not bacterial, it could also be viral or fungial and can also be a symptom of a greater problem.
If antibiotics do not work, then your vet should do blood work and a culture to find out the cause.

Myself, I would get the culture first, the medications used to treat an ri are not benign. Batryl is hard on the kidneys, but when weighed against a bacterial RI, its worth it.