Urgent advice needed for respiratory infection before vet visit!!!

My 10 month old Burm definitely has an RI because she's dribbling and blowing bubbles. I just checked on her tonight and noticed the symptoms. The nearest exotics vet is 40 mins away but they open at 09:00 am so I'm after some advice on what to do in the mean time please.

I fed her a medium rat on Wednesday and let her digest until tonight which is when I noticed this. The only change to her routine was that I added in some cypress mulch mixed with Eco earth last weekend, whereas I always had her on just eco earth before.

The humidity in the enclosure was around 80% for a few days and hadn't settled down so I opened a crack to the left of the doors to let it settle last night and it was 60% tonight. Her CHE hot spot is 32-34C and the cool side is 25C in a 4 foot wooden viv.

Any advice would be eagerly welcomed before I can get her to the vet tomorrow. Thanks.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8a4595f28b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6df601cd51.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d2c79e30cf.jpg

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

i'm sorry to hear that about your beautiful Burm.

when i got a new snake in w/ an RI, she was quarantined immediately and i kept her in a bare bones tub. i think u only have Kaiju but u might have to strip down your nice enclosure to just substrate, water bowl and hide. i would actually put her on paper substrate. u wanna clean everything to get rid of lingering bacteria. i would also bump up the temps a degree or two. do not raise humidity. keep it normal. high humidity w/o proper ventilation can allow more bacteria to fester. when u are at the vet, get a culture done so the vet can prescribe the best antibiotics. be prepared for administering injections.

good luck, keep us updated!

Oh no! No experience with RI so no advice. Just hugs to you and Kaiju. Hope she's ok! :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hilabeans

Oh no! No experience with RI so no advice. Just hugs to you and Kaiju. Hope she's ok! :(

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ax01

i'm sorry to hear that about your beautiful Burm.

when i got a new snake in w/ an RI, she was quarantined immediately and i kept her in a bare bones tub. i think u only have Kaiju but u might have to strip down your nice enclosure to just substrate, water bowl and hide. i would actually put her on paper substrate. u wanna clean everything to get rid of lingering bacteria. i would also bump up the temps a degree or two. do not raise humidity. keep it normal. high humidity w/o proper ventilation can allow more bacteria to fester. when u are at the vet, get a culture done so the vet can prescribe the best antibiotics. be prepared for administering injections.

good luck, keep us updated!

---

Thanks guys. Been advised to use a small RUB with holes in the top filled with hot water, Vicks and olbas oil. Also to use newspaper.

Maybe less is more and I over did the setup. Yes she's my only snake.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Poor snake! I agree with keeping him on paper substrate now, & also, higher humidity makes it harder to breathe, so that's something to consider too.
Good luck with the vet visit...hopefully his RI responds quickly to the inevitable medication.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Valyrian

Thanks guys. Been advised to use a small RUB with holes in the top filled with hot water, Vicks and olbas oil. Also to use newspaper.

---

the hot, steamy water with Vicks and oils is supposed to help w/ breathing but will increase humidity - so only do it for like 10-15mins per session for only like 2 times a day. personally i would just keep the humidity normal and where it is once u get antibiotics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Valyrian

Maybe less is more and I over did the setup. Yes she's my only snake.

---

just be on top of husbandry. u coulda missed a spot to clean here or there and/or the the recent high humidity for a few days could of added to the bug.

I've fortunately never had to deal with RI, so won't chime in on anything there.

I just wanted to stop in to wish you and your beautiful burm good luck towards a speedy recovery.

Thanks so much for the kind words everyone.

I screwed up by trying to make what I thought was an interesting setup. Maybe paper, a hide and a water bowl is the way to go. Just can't wait to speak to the vet and get her well again.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Absolutely no to the Vick's; phenols are dangerous for snakes.

Bump your cool side temp to 27*C (80*F) and leave it there, hot side should be fine. Keep the humidity up as well.

I would go back to a minimalist enclosure until she is well as it will be easier to clean and sterilize than one with natural substrate.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

Absolutely no to the Vick's; phenols are dangerous for snakes.

Bump your cool side temp to 27*C (80*F) and leave it there, hot side should be fine. Keep the humidity up as well.

I would go back to a minimalist enclosure until she is well as it will be easier to clean and sterilize than one with natural substrate.

---

I always preferred complex setups but if my snake will be healthy with a basic setup of mich prefer that.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Ok Ive completely stripped The setup, scrubbed it all down and let it sit with F10 disinfectant before drying it all out. Currently sitting at 54% humidity with a water bowl and hide. The fluid has fully gone from her mouth. I'm not sure if I was over reacting because I read that sometimes water comes out if they're handled straight after drinking. So maybe the fluid that poured out was from drinking water before I picked her up because she looks fine now. I did hear a bit of a squelching sound a few times from her upper body when I handled her but unsure if that's from the rat eaten 2 days ago or something more sinister? The vet should answer those questions tomorrow. I'm still adjusting her heating because the lack of decor has altered the thermal mass a lot. Thanks for all the help and I'll update later.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...28f407835f.jpg

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Looks great! And hopefully this is a false alarm: yes, a snake will sometimes spit out some water if you pick them up shortly after they drank. It has happened
to me too...we aren't always there to see that they just drank, & it's not as if they can tell us. Keeping their head higher than their body will prevent this, but first
you have to know they drank, lol...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Valyrian

I always preferred complex setups but if my snake will be healthy with a basic setup of mich prefer that.

---

Once the snake is deemed healthy you can go nuts with interesting décor and use a natural substrate. When dealing with a sick one you need a setup that's easy to clean and disinfect every day.

Wishing you and your lovely lady a quick and smooth recovery period, or better yet like you mention just a over protective parent, she looks beautiful no matter the back ground;)

Hoping for the very best for your sweet girl, Valyrian!

That does not look like RI to me. Looked like water mixed w/spit hahaha.. Usually you'll see the RI effects around the nostrils as well and your girls face looks clean as a whistle. Watch for a day and see what you think. Do you hear any wheezing? There would be congestion most likely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

That does not look like RI to me. Looked like water mixed w/spit hahaha.. Usually you'll see the RI effects around the nostrils as well and your girls face looks clean as a whistle. Watch for a day and see what you think. Do you hear any wheezing? There would be congestion most likely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I think I over reacted to be honest and she's doing good now. I do sometimes hear her breathing / hissing but I've been told that's nothing to worry about. I also heard a strange sound from her upper body when handling her but this has now gone since I made some changes. Her skin seems more supple too. I think these issues weren't present before because she stayed in the warm side but she's getting bigger now. The good thing is that my worry pushed me to make some changes for the better.

So what I did was remove everything, clean and disinfect it and put her on newspaper for a day with no added humidity. Then the next day I went to the local reptile store and bought a new heating system.

Basically in the UK we mainly use CHEs to heat our enclosures. There's a brand over here called White Python which is where I got my original one from. It looks stylish but in reality it doesn't perform as well as other more traditional types.

The problem is that it's designed to direct heat downwards to be more efficient but it doesn't radiate heat sideways so there's no real thermal gradient.

It created a hot spot and then room temperature everywhere else. So I bought an Arcadia system and installed it yesterday. This system radiates in all directions so it warms the air in the whole cage and has raised the cold side temp.

My temps used to be a hot spot of 91 and the rest of the cage at 75. The ambient air was room temperature.

Now it's a hot spot of 91, a cold side of 82 and a nice gradient in between.

In the pictures you can see the old green White Python guard and the new Arcadia guard. The new one looks less aesthetic but it's better for her which trumps everything else. I also simplified the cage.

I think White Python have over engineered that product and tried to reinvent the wheel but it hasn't worked well. Just goes to show that marketing and a shiny product aren't always the best.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c8f0d31b37.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d3529040b4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fb188b7cff.jpg

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I think you made some good choices. I dont let any of my enclosures go below 78 and that when the house is 62 at night during a freezing winter. Now the cool side stays around 80-80.6 since its warmer.
The hissing and any congestion when a Burm gets ready to shed is normal.
Im thinking all is ok. Keep the temps like you have them now and I think things will be fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

I think you made some good choices. I dont let any of my enclosures go below 78 and that when the house is 62 at night during a freezing winter. Now the cool side stays around 80-80.6 since its warmer.
The hissing and any congestion when a Burm gets ready to shed is normal.
Im thinking all is ok. Keep the temps like you have them now and I think things will be fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

Do you think I should keep a 2 degree drop to all temps at night like I had before or should I keep the heat constant?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I only temperature-cycle snakes when it's required for breeding, otherwise I just let them stay warm. So with a burm I wouldn't bother.

So sorry you are going through this. This is one of my largest fears. Hope for a good vet visit. Please keep us posted.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

I only temperature-cycle snakes when it's required for breeding, otherwise I just let them stay warm. So with a burm I wouldn't bother.

---

One of the books I have advises that it "may" have benefits. So as long as it won't do any harm I would rather do it to emulate a more natural environment.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Valyrian

One of the books I have advises that it "may" have benefits. So as long as it won't do any harm I would rather do it to emulate a more natural environment.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

---

I wouldn't... My snakes do their own temp cycling by going from warm to cool side and i keep those for what I know is healthy for them... I dont want any problems and the opinions out there from books and on the Web are like "well you know" hahahahaha. I think people out there say and do all kinds of things because they are bored, then they tell others about it... For the 30 years I've had Pythons a consistent Hot Spot and cool spot has kept them healthy as a Horse hahahaha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

I wouldn't... My snakes do their own temp cycling by going from warm to cool side and i keep those for what I know is healthy for them... I dont want any problems and the opinions out there from books and on the Web are like "well you know" hahahahaha. I think people out there say and do all kinds of things because they are bored, then they tell others about it... For the 30 years I've had Pythons a consistent Hot Spot and cool spot has kept them healthy as a Horse hahahaha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I hear you bro. I do have a temp drop but I kind of don't at the same time lol. What I've decided to do is have the higher end of the recommended temp during the day and the lower end of the recommended temp at night. So it's only a 4 degree F difference that stays within a safe range but still gives the flexibility of emulating a night time drop like in the wild. I've got a really good pulse/dimmer/one-off stat that maintains temps well on pulse mode. I can even set up to 4 different temps in a 24 hour period on this thing.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8ab47ae5aa.jpg

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Whatever works for ya.. Thats what we do [emoji6][emoji1360]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

Whatever works for ya.. Thats what we do [emoji6][emoji1360]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

It probably doesn't make much difference to be fair lol

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I just checked and both of my books mention night time drops. One says 2 - 3 degrees C (like I'm doing) and the other one on the right says 8 - 10 degrees C which is a bit too much to me.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e2c4516df8.jpg

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I've kept snakes for years, mostly various oddball colubrids and boas, and have used setups ranging from humid with limited venting, to airy and dry and never had a respiratory infection in any of them. I've also had both steady temps and temp drops of nearly 10f and honestly never noticed any health changes because of it. I've come to believe that sometimes even under ideal conditions that certain species will occasionally just get sick, much like humans do. I'm thinking your setup was probably fine in this case, and that you were just unlucky enough to have the wrong bacteria hitch a ride somewhere at just the right time.