Whistling?

Hey! I just fed my Ball-python and when I put the rat in the cage, she was breathing heavily, which was normal for her because she was hunting, but it was.. whistling? Which is something that hasn't happened yet. Any ideas?

Respiratory infection? Can you open it's mouth on the side a little and see if it's slimy looking.

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She might have recently drank water too. Keep an eye on her- whistling CAN be a sign of an RI (respiratory infection), along with clicking & crackling noises, open-mouth breathing, bubbles in or around the mouth, & slimy inside the mouth. If the whistling isn't temporary & especially if you're seeing other signs too, get your snake seen by a herp-oriented vet. Too much mucus can choke a snake, as they aren't really designed to cough effectively- they can also aspirate. Usually a snake with an RI won't want to eat, also. Double-check the temperatures- if it's not already at the upper end for safety, try raising by a few (2-3) degrees- that may help a mild case recover. And remember to quarantine the sick snake from others if you have any.

The fact that your snake just ate suggests it's probably NOT an RI. But like I said, keep an eye on her.

I checked the temperatures and everything is just fine. Her mouth looks normal too, hardly any saliva. And yeah, she snatched that food from me with a quickness

I'd just keep an eye on it then.

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Bit of a long short but I’ve heard the odd story of tiny pieces of dry skin ( previous bad shed possibly ) trapped in the nostrils that have caused slight whistling/wheezing sounds .. and even far too low humidity levels .

Maybe worth a Google .


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If it ate I wouldn't worry about a RI and would bet it's an upcoming shed. My Bloods will do that from time to time and my Ball has as well.

If you want to check for mucus use a q-tip to get in her mouth using the shaft and gently open it's mouth. If you see stringy saliva let us know. But I'm thinking shed.

I checked! There's no saliva, her mouth looks just fine, she's still a baby so I wouldn't be surprised if it's shed. I just wanted to make sure

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Humidity is also good, nothing has changed and last time she shed out in full, so I'm not worried about the humidity aspect

She isn't whistling anymore, it's odd lol, only when she's ready to eat. It's like she's trying to get my attention 😂😂

Lmao well that's good, is this your first baby?

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Actually she is my first ball python. I got my KSB before her. I'm a lot better with them than balls 😂

Haha yeah that makes more sense then, I was super worried with my first one too.

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