Whats wrong????

My ball python is in the middle of shedding and for some reason i see her open her mouth slighty like every 2 min.??

i dont know what the deal is about that, she just keeps opening her mouth, even when i dont handle her. and her temp. and humidity are fine, so i know that doesnt have to anything with it.

does anyone have a clue whats going on?

I've seen mine do this while shedding here and there. Wait till she is done shedding, and if she keeps it up and is still doing it tomorrow I'd take her to a vet since she could possibly have a respiratory infection (RI).

Does it have any slime in or around its mouth?

One of my female adults tends to open her mouth alot.....sometimes for a while. I can see a substance that looks like saliva. should i take her to the vet?

Yes, I would since that is one of the symptoms of a RI.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gil6

One of my female adults tends to open her mouth alot.....sometimes for a while. I can see a substance that looks like saliva. should i take her to the vet?

---

absolutly. for now i would rais the temps a little bit. and lower the humidity just a tad. but the vet is the way to go

After reading a bit about RI...you guys are defiantely right. I think she has it. IS RI CONAGIOUS?! I have other ball pythons in the same rack. I won't lower the temps tonite and will take her to a vet tomorrow

Another problem could be that it's choking or gagging. In snakes, choking on a foreign object or food creates excess saliva. (http://www.anapsid.org/rti.html)

Either way, I think you mos def need to visit your veternarian. :omfg:

You need to take your snake to the vet ASAP! I hope your snake gets better quick.:(

I hope she gets better too:( . I am very worried. I am definately going to the vet tomorrow. Is the rest of my collection in danger too?

Captive reptiles often experience respiratory infections and it is not uncommon for an owner to experience at least one respiratory infection during the life of their reptile. These infections are often the result of less than optimum temperatures and humidity and poor captive conditions. These infections are highly contagious and any animal that is suspected of having a respiratory infection should be isolated.

http://www.angelfire.com/al/repticare2/page18.html

I would think that the other snakes in the rack would be ok (someone with experience feel free to correct me). I would just take precautions not to spread the infection, ie. wash hands after handling the sick animal and clean out that tub last....I wouldn't handle the snake at all until it has recovered and of course don't allow contact with any other snakes. It probably wouldn't hurt to raise the temps for that whole rack, as a prevention measure.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gil6

After reading a bit about RI...you guys are defiantely right. I think she has it. IS RI CONAGIOUS?! I have other ball pythons in the same rack. I won't lower the temps tonite and will take her to a vet tomorrow

---

I think you misunderstood the other person.You do not lower the TEMPS you lower the HUMIDITY in a URI.Just thought i would point that out.

Joe, I think he means that he won't give them a night drop and instead keep daytime temps until her gets to the vet.

That's a start, I would use higher-than-daytime temps 24/7. I'm sure there's a reference here with the exact numbers.

Yes i won't lower the temps at night as i have been doing. I have also raised the temps in the entire rack a bit. I am working on making a setup for her in another room. I bought a sterilite 41 quart and need to get some flexwatt or something. I called a herp vet and don't have an appointment til wednesday. my girlfriend is calling them back and trying to get her in sooner...

Well i took her to the vet and have to give a shot of antibiotics once a day for the next for days......she is doing much better already

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gil6

Well i took her to the vet and have to give a shot of antibiotics once a day for the next for days......she is doing much better already

---

Thats good :cool: .