I'm really Worried about my snake!!!

So when I bought my snake....they sold me a used cage. When I got home there was another snake in the used cage. I don't know how long it was in there with out food water or heat/humidity. He ate well the other day and he has been pooping and urateing quite a bit. I held him just five minutes ago and he sounds like he has a cold. There is a popping noise when he breaths like he is blowing bubbles and he is yawning a lot. Please help I am truly worried about her!!!:(:(:(

How much does it cost to go to the vet to have her checked out. I don't have a lot of money right now. Any opinions on what to would be great!

Sounds like a Respiratory infection, vet cost are different based on area but I would get him/her checked out ASAP

WOW... that's messed up.

I would be sure to get him water and the proper temps and humdity then get him to a vet. When I took my 6ft red tail it was $150. Call around and ask, but good luck finding anyone till mid next week. And even then it may be difficult. Keep us informed on what's going on and if you can post pics!

My comp isn't letting me download my pics. Just had it reformated and the guy that set it up forgot to put the right driver back on. Any way is there anything I can do to help her get better or is the vet the only way?

Gotta get her to a vet, the cost "should" be under $100 but like I said before all vets are different, plus this time of year who knows :confused: Make sure all your temps and humidity are spot on.

Well for one you don't know what it is. If it is an RI if could go away on its own but by what you've described the snake has been sick for too long for heat to help. I had to give my snake a shot every 3 days for a few weeks and that cleared it up. Better safe than sorry and you wouldn't want anything to spread to your other snake.

Is this life threating right away...or does it take awhile. All the vets out here are closed until Wen. Her temp is 88 and her humidity is 40%. Should I mist the cage a little to bring up the humidity?

I actually got rid of the other snake yesterday. I gave it to my parent's.

I just raised up the humidity a little bit by misting and I just got a nice nocturnal infrared heat lamp bulb. Its by Zoo Med and its red. They said a loss of appitite will accompany RI. Should I try feeding him? Its been about 4-5 days since he ate 1 mouse.

Make a vet appointment ;)

Here is a list of vets across the US that specialize in herps. Hopefully one will be in your area. Herp Vet List

Thanks that really helped. They are about 30-40 minutes from my home.

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Originally Posted by Jophis82

Thanks that really helped. They are about 30-40 minutes from my home.

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You're welcome. Its good that you are so concerned for your pet and you are not willing to just cross your fingers and hope for the best when s/he is clearly in distress.

Blowing bubbles, opening the mouth a lot, popping sounds when breathing... sounds like most descriptions I've read on RI. I've never dealt with RI personally, so I'll leave it to the pros to give you better pointers.

If your snake poops, I suggest saving it in a small jar. The vet may want to do a fecal, and this will save time and a trip.

When transporting your snake to the vet use a pillow case (with a lose single knot) and keep it inside your jacket, with your jacket unzipped just enough to allow air flow but closed enough to trap heat. That will help a lot.

A vet visit sooner rather than later is ideal. Please let us know how things go!

Check our caresheet to compare to your temps and humidity. Get a vet appointment and I'd suggest you warn your parents to watch their snake closely. Since these snakes were housed together and kept incorrectly, the other one may also be brewing up a nasty RI.

Only an experienced herp vet can diagnose and treat an RI. RI's do not go away on their own, symptoms may disappear temporarily but they don't just heal up. You do need to see a vet and you very likely should be contacting that stupid pet store who sold you equipment with a snake in it and stuck you with the vet bills on snakes they didn't properly care for. Did you get any type of health guarantee from them?

Yes I got a 14 day health garantee....I actually got two snakes on accident...one I picked out and the other one was in a used cage that was in there back room. They had no idea that the snake was even in the cage. I didn't want to tell them that I got one for free...I guess I can tell them the one I found was the one I bought. I don't want to exchange the snake though. I really like her personality. She loves to be handled and is very sweet. Maybe they will pay for the vet bill huh? I hope they do because I really don't want to exchange her.

Is the snake in shed ?
Mine made noises like these as he was shedding caused by the skin peeling in his nostrils .

Oh I think you are a life saver...not the rest of your opinions arn't great but wow. She is looking a little blue on the head and eyes and her nostrils look dry and peeling sorta. I hope that is what it is. She is very active and she loves being handled. The only thing is why would she be opening her mouth like that if she was just getting ready to she? There is no excuss saliva when she yawns. Thanks

I'm still gonna to take her to a vet though just for our first checkup. Want to be safe and make her happy.

It's good that you are still going to take it to the vet....it sounds like they dumped the snake b/c it wasn't sellable. =/

I hate to say it, but where the popping could be from dry skin in the nose, the bubbles alone scream something much more serious. Snakes don't blow bubbles with out a cause. The bubbles, combined with the excess yawning definately sounds like an RI, but again, only a vet can truely tell you if that's what it is or not. I was actually fairly pleased with the price of treatment for an RI...I just recently had to take my girl in to get antibiotics for one.

Ah, on a different note, if it is an RI, you want to seperate your snakes....RI's are contagious. If it is sick, you definately only want one sick snake, not two. If they are seperate already, make sure to handle the not sick snake first to reduce the chance of it getting sick as well.

Whatever happens, good luck with your new snakes! ^_^

Yeah I already have gotten rid of one of them. I gave him to my parents. There must be a misunderstanding about the bubbles. She doesn't blow them or anything and they are not visable it's just sounds like bubbles popping when she breaths. But not all the time. She does yawn quite a bit though every 40-90 sec when she is being held. When I watch her in her cage I don't see it that much.

Hey Jophis82,

How is the snake doing? Did you get to a vet yet? Please update us! :) I'm wishing you both well.

I just treated a python with similar symptoms... I definately agree with the vet visit, but it sounds like your snake has sypmtoms of an RI. Probably to to poor husbandry at the store (don't know for sure). Getting temps up around 95 and humidity around 70% will also help if it's and RI or in shed.

Hope all goes well.
Keep us posted.