RI, or am i anal about my snakes health?

i do hear a cracking noise maybe once every 10ish minutes but he does have some suck on shed and if its run up against it makes the same noise.. his tank conditions are perfect... no open mouth breathing... good appetite.. pooping good... it only seems to happen while im holding him... am i anal or could he possibly have RI??

what do u guys think??

I'd have to hear it for myself.

Spend some time with the snake out, constantly paying attention to the snake as much as you can for long enough to accurately determine the cause of the sound.

There's not much help you can get with the limited information you have right now, but keep us updated! Both RI and "something else" making a sound are plausible, go narrow down the source of the sound :D

whats wierd is if i put the snake on my bed he doesnt make any sounds its only when its in my hands... and hes starting to enter shed if that makes any difference... and my third dilema is i have a bunch of money saved for the reptile super show and if it is RI i may have to spen it on a vet bill D=

not to sound stupid but is it hissing

no its not hissing... i know that.. lol

my GTP and Carpet Python makes noises that arn't hissing when i have them out, i always called it their way of B*tch*ng, say my GTP is crawling along my shoulders and i pick her up off me she usually makes a nosie or shes crawling along the couch back and i pick her up, she makes a noise. bump or scare her she makes it sometimes, give her a bath she makes it alot lol, shes accually quite talkative, but its not a hiss,... ive herd her hiss and its one scary sounding thing.

not saying thats what it is, but doesn't sound like you should be worried, just keep an eye on them and make sure its not something else, if they only do it when ur holding them and he doesn't do it when ur not bothering him, that would be what i would think.

i would imagin any snake could do it, but only my bigger snakes make noises like that, none of my balls do but their all 08's

When mine was a hatchling she made a clicking/chirping sound when annoyed, rather than a full-blown hiss. I freaked out about RI, too, until I figured out the cause and effect i.e. being handled, in shed, etc. Just her way of communicating, I guess.

I'm pretty sure with infection it would be all the time, not intermittent. See if you can spy and listen to his normal breathing when he's not being handled, and if it gets worse/ more frequent. :-)

ok... ill check for other signs of ri ad if it shows ill take it to a vet

its showing other signs... waaaaaaaaaaa.. *cries*.... im making my appointment on monday... whats the average cost of an RI treatment

anyone know the average price for an RI treatment???

For my herp vet, it's $40 for an office visit, and when my friends snake had an R.I., i believe that they gave her pre-measured baytril injections to give her every week, I think that ran about $60 if I remember correctly...It's been a couple years since then. Also, remember that the price is going to vary from Vet to Vet. You said that your BP is showing other signs. What other signs is it showing exactly? and is your BP going in blue? Check the mouth, and if there is no mucus and there's only a whistle every 10 minutes like you said, I personally would wait until your BP sheds before taking it into the vet. if your temps and humidity are what they are supposed to be, then chances are if it is an RI, waiting a few days for your girl to shed isn't going to make the RI progress any faster.

I was just about to post something similiar about my snake, and I read your post. My snake just had a hissing or wheezing episode when I put her in the tub for a swim. She isn't showing any signs of an RI other than the noise.

She hates a bath, so I thought she was hissing at the situation, but she continued even after I dried her off and put her back in her cage and left her alone. And it was more of a wheezing sound at that point, which is why I am concerned.

I have a feeling she is just :mad:at the world because she is also shedding right now. I know I'm going to wait until she finishes shedding and then possibly make an appt. with the vet.

ok.. ill still call around to get an estimate.. and wait until he sheds.. i fed him today and he ate like a champ.. other symptoms were: opening his mouth every once in a while... and made a wheeze or two.. but hasnt had one since last afternoon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by temec

anyone know the average price for an RI treatment???

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I just paid $120, which included the initial examination and diagnosis, and 5 injections of Baytril. This is my first time ever dealing with this, so I have no idea how this price compares to others.

I would definitely go in and get things checked out. I thought I was overreacting too, but it turned out I wasn't, and because I acted fast the vet said things would be much better for the snake. The way she explained it was this:

Animals in the wild have evolved to not show any signs of weakness. The weak and sick are the ones who are preyed upon. They hide or mask the symptoms as much as possible. This means that by the time they start showing symptoms, it's because they simply can't hide it anymore, and the sickness has gotten quite severe. Better to nip it in the bud, because by the time the BP starts blowing bubbles and really gurgling, the RI has progressed to a level that is much more difficult to overcome.

ok called the vet.. its $45 for the visit *ouch*... didnt ask about RI treatment cost.... so it looks like I will wait until after he sheds?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tartcake

I was just about to post something similiar about my snake, and I read your post. My snake just had a hissing or wheezing episode when I put her in the tub for a swim. She isn't showing any signs of an RI other than the noise.

She hates a bath, so I thought she was hissing at the situation, but she continued even after I dried her off and put her back in her cage and left her alone. And it was more of a wheezing sound at that point, which is why I am concerned.

I have a feeling she is just :mad:at the world because she is also shedding right now. I know I'm going to wait until she finishes shedding and then possibly make an appt. with the vet.

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Bathing a snake during a shed is not the best idea since the water will leach the natural oils from the snake's skin which can lead to a less than wonderful shed.

Also, if she hates the bath, why bathe??

how do i open my snakes mouth to check for mucus?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by temec

how do i open my snakes mouth to check for mucus?

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You can use a popsicle stick or the corner of a credit card, or anything else that is thin and blunt. You just get it into the corner of the mouth and sort of turn the object slowly and slightly, forcing the snake's mouth to open some. It's easier if someone else is there to help look :)

do i hold it behind the head?

Yeah and sort of cradle the rest of the snake between your arm and body.
Just be mellow and chill :oops:

i opened his mouth.... no mucus... wierd

but his mouth was wet.. but thats normal right? it was spit like.. not mucasy

Just wondering, if he is showing more symptoms pointing to an RI, what are the reasons to wait until after the shed to go see the vet?

no idea... jut what somebody recommends.. but i still havn't seen him open his mouth since like 2 days ago... he hasn't show other symptoms except the "pops" after the time he opened his mouth.. but some people say their bp makes poping noises while in shed

If you have a vet appointment, I wouldn't worry too much. ust get it in to the vet soon. They can last a pretty long time with an RI, but cannot survive it w/o antibiotics. Keep your conditions perfect and get some fortaz. it seems to have the best effect on them. It worked great for my snake. It was pretty cheap too, for me anyways. I think like $25.00. But the appointments are generally about $45 themselves. Hope everything works out. Also, what I did, was got a que-tip and swabbed some of the mucous out of my snakes mouth. You can do that or use a syringe w/o a needle and suck some of it out. This helps them breath a little better. they begin to open mouth breath because of a build up of mucous in the nasal cavity. So they can't insert the trachea into it to allow airflow to the nostrils, thus causing them to open their mouth and breathe. Also increase your humidity and temp too, it helps in breaking up some of the mucous. hope this helps, and you snake turns out ok! :)

I wish i had some bp enthusiasts close to me... because he only seems to make the pops while he is in hands.... if he is crawling around/over me he doesnt make the sound... this is why im so confused... and he has no mucus in his mouth

Quote:

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Originally Posted by temec

do i hold it behind the head?

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this may help, a little something i made.
YouTube - How to check for a Resperetory Infection.

pythontricker: Have you also had experience with other antibiotics like Baytril or Amikacin? Did the Fortaz give better/faster/more pronounced results than the others?

nice vid! thanks.. helped a lot

Quote:

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Originally Posted by simplechamp

pythontricker: Have you also had experience with other antibiotics like Baytril or Amikacin? Did the Fortaz give better/faster/more pronounced results than the others?

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yes actually, baytril and amakacin never worked for me, in fact i got no positive results from either. Fortaz worked the best of all, it cured my snakes within a month. it is pretty good stuff. you do have to freeze it though. and the capsule you are using must be refrigerated, as the other two will be in the freezer. each capsule is good for 10 treatments or so. one injection every three days. and they should give you 3 capsules of it. the vet will tell you how much to give to the snake based on its weight.

ok so i gave a more indepth look like the vid said.. everything was clear....

Also, the snake could ust have a piece of stuck shed in the nostril. causing a weird sound while breathing. always stay aware, and keep an eye on her, it might not be a very powerful ri now, it could be dormant and shoot up ten times worse any day. this virus is very sneaky.

will keep an eye out.. but knowing it had a clear mouth was a huge relief.. if it has no mucus in te mouth means it has no RI right?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by temec

will keep an eye out.. but knowing it had a clear mouth was a huge relief.. if it has no mucus in te mouth means it has no RI right?

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It could still have one, but its ust not as strong. sorry the letter between h and k doesn't work on my keyboard. so that's why I'm typing ust. lol.

heres a wierd observation.... the poping noise is only when he is not "smelling" the air with his toung...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pythontricker

yes actually, baytril and amakacin never worked for me, in fact i got no positive results from either. Fortaz worked the best of all, it cured my snakes within a month. it is pretty good stuff. you do have to freeze it though. and the capsule you are using must be refrigerated, as the other two will be in the freezer. each capsule is good for 10 treatments or so. one injection every three days. and they should give you 3 capsules of it. the vet will tell you how much to give to the snake based on its weight.

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I'll have to ask my vet about Fortaz the next time RI issues arise (hopefully not for a long time, knock on wood). After the 5 injections of Baytril my girl no longer showed any wheezing or popping, even when listened to with a stethoscope.

I would imagine different types of microbes/viruses/fungi etc. respond differently to each antibiotic. Like your snakes didn't respond at all to Baytril while mine responded very well. They must have had different agents causing the RI?

Temec: If your BP ends up having an RI and needing antibiotics be sure to let us know what medication the vet recommends. Ask them about Baytril, Fortaz, and Amikacin and see what they have to say, if you wouldn't mind.

Also, my BP had no mucus in the mouth, but still had an RI. My vet said the mucus and bubbling discharge show up in the more advanced stages of the RI. I got to it before the mucus was in the mouth, just in the lungs. Make sure you get things checked out ASAP, it will be a lot easier to cure if you start treatment early.

whats confusing me is everybody is saying to wait until he shed because it can be as simple as stuck shed on the nose or since hes a baby hes making a "pop" instead of hissing..

It's possible that the popping will go away after the shed. It's also possible that the popping is caused by a developing RI, and if you do wait the RI will have had more time to develop.

We can give you advice, but only you can decide what you will do about this.

well.. hes mid shed right now.. (pink belly.. ect)

To me it seems like a popping noise caused by a piece of skin would come AFTER the shed. In that situation most of the skin comes off, but a stuck piece is flapping in the nostrils, causing a pop. Before the shed the skin is completely intact, so I don't see how a piece of skin could be causing the sound. No shed has occurred, so why would there be a loose piece of skin flapping?

I could be wrong though.

because when i got him he had some stuck on shed from the previous shed.... and its comming loose now..

how contageous is RI? just in case he has it.. i was planning on picking up another snake but may not now if its super contageous...

If there is any doubt I would wait. Even when you do get a new snake you're going to want to do a quarantine for at least a month to make sure the new one doesn't bring in any sickness or mites.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by temec

how contageous is RI? just in case he has it.. i was planning on picking up another snake but may not now if its super contageous...

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VERY VERY CONTAGIOUS!!! I would know.

hmm.. no poping noise today.... and the more and more i think about the sound its more of a clicking noise then a pop

pops are back but quieter then before.. and still no mucus in his mouth

Hi,

Where on the snake is the sound coming from?

If you hold his head and then his side about 1/4 to 1/3 down up to your ear which if them makes the sound louder?


dr del

th head... the body i cant hear anything

Hi,

I would wait till after the shed then to see if it clears I think.

The fluid layers etc during shedding obviously thicken the skin and I can't see why they couldn't make enough of a difference to seal small openings such as the nostrils when there is no air being forced through them.

That is just a guess though so feel free to shoot me down in flames. :D


dr del