Respiratory Infections - The Basics

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Originally Posted by that_dc5

After reading your post, I was wondering. Is there any supplement that we can maybe put in their water as to health with their immune system? Kind of like acidophilus for the stomach, but instead just something for overall health?

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You should be able to go to a pet store or shop online for snake vitamins that you put in the water. I've inherited some really sick snakes over the years, once one needed to have pills put into a mullet and then we put the mullet down the snakes throat. I don't recommend that. It was not fun, and it pissed her off. She did live and became a healthy, plump, beautiful creature. Vets, if you can afford them and if they are absolutely necessary, should be seen first. I do every thing the lead post says except that I put vitamins in the water. I also made friends online (was referred to) with a person who works in some kind of reptile house in another country and he gives me (or at least used to) cheap advice about what I can use to cure some things. He also tells me take it to the Vet in some instances. I try not to bother him if I can help it, and so far, he has never been wrong.

[QUOTE=h00blah;1806741]I believe that there's definitely a link between low humidity and RIs. Not because someone told me so, but because I've experienced it with my own BP.

I have seen it happen with high and low depending upon what the snake's normal habitat should be and what it lives in now. My Malaysian blood got sick in dry air, for example.

I ripped a giant fart in the snake house last week and the snake I farted on came down with a bad RI. Therefore I can personally attest to a firsthand link between stinky flatulence and respiratory infections in snakes.

I cured it by playing the odd numbered tracks of Puscifer's "Conditions of My Parole" for three days straight. Some one eyed hunchback at Rasputin Records who I nod to but don't dare speak to gave me this advice telepathically.

RI does not just go away in a few days. It is the same as phenomena in humans and when a snake is dripping mucus from the lungs in people when that happens you are in the hospital. It will not get to that point and clear up all by its self. There are very very few bacteria that grow in the desert hot dry low humid conditions preserves things (think Egypt the oldest paper in existence is from egyptian tombs) Hot humid conditions grow bacteria fast think rainforest where a leather shoe will rot away in 2 or 3 months. There is no sense to dry conditions causing a bacterial fungal infection they simply do not live in large numbers under these conditions.

my little 5 month old ball python seemed fine with no wheezing or infection, but within 2 days tops...he died...and was stargazing...no control over his head or upper body......I have been investigating Inclusion Body Disease..although it is widely spread in europe, asia and starting in Italy...Canada has not been mentioned...but for the life of me I cannot figure out what happened to him....He was perfectly healthy..or seemed to be......

Well Brian barczyk talks about the reptifogger and applying 5 Ccs of f10 to the bottle and fog a separate tub with the snake in for 20 min then turn it off and leave it for 20 min. I think do it once everyday... I'll have to watch the video again, but does that work

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Originally Posted by shimmyball

my little 5 month old ball python seemed fine with no wheezing or infection, but within 2 days tops...he died...and was stargazing...no control over his head or upper body......I have been investigating Inclusion Body Disease..although it is widely spread in europe, asia and starting in Italy...Canada has not been mentioned...but for the life of me I cannot figure out what happened to him....He was perfectly healthy..or seemed to be......

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I am sorry that your snake died. It is unlikely IBD. The there are very few cases of IBD in pythons. The worlds leading researcher (Dr. Jacobson) has only confirmed 3 cases, I believe, in pythons. It is many times more likely that it was poisoning, common mite treatments can result in similar symptoms.

Do you need a vet specialized in reptiles or is a normal vet sufficient?
:snake:

A reptile vet is important if it is at all possible. It is not always but a vet whom is willing to see snakes and is able to admit they don't know much but will work with you may not be as good but is way better than the ones that just adapt mammalian treatments to a reptile and guess.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

I ripped a giant fart in the snake house last week and the snake I farted on came down with a bad RI. Therefore I can personally attest to a firsthand link between stinky flatulence and respiratory infections in snakes.

I cured it by playing the odd numbered tracks of Puscifer's "Conditions of My Parole" for three days straight. Some one eyed hunchback at Rasputin Records who I nod to but don't dare speak to gave me this advice telepathically.

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Fascinating, what did you have to eat though? I would like to avoid spreading RIs.