Help

[MandCisus]

I am very new at this caring for a BP and have alot of new things to learn in the caring for my sisters snake...Silas(bp name) looks to be sick to me his nostril on one side seems to be plugged and this am I noticed he was making a bubbling noise....What should I do and what does this mean....another question being one eye seems to have a layer over it what do I need to do to help that come off?...Thanks to anyone that can help...Christy

[pimp_n_python]

well it sounds like he has a retained eye cap just wait till next shed and hopefully it will come off
the clogged nostril and bubbling sound are tell tale signs of a Respritory Infection wich is not good
to fix that your going to need to tell me what the heat/hummidity in your tank is
and i will tell you what you need to do to fix your problem. RI's are do to improper husbandry conditions

[Jeanne]

Hi,
Sounds like your bp has got a respiratory infection, so my advice take it to the vet IMMEDIATELY!!! Also, may want to look at temps and humidity levels, that could be the cause right there, but if you are seeing discharge from its "nose" and hearing a bubbling noise, you have got to get it to the vet right away or you could lose it to an infection. As far as the eyes, thats secondary to worry about right now. But it is most likely caused by retained eye caps. Once you get the bp to the vet and verify respiratory infection, they will put it on anti biotics... once it is better, then you can wait until the next shed and see if it comes off, if not, use warm water and a q-tip and rub the eye gently to get the cap off. If that dont come off that way-talk to your vet.

*** A vet prescibing anti boitics is the only way to get rid of an RI, but you will have to get your temps and humidity levels right in order to avoid this again.

[MandCisus]

ok...Sounds like I really need to get somthing in the tank to tell me what the temps are he is so new being here and nooooo knowlege of snakes...He was staying at a camp site for awhile till BIG sister took in LITTLE sisters snake so he would not die and by the sounds of it things are not going to good....All I can say is I do have a lamp on one side of the tank which he lays under for awhile then he reqrutes back to his shell after a while not sure if it will halp but it is a 100 watt reptil light have a red one and a white one..which one should I be using and how long should I let that light run...I sure do not want him to over heat himself....Truly I would love to help him but just need to know what to do and seems the more I am learning the more I am becoming fasinated with him....I hope this all make sence

[MandCisus]

Where do I find these themometers that tell me what my temps should be in his tank???.....Poor selections at the only ONE pet store that the city of rockland has.....christy

[pimp_n_python]

just get an out door themometer and hydrometer
heat and hummidity are key to a healthy BP
does he have a heat pad as well as a heat lamp?

[Jeanne]

Christy,
Ok, first and formost, get that bp to a vet..IMMEDIATELY, or you will lose him no matter how much effort you put into him or $ for the right equipment. I contacted my local vet, he says it sounds like your bp has an RI and that you need to get your bp to a vet for treatment because even with the right temps and humidity, the RI is not going to go away. RI is not to be compared to a cold we humans get--think, pnuemonia and the seriousness it is for us, well your bp basically has only 1 chance right at this moment, thats getting it to a vet. As far as temp and humidity gauges, you should be able to get them at a walmart, target, or k-mart..not sure what you have close to you or accessible.
You need to go to our care sheet and read that, it will tell you all you need to know as far as basics.
http://ball-pythons.net/modules.php?...es&secid=1
I am glad to hear you saved the snake from living in a camp ground, thats awesome, unfortunately, now you have an animal that needs to see a vet ASAP or it will die, be prepared for a bill that could be costly. Herp vets can be expensive. Good luck!!!

[Hoomi]

A little biology lesson here to reinforce what you've already been told.

Respiratory infections in snakes are much more serious than in many other animals, because snakes do not have a diaphragm muscle like you and I do. Hence, they cannot cough the way we can to help clear congestion out of their lungs. As already mentioned, pneumonia is a real threat, as the inability to cough allows fluids to build up in the lungs much faster than it would in other animals. The more fluid in the lungs, the less oxygen that gets into the bloodstream.

I'm using a 50 Watt red heat lamp bulb for my BP to bask under, and I also have a 7 watt under-tank heater at one end of the tank. If you use an undertank heater, (the 7 watt size can be bought for around $20 from a place like Petco), make sure you have a good layer of substrate so that the snake cannot get directly against the glass over the heater. The glass can sometimes get hot enough to cause burn wounds if the snake gets directly against it. To monitor temperature, I use a simple suction cup attached home thermometer I picked up at Walmart for about $3. It might look kind of silly having a thermometer with a cute picture of a Cardinal on it, but it works just fine. Humidity checking is a little tougher. I'm finding that inexpensive hygrometers are not exactly real precise. I have two in my terrarium right now. One reads less than 20% humidity, while the other reads closer to 50%. I think this weekend I'm going to break down and pick up a better quality one that's a bit more reliable. That is, if I decide to brave any stores on the weekend after Thanksgiving shopping rush...

Good luck, and please keep us apprised on how things are going!

[MandCisus]

Well thanks for the info hoping to find a vet that will look at him so far I have hit nothing but dead ends NO snakes everywhere I call....And high bill oh yes but hopefully my connection will come through for me....everyone keep there fingers crossed for this bp.

[MandCisus]

Well thanks for the info hoping to find a vet that will look at him so far I have hit nothing but dead ends NO snakes everywhere I call....And high bill oh yes but hopefully my connection will come through for me....everyone keep there fingers crossed for this bp.....btw herps?????.....That is the blonde effect...lol