Spur?

[Snaketalkpodcast]

Her whole neck turned red https://imgur.com/gallery/8v02l

It's really strange to say, and I know a lot of you are going to say I'm crazy, but her color changed for a bit, I couldn't see her belly so I'm unaware of it was there to but the whole neck became red while she was in s form, she also opened her mouth, with what seems to be click, hiss and air coming out sounds.

[Ladybugzcrunch]

Picture of the vent looks like spurs. They do shed in that area and I have seen one larger than the other at one time. I do not see reason for worry at that end. The disturbing photo is of the head. I have never had a snake pose like that before and the only time I have seen a ball in that pose is serious respitory infection. It looks like the snake is struggling to breathe. When stressed, the snake will breathe heavy and deep, but if it can’t it may gape like that. I would say you need a vet.

[the_rotten1]

Looks like it might be a spur, but the pic is too blurry to tell for sure. One of my girls has a spur on one side that's much longer than the other one and it looks similar to that.

If your snake has RI the sooner you get to a vet/find some way to treat it the better her chances of surviving. If you have her near the other snakes they're all at risk no matter what you do. Waiting will only make everything worse.

[CALM Pythons]

Thats a spur not a String.. If you have other BP's how do you not know what a Spur is? As far as the pic of when you said her neck turned red i don't see anything wrong unless your telling me she sat there with her mouth open for a long time. I take pics when my snakes open their mouth too, like yawning, Hissing etc... you mentioned she was in the "S" position when it happened. A mouth open with a Hiss in the S position is when their Pissed and ready to Strike.
As far as all the other stuff about a Vet being out of the way ... Thats no excuse. If your snake has a RI and you ponder about the distance and whats convenient you'll end up with a dead snake.
Good luck with her.. Seems like you need to do a lot of Basic research about Ball Pythons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Craiga 01453]

Ok, still not quite sure what to say here... trying to take a pic isn't going to stress the snake...you keep mentioning she's a proven breeder. Why? How is that relevant? You say you want advice but don't want to disturb the snake to take pics, yet the snake recently had "roam time". Sounds conflicting to me. You've read enough to know that treating one snake for RI could kill the rest of your snakes??? Ummmmm....
You want to be a breeder, but can't properly care for the animals you have, nor do you have a basic understanding of snakes. Time to pump the brakes, start from scratch, learn about the animals and don't add more til you can care for the ones you have

Anyway, as for your questions, I'll start with this: the spur appears normal to me.

As for the mouth agape picture: is the snake remaining in that position or similar positions or was that a well timed mouth open pic? The picture combined with the clicking concerns me. If this is the case you NEED A VET!!!
Lastly, the no vet thing is an unacceptable excuse. I've said it before, I'll say it again: if you don't have access to a qualified vet, or if you don't have the means, financial and otherwise, it is irresponsible to keep pets. Animals CAN and WILL get sick and injured. If you can't provide proper care, don't keep the animals. It is irresponsible and unfair to the animals.

[Snaketalkpodcast]

Actually all my other Ball Pythons don't have Spurss I've checked. Including the ONE other male. I was told by the seller/breeder that she's either has a secretion gland or a spur.
My question for that is, why do my other snakes not have spurs when Queen is the only one that does?

When I said I couldn't get to a vet, what I ment to say is, I have no vehicle, but what I can do is hire a friend, though limited resources until Feb 28th(they are only able to drive then..), I will be locating a proper and quality vet around my area, I'll set up an appointment.

I took the photo of her mouth open when she opened it at me, she does that often. I was unable to snatch a photo of her during her "red neck". So yes, that photo of her mouth open was when I had my camera out and was able to take a shot. I have not had her out since the red neck incident. (The breeder also informed me to keep her informed on Queen)

As for your other comments, I already had an idea of RI and I'm ready to figure out what type she has, my fear is that the breeder didn't tell me what was wrong or to my suspicions may of been unaware and the day they shipped informed me of the

1. Genetic wobble of Queen TSA
2. stuck eye cap of No Name

Now I was informed on how to help No name and my roommates on that.

Again as for the vet the next availability of my ride is the 28th. Stay close and ready


For the record, I am not against any of you, I ask for the same respect I give you.

The fact I say she's a proven breeder is because she is. Its important to understand for me atkeast that of she's mated, who was the male with RI? is the seller at risk?

Ive only had her for the last two weeks as stated previously. I do not plan to add more snakes/reptiles.


This is also the first forum I've ever been apart of in my life and my first time being an active member online to said forum. (As active as daily check ups for responses is to you)

[Snaketalkpodcast]

Vet choice : Lynwood Animal Hospital

Note: All my snakes are hatchlings the only adults are queen and no name

[Snaketalkpodcast]

When she was shipped it was pretty cold, could that have any affect?

[Trisnake]

When she was shipped it was pretty cold, could that have any affect?

Could you give an estimate of how cold it was? Did the shipper use heat packs to maintain the warmth of the box? How long was she in transit to your destination? Shipping a reptile in cold weather can be risky, especially if the person did not use heat packs, and exposure to prolonged low temperatures could definitely contribute to Queen contracting an RI.

Do you have a taxi service, Uber or Lyft (or something like it) in Montreal? It could help you get to the vet without having to rely on your friends or roommates to drive you when they’re ready. Even public transportation like a bus or subway system could work.

In the mean time you should try to keep Queen as far away from the other snakes as possible, engage in as proper of quarantine procedure as you can (I assume you’re in an apartment as you mentioned a roommate), and monitor the rest of your collection closely. Make sure you wash your hands (and preferably change clothes) between messing with Queen or any of her stuff and messing with any of your other snakes or their stuff. Make sure the roommate is aware and careful as well. Cross contamination from feeding tongs, cleaning supplies, and even your own skin and clothes will put the rest of your collection at greater risk of illness so make sure to be as thorough as possible when it comes to preventing potential contact between the animals, direct or indirect. One RI is easier to treat than 2 or 3 or a whole collections worth.

Keep us updated with her condition. Best of luck!