Help! My BP is whistling

[BreakingSilver]

My BP has been whistling for a bit, I’ve noticed it when I first had him in Aspen bedding, then coconut fiber which made him struggle, he would get it caked to his nose and wouldn’t bury anymore so I switched it to reptichip. It looks like he has some shed stuck to his nose and one eye is dented. He won’t eat either and losing weight. I’ve been weighing him and shortly after he ate on 4/26 he was 536g and I weighed him twice since then and last weigh in on 5/9 he was 505g. I’m at a loss on what to do. I’m struggling with his humidity as well

[Bogertophis]

In such a short period of time, it's more likely that "weight loss" is the result of him taking a dump & hydration issues.

Eyes dented means a hydration issue: humidity too low, and-or not drinking enough water. Aspen is NOT good for humidity & not the best substrate for BPs.

Whistling might be an RI, but also might be stuff in his nose...bits of debris & old shed, sounds like. He doesn't sound comfortable & his appetite depends on you
making the right corrections to his living space...also, back off handling him if you have been. Some snakes get stressed out by excessive handling & won't eat...
then you may end up with a sick snake or worse. Watch for any bubbling & excess saliva in & around his mouth...those point to an RI, as does open-mouth breathing.

[Faith.luu]

In such a short period of time, it's more likely that "weight loss" is the result of him taking a dump & hydration issues.

Eyes dented means a hydration issue: humidity too low, and-or not drinking enough water. Aspen is NOT good for humidity & not the best substrate for BPs.

Whistling might be an RI, but also might be stuff in his nose...bits of debris & old shed, sounds like. He doesn't sound comfortable & his appetite depends on you
making the right corrections to his living space...also, back off handling him if you have been. Some snakes get stressed out by excessive handling & won't eat...
then you may end up with a sick snake or worse. Watch for any bubbling & excess saliva in & around his mouth...those point to an RI, as does open-mouth breathing.

^^

Has switching to reptichip helped? Also what type of enclosure do you keep your snake in? And please let us know what your set up is like and what your average temps and humidity are.

When I had mine in a plastic tub I was able to keep the humidity up no problem with aspen. I was able to have it between 70-80% by adding in a damp towel. But since moving to a glass enclosure with a screen top, I’ve had to cover most of the top, and switch to forest floor, with 2 daily sprays. Doing this I was able to maintain a minimum of 60%. If you do multiple sprays a day, or add a damp towel inside the enclosure, or add sphagnum moss, or to all of these it’ll help to keep humidity up. Also keep in mind that you need a minimum of 50%. 60%-70% is ideal. And it’s always better to be higher than lower.

Just make sure your husbandry is all good, let your snake adjust and then continue to analyze from there. And as stated by Bogertophis, continue to watch for any further symptoms and or changes.

[BreakingSilver]

The reptichip helped at first but now that it's dried out my humidity is stuck at 30-40% with misting only bumping it up for a very short period of time. I have a glass tank with a screen lid and I have most of it covered with tin foil as of last night. I have my set up mirrored to the sticky thread. My high side is 80's and my low side is 70's with a red lamp in the middle. I've been handling him periodically to check his weight and to examine him. He's cold to the touch often. I haven't seen any bubbling or excess saliva.

[Bogertophis]

The reptichip helped at first but now that it's dried out my humidity is stuck at 30-40% with misting only bumping it up for a very short period of time. I have a glass tank with a screen lid and I have most of it covered with tin foil as of last night. I have my set up mirrored to the sticky thread. My high side is 80's and my low side is 70's with a red lamp in the middle. I've been handling him periodically to check his weight and to examine him. He's cold to the touch often. I haven't seen any bubbling or excess saliva.

Glass tanks are my personal favorite for keeping snakes, but that said, I'm not currently keeping ANY BPs or snakes with similar humidity requirements. Consider that most tanks are not just open at the top (which you CAN control by covering) but ALSO that they are taller, so there is more air contained that you need to humidify...so for many ppl, tanks are a bigger challenge for keeping a BP. I'm NOT saying it can't be done though (each method has pro's & con's), & you only just now covered your screen top, so it will likely take a while before you see results. Also consider whether you're measuring the humidity ACCURATELY, that matters greatly. With any substrate like Reptichips, be aware that you might also have to add moisture (mist?) every few days; BPs can simply be more challenging to keep due to both their humidity and warmth needs, at least until you get the hang of it. Misting tends to help only help short-term...you might also want to install a humid-hide with sphagnum moss (first soaked & then drained). Once a BP has damage like dented eye-caps, they can take a while before they return to normal.

As far as your BP being "cold to touch", that's normal: we are roughly 98.6*, so when we handle a BP, it would have to be WARMER than we are in order to feel warm to us, ok? With the highest safe temperature for a BP being about 90* (maybe 92* max) he's going to feel "cool" to your touch...if he felt warm to you, he'd likely suffer a heat stroke & could even die...that's why it's SO important to regulate (using a thermostat) the heat devices used for a BP. They're drawn to warmth but perhaps because they have a wider build than many other snakes, it takes a while for them to evenly absorb the warmth, & sadly many don't seem to feel the danger until they are physically damaged (burned).

If you cannot find or afford sphagnum moss, other materials can work also...even soaked sponges! (they're just not very aesthetic, lol)

[Bogertophis]

About humidity...once your snake has enjoyed the proper humidity for a while, it should help any old shed/debris in his nostrils either come out on its own or be gently
removed with a little help from you (maybe using tiny tweezers IF you have steady hands-?) It's not entirely true that when it comes to humidity, "more is always better"-
other than during shed, you don't routinely want more than 60-70% humidity either, & you always need to use substrates that while they retain humidity, they never allow the snake to be sitting in excessive moisture that can result in skin issues. BPs are mellow & beautiful snakes that stay a nice size to handle as pets, but they are one of the more challenging with respect to keeping them within heat & humidity parameters to keep them healthy. I keep many other kinds of snakes & have for many years, none of which are this much "trouble". It's helpful & essential to have a forum like this to trade tips to get it right...especially since most pet stores aren't much help.

[BreakingSilver]

I'm going to pick up some moss tonight and stay on top of misting the tank. Thank you so much!

[Bogertophis]

Another thing you can use for substrate is "orchid bark", available from florists & plant nurseries, & normally it comes in 2 sizes (small chips & larger chunks). As the name implies, it's used by orchid growers, etc. With any substrate like this, you want to really soak & then drain it initially before using, because the warmth in a BP's enclosure will facilitate evaporation & it's hard to keep up just with misting. Whatever options you use, your basic goals for comfort (heat & humidity in correct ranges) are the same. Everyone's set-up is a little different, you just have to tweak things to make yours work.