BP randomly squeaked?

[ktea93]

So I haven’t been handling my BP much lately as I moved him to a much larger, permanent enclosure. Today I picked him up, weighed him and then placed him on the bed and he squeaked about 2-3 times. I have never heard him make this noise before. He’s never had an RI but was diagnosed with stoma last year mid January, tested negative for an RI despite having bubbles in his mouth.. he’s in a 4 x 2 x 2 PVC enclosure from CornelsWorld and my hot side ranges from 87-90, middle is about 85-84 and the cool side 77-81. Keeping his humidity consistent has been a huge issue and I’m about to put my head through a wall. When first sprayed, the cool side will shoot up to the 90’s, then quickly fall to the 80’s and 70’s for a few hours before it reaches 65-60 and then I re-spray, but I’m having to do this almost 4 times a day. I covered all but one vent. I monitor the humidity on the cool side and am still having issues. I’m really worried about him.. I read that sudden, random squeaking can be from stress (he refused his last meal, but took it the week before in his new enclosure), sudden handling of the snake/pressure on the lungs, or just be from an infection. I’m very confused and worried. Anyone else experience this? Should I just cover all the vents? The doors allow a lot of air through them and are hinged acrylic.

[Bogertophis]

...He’s never had an RI but was diagnosed with stoma last year mid January, tested negative for an RI despite having bubbles in his mouth...

Please elaborate- not sure what you mean by "stoma"? Guessing you meant "stomatitis" which is WAY different than a stoma.

Humidity is not best raised or maintained by spraying, as you've already proven (yours has been way too high & then falls off- spraying/misting is a very temporary boost at best). Using the right substrate (one that holds humidity) & controlling air-flow usually works better. Also, 55-60% would be best unless your BP is in shed, & only then raise it to 65-75%. You don't want 80-90% at all.

Another thing you can do is provide a "humid hide" where he can get a lot more humidity without soaking his whole enclosure. A healthier option for most, IMO.

Squeaking sounds can also be caused by a little substrate or some remaining dry shed in a snake's nostrils (they're supposed to shed the outer lining of their nostrils- if some gets left behind, it can cause whistling or squeaking sounds when the snake breathes.

[Homebody]

So I haven’t been handling my BP much lately as I moved him to a much larger, permanent enclosure. Today I picked him up, weighed him and then placed him on the bed and he squeaked about 2-3 times. I have never heard him make this noise before. He’s never had an RI but was diagnosed with stoma last year mid January, tested negative for an RI despite having bubbles in his mouth.. he’s in a 4 x 2 x 2 PVC enclosure from CornelsWorld and my hot side ranges from 87-90, middle is about 85-84 and the cool side 77-81. Keeping his humidity consistent has been a huge issue and I’m about to put my head through a wall. When first sprayed, the cool side will shoot up to the 90’s, then quickly fall to the 80’s and 70’s for a few hours before it reaches 65-60 and then I re-spray, but I’m having to do this almost 4 times a day. I covered all but one vent. I monitor the humidity on the cool side and am still having issues. I’m really worried about him.. I read that sudden, random squeaking can be from stress (he refused his last meal, but took it the week before in his new enclosure), sudden handling of the snake/pressure on the lungs, or just be from an infection. I’m very confused and worried. Anyone else experience this? Should I just cover all the vents? The doors allow a lot of air through them and are hinged acrylic.

I assume the stoma and bubbles are no longer a problem. If so, I wouldn't worry about the squeaks unless it repeats. Then, you'll need to figure out what's causing it.

Regarding your humidity struggles. I'd advise you to use a large flat-bottomed water bowl and humidity holding substrate. I hear Reptichip works well. If that doesn't work, I'd close the remaining vents. Cover them with tape on the outside of the enclosure to test it. If it works, you can seal them with spray foam or silicone for a more permanent solution. You'll get sufficient ventilation around the doors. Adding a humid hide is also a great idea.

[ktea93]

Yeah, I meant stomatitis, sorry. He got antibiotics and it cleared up within a few weeks. He shed a while ago, like a few weeks back.. I use coconut husk as substrate, and I used to just pour water in the corners of my enclosure which seemed to help a bit but it got moldy.. maybe I’d have better luck now that I’m using a RHP. The doctor I saw said 80% humidity is too high as well but the BP subreddit says the opposite. Doctor primarily works with birds, too. Confusing I do have a large water bowl on the hot side. Maybe I’ll grab a shed rock that he can climb into.. do you recommend any brands? It was a really weird sound, sounded just like a mouse tbh. I’ve never heard him make that noise even when he had an infection.. I’m hoping it’s nothing.

[Homebody]

Yeah, I meant stomatitis, sorry. He got antibiotics and it cleared up within a few weeks. He shed a while ago, like a few weeks back.. I use coconut husk as substrate, and I used to just pour water in the corners of my enclosure which seemed to help a bit but it got moldy.. maybe I’d have better luck now that I’m using a RHP. The doctor I saw said 80% humidity is too high as well but the BP subreddit says the opposite. Doctor primarily works with birds, too. Confusing I do have a large water bowl on the hot side. Maybe I’ll grab a shed rock that he can climb into.. do you recommend any brands? It was a really weird sound, sounded just like a mouse tbh. I’ve never heard him make that noise even when he had an infection.. I’m hoping it’s nothing.

Sounds like you're putting plenty of water into your enclosure. To raise the humidity, you need to keep that water from getting out. So, tape over the vents. That should do it. If it doesn't, we'll can figure out a way to restrict the ventilation around the doors.

I'm not sure what a shed rock is. Boger and I suggested a humid hide. That's simply a plastic container with some damp sphagnum moss in it. They work great.

[ktea93]

Thanks for trying to help me, I appreciate it! This kinda stuff stresses me out to no end. A shed rock is a hide but it’s just shaped like a rock that they can crawl into, I could just make him one out of tupperware but I like to spoil him. I’ll see if taping all the vents works, I just did it a few hours ago. I really hate this enclosure but all the other sites I saw had lead times of 4-6 months so I just caved.

[ktea93]

Okay so I just wanted to update and I think taping all the vents fixed my issue. I am super paranoid tho that he’s not getting enough air which is probably silly.. the door hinges hang outwards creating a good amount of space for air flow. He’s resting his head outside of his hide which he usually doesn’t do, he’s usually all the way in there sleeping and what not.. then again he might be checking out his new digs if he’s comfortable enough now. This isn’t something I should worry about, right? Maybe I should leave like half the vent uncovered? I’m sorry if I’m being annoying, I just get scared. 😞

[Homebody]

This isn’t something I should worry about, right? Maybe I should leave like half the vent uncovered? I’m sorry if I’m being annoying, I just get scared. 😞

No. This isn't something you should worry about. Congratulations. You fixed the issue. Relax and enjoy your pet.