RI: When To See The Vet

[YungRasputin]

just discovered this last night but i am fairly confident that my mainland male Burm hissing is off - when they hiss there is small, v slight pops here and there - i hadn’t heard him do this till last - the issue is i haven’t been able to find literature yet which details early signs of RI; just the late signs that i don’t want to wait for

parameter wise the only thing i can point to is temp fluctuations because of the extremes of Appalachian spring where it can go up (70-80F) and down (50-45F) throughout the course of the day - which when i’m at work or school for 10-16 hrs i can’t adjust and fine tune the settings to match this - the only other thing i can think of is maybe i should’ve cleaned out the soaking bowl more than 3 times a week because usually if it appears clean i leave it be minus the 3 mandatory clean out days

v concerning and i would appreciate any advice - i really hope i’m just being dumb and over-reacting

[Bogertophis]

Are you seeing any bubbles in & around his mouth? Usually when they're just hissing, you won't see bubbling (unless they just happened to drink water?).

Any open-mouth breathing? Holding head up to breath? Had a look inside his mouth lately? How's the appetite? (his, not yours, lol)

And why, if his heat source is thermostat controlled, would the outside temperature fluctuations cause much of an issue indoors so as to weaken his immune system?

[YungRasputin]

Are you seeing any bubbles in & around his mouth? Usually when they're just hissing, you won't see bubbling (unless they just happened to drink water?).

Any open-mouth breathing? Holding head up to breath? Had a look inside his mouth lately? How's the appetite? (his, not yours, lol)

that’s the thing - upon quick examination, he doesn’t show any of those symptoms at all - he’s behaving normally, eating normally, BMing normally, etc - i haven’t seen any of the symptoms you or veterinary sites have listed - the only thing is those small/slight noises during hisses - i plan to check him more thoroughly after my shift tonight but so far this is the only thing and idk if i should immediately schedule the vet now or just deep clean the tank, take out the pool, and keep the heat high (read this was a good thing to do, idk for certain)

And why, if his heat source is thermostat controlled, would the outside temperature fluctuations cause much of an issue indoors so as to weaken his immune system?

to explain this - first, i don’t have central heat or central air - everything is space heaters or window AC units so when i leave for work i make sure that all temps are within acceptable parameters, and i then try to (depending on the season) that the AC/Heat is set in such a way that when the ambient temp fluctuates, it’ll still be within an acceptable range - i was guessing that when i set the heat, it may have gotten hotter within the snake room than i would’ve guessed

[YungRasputin]

i have read (but not verified) that Burms (like retics) can make various noises when they move about but i haven’t heard anything except when i gentley stroke his back when he’s stationary to prompt the usual hiss

[Bogertophis]

Really doesn't sound like there's much to be concerned about- just keep an ear on it. As far as raising the temps. for a suspected RI, usually only a couple degrees is what is suggested (as long as you're not already at the maximum for safety).

I see what you mean- space heaters can really make ambient room temps. fluctuate- making snake enclosures more of a challenge.

Since we're not seeing or hearing your snake, only you can decide if a vet visit is needed. But I could understand waiting for something more definitive in the way of symptoms- otherwise the trip might be a waste if it's something too subtle for the vet to observe. And don't forget that antibiotics as well as the stress of going to the vet are not without negative side effects- you want to be sure it's needed. "First do no harm" & it's certainly not an emergency right now.

[Gio]

i have read (but not verified) that Burms (like retics) can make various noises when they move about but i haven’t heard anything except when i gentley stroke his back when he’s stationary to prompt the usual hiss

Keep an eye on it but I agree with what was stated.

I had a retic that made some clicking sounds now and then, especially in the first year and a half of his life.

My current coastal did the same.

Both snakes were completely healthy and eventually, for lack of a better term, "outgrew" it.

Fluids, bubbles, an open mouth or odd positioning in addition to the sounds would be cause for more concern.

[YungRasputin]

Really doesn't sound like there's much to be concerned about- just keep an ear on it. As far as raising the temps. for a suspected RI, usually only a couple degrees is what is suggested (as long as you're not already at the maximum for safety).

I see what you mean- space heaters can really make ambient room temps. fluctuate- making snake enclosures more of a challenge.

Since we're not seeing or hearing your snake, only you can decide if a vet visit is needed. But I could understand waiting for something more definitive in the way of symptoms- otherwise the trip might be a waste if it's something too subtle for the vet to observe. And don't forget that antibiotics as well as the stress of going to the vet are not without negative side effects- you want to be sure it's needed. "First do no harm" & it's certainly not an emergency right now.

many thanks for the replies and yeah i do have a thermstat control panel that’s connected to heating gear but it only registers and is effective for the basking spot/hot area of the enclosure so my concern wasn’t so much extreme in the sense of it being above what would be normal for a basking spot but just that i didn’t think the rest of the enclosure would register and that the ambient temp could be too high and would prevent him from self-regulating his body temps (probably should’ve clarified this earlier am sorry)

but yes, thank you because at present i feel like it’s a catch 22 situation where if i wait for obvious symptoms then it could be to late but if i pull the trigger and it’s nothing - i could also harm him for the reasons you just said so v hard to navigate because i don’t want to do make a mistake, make the wrong call and hurt him

[YungRasputin]

Keep an eye on it but I agree with what was stated.

I had a retic that made some clicking sounds now and then, especially in the first year and a half of his life.

My current coastal did the same.

Both snakes were completely healthy and eventually, for lack of a better term, "outgrew" it.

Fluids, bubbles, an open mouth or odd positioning in addition to the sounds would be cause for more concern.

same thing to you, many thanks for the reply and piggybacking on my last post - am i misunderstanding the symptoms and there actual severity? because in a couple of sources it said there the obvious symptoms would be indicative of it being “late stage” per the course of an infection so idk if that means “if you see X they’re on borrowed time and it’s a critical emergency” or what

[Bogertophis]

From what you've described, it's not panic time at all. As Gio said- I've also heard of snakes that make some extra little noises that turn out to be nothing, & if you go to a vet, they're apt to feel under some pressure to "do something" (just like when parents take their kids to the pediatrician & want "something" for their illness) which means that they might (?) prescribe an antibiotic that's not really needed- & which has side effects.

Also, some vets will take a "best guess" for what antibiotic to prescribe, but if they do it the right way (lab work to get the right Rx) it's going to get expensive too- plus the pain of injections you'll put your snake through. If that was me, I'd make darn sure the snake NEEDS treatment before I'd see a vet. I'd wait for more definite symptoms-just watch & listen for now.

You'll know if & when your snake has a RI. And who's to say that a snake can't start to come down with an RI & then they manage to fight it off too- just like we can? Just wait a bit- if you see him struggling to breathe, that's different though.

[bns]

I remember you mentioning how much time your critters spend in their pool...Greater than 50% if I remember correctly.

Get rid of the pool and address the reason(s) the pool is used.

RI and other issues related to bacteria are about husbandry.

Stress reduces immune function. (possible reason for excessive pool use outside of environmental)

Pools give bacteria more opportunity for introduction.