Could this have caused RI?

[Ladybugzcrunch]

Some of you may have read my RI thread about my het pied. I have been trying to figure out where the RI came from. None of the other snakes in the same rack have any problems and she seemingly had not problems before hand. I did go out of town for 3 days just before this snake got RI. I changed everyones bedding and water the morning I left and did the same when I got home. She was one of the snakes with urine in the tub when I got back. I have no way of knowing when she urinated but perhaps it was just after I left. She lives in a small 12.5 tub and they usually steam up pretty good when a snake unloads in one. Usually I change the bedding right away but being gone this was not a possibility. A few other snakes had dirty bedding when I got home as well but again no telling when they unloaded. Could this have caused her RI? I got the idea after reading the post about the clown that passed (RIP) from RI after the owner got back from vacation. If so how can I prevent this? I go away for 3-4 days at a time A LOT. My only idea is to use puppy peepee pads as they are super absorbent but I am sure the tubs will still steam up and be smelly until the waste drys up a bit.

[dr del]

Hi,

Most RI's are from bacteria etc that are already present in the animal.

But if the animals immune system becomes weakened by stress/ incorrect husbandry or reasons we do not yet understand then the bacterial load can get to a high enough level to cause the animal problems.

I don't think leaving them for 4 days would be enough to set off an RI but changing the bedding to something that deals with it a little better sounds like a sensible precaution.

What do you use at the moment?

Also increasing the ventilation might not be a bad idea to dry them out faster?


dr del

[Ladybugzcrunch]

I use pieces of carpet. They are pretty absorbent a bit better than paper towels but not as absorbent as a diaper (peepee pad). She must have came to me with it then Just strange that I had her for over a month and no signs at all. She ate, went into shed, eyes went blue, one day later RI.

Oh yeah, I did add more holes to all the bins after I learned this Bp had RI just as a precaution even though the others seem fine.

[dr del]

Hmmm,

Couple of points.

Carpet is a horrible substrate - it gets filthy and stinky and harbours the smell even after washing. Not to mention the chemicals etc used to wash it.

Also, while it will absorb the fluid it may not be particularly good at allowing it to evaporate again - I have never tried ot use it so I cannot be sure about that though. I suspect diapers would be even wose in that respect.

I would suggest trying shredded aspen instead.

I take it you double checked for excess mucus etc to diagnose the RI? The reason I mention it is that the swelling of the skin around the nostrils during shed ( and stuck peices after a bad shed ) can cause them to make the same sorts of noises when breathing as an RI.

Somebody probably already mentioned it but I thought I would put it out there just in case.

And I think you misunderstood what I meant when I said the cause was already inside the animal - I meant it is normal for those bacteria to be there. All snakes have a bacterial load - some good some bad. So do we as a matter of fact.

So it isn't as though you were shipped an ill snake - just a normal one.

The stress of a new enclosure could have been enough to slightly lower the immune response and let the existing bacteria grow to a level that produced the sickness. Lower temps can also cause it.

A lot of the time you will read that low temps/ low humidity cause RI - they are, more accurately, making the snake more succeptible to problems from current conditions that were previously not causing any.

Does that make sense?


dr del

[Ladybugzcrunch]

Hmmm,

Couple of points.

Carpet is a horrible substrate - it gets filthy and stinky and harbours the smell even after washing. Not to mention the chemicals etc used to wash it.

Also, while it will absorb the fluid it may not be particularly good at allowing it to evaporate again - I have never tried ot use it so I cannot be sure about that though. I suspect diapers would be even wose in that respect.

I would suggest trying shredded aspen instead.

I take it you double checked for excess mucus etc to diagnose the RI? The reason I mention it is that the swelling of the skin around the nostrils during shed ( and stuck peices after a bad shed ) can cause them to make the same sorts of noises when breathing as an RI.

Somebody probably already mentioned it but I thought I would put it out there just in case.

And I think you misunderstood what I meant when I said the cause was already inside the animal - I meant it is normal for those bacteria to be there. All snakes have a bacterial load - some good some bad. So do we as a matter of fact.

So it isn't as though you were shipped an ill snake - just a normal one.

The stress of a new enclosure could have been enough to slightly lower the immune response and let the existing bacteria grow to a level that produced the sickness. Lower temps can also cause it.

A lot of the time you will read that low temps/ low humidity cause RI - they are, more accurately, making the snake more succeptible to problems from current conditions that were previously not causing any.

Does that make sense?


dr del

Thanks for the reply. I change the carpet pieces as soon as it gets soiled. I wash it in a washing machine with bleach; it comes out clean and not smelly at all.

My vet diagnosed RI; she has/had bubbles, wheezing, groaning, open mouth, etc.

Temps are always high in Florida. It is 85 F in my house right now. Not likely to go below 82 F tonight.