So, I got a female ball python the other day. This is the first time I've owned a Ball. I've had corn snakes and spotted pythons though.

Anyways, I bought her off something college student that was moving and unable to keep her. I know, I should have just went to a breeder. He told me that she was almost two years old, and was used to be handled. When I went to go pick her up, she was in a FISH TANK, with NO heating source and only one small hide for her. The tank was sitting out in the open with a giant dog jumping around the table.

So, I took her home and tried to set everything up as best I could with what he gave me. First off, the bulb in the heat lamp and the heating pad were broken. This was a problem because I had nothing else I could use at the moment. So I scrambled around and got to the pet store and bought an ENTIRE setup for her in one go. A nice $300 dollars on top of what I already paid for her. I rushed home and finally got her cage set up and everything going. Temps on the hotside- 85-90*F, coldside- 77-85*F. Ambient air is staying around 84*F. Humidity is staying in the upper 50's to mid 60's.

Now, on to the point of this, lol. She has been showing signs of a URI. Wheezing, snorting sounds, somewhat elevated head and constant mouth opening like she's yawning. No mucus though. Which leads me to believe that she was not taken care of by her former owner(broken heating pad, lamp). She also acts like there is something caught in her mouth. Not to mention, she hisses EVERYTIME I even attempt to touch her, which means that I can't properly do a a mouth check for bubbles. So, this freaked me out even more and I went out and bought a Vick's WarmSteam Humidifier to help break up any mucus she may have in her lungs. I ran it in my room next to her cage for a couple hours, shut it off, and finally headed to bed.

When I woke up, she had shed. A beautiful, long glorious shed. And she pooped twice. Does this mean that it could have just been the shed making me think she had a URI? She did have a dried out patchy area on her nose and around her mouth. Would also explain the aggressive behavior?

Her shed skin was 35 inches long. And she's about 3 inches thick at her widest spot. Does this sound like the right size for her age, or is she underfed?

I know I need to take her to the vet. Unfortunately, I kind of spent all my money getting stuff for her and I dont get paid for a couple weeks. I have F10 SC coming in the mail. I was going to treat her with just a small amount of this if her symptoms do get worse until I can get her to the vet. Good idea, or no?

Sorry for the long post, Im just a worried new Momma and I really do want to give her a good life. Any advice is appreciated.