respitory infection causes and symptoms

[coleio]

hi, im getting a bit paranoid about ri and my snake. his breathing patterns seem a bit strange and i was just wondering what the causes and symptoms are. im most likely overreacting but i would still like to know the full details just in case.

thanks, cole

[grim reaper in NY]

ALot of times if your snake is going into shed they will make a wheezing sounds when they breathe. It's the dead skin getting ready to come off. RI's can be verified pretty easily. If the snake has foaming at the mouth, that is a telltale sign he's got an R.I. Many times they will go off feed as well, but you can't rely on that sign alone as pythons are notorius for going on hunger strikes. Any mucousy discharge from the mouth and vents though are your best indications that you have a problem. If you're that concerned, it would be worth the money to take him to a Herp Vet to be checked out. better to catch an R.I. early thatn take a chance and wait and risk losing your snake altogether.

[BGdyl]

there's no instant satisfaction when it comes to things like this, you have to be patient because it could potentially turn out to be nothing jus check on em everday thouroughly, check to see if his throat very noticeably puffs out when breathing, if the wheezing gets worse or turns into clicking then it might be time to see a herp vet and get there fecal matter tested but that service isnt free, until you see mucus though theres no sure sign that he has a RI, just dont stress urself out over it you can only do so much

[West Coast Jungle]

there's no instant satisfaction when it comes to things like this, you have to be patient because it could potentially turn out to be nothing jus check on em everday thouroughly, check to see if his throat very noticeably puffs out when breathing, if the wheezing gets worse or turns into clicking then it might be time to see a herp vet and get there fecal matter tested but that service isnt free, until you see mucus though theres no sure sign that he has a RI, just dont stress urself out over it you can only do so much

Fecal matter tests are for internal parasites not RI's. One has nothing to do with the other.

The test for RI's is your Vet gets some of the mucos/fluid from the mouth and they run a culture in the lab to see exactly what bacteria is causing the infection and perscribe the correct antibiotic to combat that particular infection. There is no one medication kills all.

Symptoms include excessive mucos in mouth, red or swollen breathing tube(in back of throat), bubbling or fluid coming out of mouth(this is a more advanced case), weezing and gagging while breathing and holding head straight up in the air with open mouth gasping for air also called star gazing.

Snakes have a very primitive lung (in comparison to ours) and do not have the ability to cough up congestion like we do. because of this they can drown and die on the mucos when the infection becomes worse.

The best thing to do is keep temps in the mid to lower 90's which helps their immune system.

The main causes are low temps but I have also seen them caused by very dry arid air conditions. I found that the forced air heating in my house was causing RI's to my snakes on the top of my rack closest to the heating vents. I havent allowed that air to blow in my snake room for years now and have never had a reoccurence. I realized it bothered my sinuses and was doing the same to them. Now we only use oil filled heaters on a thermostat to control snake room temps.

Open their mouth (carefully) and check for excessive fluid, that can be the sign of an early infection. I wouldnt take this lightly if there are signs and take him to a vet for a culture of the infection. I have herd of many a ball, retic, burmese and boa drowning from untreated respitory infection.

Retained or current sheds can cause whistling in the breathing which should not be confused with wheezing from fluid build up.

Hope this helps.

[cblocker]

ooh. boy, raul, that helps alot. i was getting really concerned. my baby ball leeloo is whistling, but also just went blue to shed last week. i've had a few pythons before but not in a while, and forgot all about that sound.
thanks again