Ri??

[vinsanity]

Hey guys
i just hot my bp back from a friends house cause i went out of town for a weekend. He just brought him back like 20 minutes ago and i checked his mouth for infections. i see a lot of mucus but its not like bubbly RI mucus. looks more like too much saliva. hes not opening his mouth but he is holding his head up a bit more than usual. i was told that he gave up on eating a mouse the first day he got him because it was too big, but he ate a smaller one the next day. could this be the reason for the mucus?

thanks

[lk_holla]

i was just watching animal cops and there was a boa that had mouth rot and from what it looked like it was basically just a bunch of mucus in the mouth.

but once again i just saw this on tv so hopefully someone who actually knows can chime in.

[vinsanity]

he kind of walks(moves) with his head up like the bp in ur avy

[Kaorte]

Mucous or extra saliva is an RI. Go to the vet.

[vinsanity]

^really..?

[Kaorte]

Well if you don't think its an RI then wait a few days and see if you notice any more symptoms.

[Kyuzo]

i hope he gets better
ive seen RI mucus before and this looks nothing like it so hopefully itll get better
right now he just has his head up most of the time, no popping or wheezing sounds

[UnforgivenScarz]

Well mucus can occur in a snake without it being infection if your humidity is too low. Their natural enviornment is more humid then the air we have in our homes so if the humidity gets way too low they produce more mucus in order to keep their lungs moist and working well. Ask your friend who was watching him about where he kept the humidity level. Try putting him in an tub with a lot of holes and bring him into the bathroom with you when you take a shower and put him close enough where he/she can inhale the moisture comming up from the shower for a good 10 to 15 minutes.

I was just at the vet yesturday for two of my younger BPs and he gave me a whole long explanation of how to thoroughly check your BPs for infection before you bring them in:
Open the mouth of your BP and look at the two vains that run across the top of the mouth, if they are spotty looking and have red dots on there then you know that they are sick and need to get to the vet asap. When a snake gets a respitory infection it travels to the blood rather quickly and they get mouthrot (blood infection). This kills them quickly so don't waste any time going if that shows up.

However if there are no spots they still could have a normal respitory infection that has not hit the blood yet, this is the ideal time to catch it because it's nowhere near as deadly to the snake yet, so if you do suspect that he has one take him to the vet now so it doesn't to that point. Check to see if they have smeared mucus on the wall of their tubs/cage or what my vet sudjested was pour some water onto their head near their vents to see if mucus starts running out of their vents or nose, then wipe it off with a paper towel to see if it was indead mucus and not just water. Also sit down and take an hour or so to just watch the snake and see how their doing, check to see if they are star-gazing/mouth breathing or if they are alert. I like to sit the tub/cage in front of the tv to see if they respond to the flashing lights and just watch their reactions to everything, its time consuming but taking that short amount of time to check on their health is worth it. If anything comes up or your just still worried about it take them for the visit. It's not a cheap visit but it's worth it if you really think that your snakes are sick. My trip was around $200 with meds for two snakes, but well worth the cost to ensure your little guys help.

Good luck =]

[dr del]

Hi,

Try putting him in an tub with a lot of holes and bring him into the bathroom with you when you take a shower and put him close enough where he/she can inhale the moisture comming up from the shower for a good 10 to 15 minutes.

Or just put him in an escape proof tupperware container with 85f water no deeper than half way up his body and put it back in the middle of his enclosure.

I was just at the vet yesturday for two of my younger BPs and he gave me a whole long explanation of how to thoroughly check your BPs for infection before you bring them in:
Open the mouth of your BP and look at the two vains that run across the top of the mouth, if they are spotty looking and have red dots on there then you know that they are sick and need to get to the vet asap. When a snake gets a respitory infection it travels to the blood rather quickly and they get mouthrot (blood infection). This kills them quickly so don't waste any time going if that shows up.

However if there are no spots they still could have a normal respitory infection that has not hit the blood yet, this is the ideal time to catch it because it's nowhere near as deadly to the snake yet, so if you do suspect that he has one take him to the vet now so it doesn't to that point.

I have seriously never heard any of that said before and would probably walk out on any vet that said it to me.

Ri's and mouthrot are caused by completely different infections - having one may well make you more likely to catch the other as the immune system is compromised but one does not turn into the other.

Any infection that spreads to the blood is generally called septicemia. It is usually a massive infection at that point that will indeed kill your snake if not treated in all likelyhood. A lot of people first notice it by redness on the belly.

Looking around the mouth for red or yellow spots is indeed the search for visible signs of mouthrot - but you check the whole mouth and especially around the gums.

An RI can kill your snake without showing any spots inside the mouth - though if it is high enough up the airway you might see some reddening at the opening to the trachea.

Check to see if they have smeared mucus on the wall of their tubs/cage or what my vet sudjested was pour some water onto their head near their vents to see if mucus starts running out of their vents or nose, then wipe it off with a paper towel to see if it was indead mucus and not just water. Also sit down and take an hour or so to just watch the snake and see how their doing, check to see if they are star-gazing/mouth breathing or if they are alert. I like to sit the tub/cage in front of the tv to see if they respond to the flashing lights and just watch their reactions to everything, its time consuming but taking that short amount of time to check on their health is worth it. If anything comes up or your just still worried about it take them for the visit. It's not a cheap visit but it's worth it if you really think that your snakes are sick. My trip was around $200 with meds for two snakes, but well worth the cost to ensure your little guys help.

Good luck =]

I agree with checking for smeared mucus and watching the snakes behaviour and juding its alertness level ect. And also with taking the animal to the vet if you are truly concerned - people on a forum can never compare to a hands on examination by a qualified reptile vet.

But no way this side of the dirt will I agree that pouring water onto the head of a headshy species is a good test of anything about the snake.


dr del

[UnforgivenScarz]

I have seriously never heard any of that said before and would probably walk out on any vet that said it to me.

Ri's and mouthrot are caused by completely different infections - having one may well make you more likely to catch the other as the immune system is compromised but one does not turn into the other.

Any infection that spreads to the blood is generally called septicemia. It is usually a massive infection at that point that will indeed kill your snake if not treated in all likelyhood. A lot of people first notice it by redness on the belly.

Looking around the mouth for red or yellow spots is indeed the search for visible signs of mouthrot - but you check the whole mouth and especially around the gums.

An RI can kill your snake without showing any spots inside the mouth - though if it is high enough up the airway you might see some reddening at the opening to the trachea.

Really? Wow. I am truelly sorry then if what I said was wrong. I thought this guy really knew what he was talking about =[ ... kinda upset that I just gave the guy all that money if he's really wrong about everything he told me. Sorry for that =]

But no way this side of the dirt will I agree that pouring water onto the head of a headshy species is a good test of anything about the snake.

Yea he didn't mean legit pour gallons of water onto their face, I think he meant more of misting them while in the cage. Either way, I don't like being sprayed in the face either so I haven't tried this, just passing on what I thought was knowledge from the vet. Kinda upsetting though if your telling me the guy who just perscribed my snakes with meds really doesn't know what he's talking about. Thanks for correcting me and sorry for the post =]