Rti in bp?

[snakeyes]

i picked up my first BP last week on thursday.
The previous owner wasn't taking care of him very well as the temperature inside his enclosure was always around 75-79...
as soon as i picked him up i was at the pet store picking up infrared bulbs and lamps a new hide, some new aspen substrate(the previous owner had regular mulch )
i keep him in 90% (hot side) and 84% (cool side) he's got a hide on each side as so i'd like to think that he's pretty confortable..

but yesterday as i had him wrapped around my neck i heard a weird whistle...after about 20 seconds i noticed that it was actually my BP, wheezing a little when he breathed. he doesn't do it all the time but it happens i guess 2 our of every 5-6 times he breathes.

now...to state the obvious, he's probably got some kind of respiratory infection.

Since i'm a MAJOR NEWB, anybody got any suggestions on what i can do to get rid of the infection? or should i just take him to a vet pronto.

[BjDavid]

do you see bubbles coming from her nostrils or mouth? this would indeed point to ri. i think bumping up your temps would be a good idea and keep your humidity low. bring him to the vet just to be safe.

[flynn]

A whistle or a wheeze could also be from a shed, either upcoming shed or a previous bad shed.

As already posted, any mucus or bubbles in or around the mouth is almost a sure sign of RI. Have you seen anything like that?

[BPelizabeth]

pull the side of his lip down and check for mucus or bubbles. You can also take a q tip and open his mouth, with the middle part of the q tip, while holding his head.....again look for mucus and bubbles. Warning....they are not too keen on the opening of the mouth thing....

[snakeyes]

pull the side of his lip down and check for mucus or bubbles. You can also take a q tip and open his mouth, with the middle part of the q tip, while holding his head.....again look for mucus and bubbles. Warning....they are not too keen on the opening of the mouth thing....

thanks everybody.
i'm guessing he had a bad shed the last time because he is still getting rid of some skin (i helped him by soaking) and i figure he'll manage to get rid of it in another 2-3 days.

he yawned last night and i didn't see any bubbles or mucus in or around his mouth..

Warning....they are not too keen on the opening of the mouth thing....

LOL, yea, little death dealers they are. gotta love' em.

[Vypyrz]

If you only notice it while he is around your neck or wrapped around your arm, he may just be breathing heavy from holding on. I wouldn't worry unless it becomes constant or you notice some of the other signs of RI...

[snakeyes]

if you only notice it while he is around your neck or wrapped around your arm, he may just be breathing heavy from holding on. I wouldn't worry unless it becomes constant or you notice some of the other signs of ri...

thanks.

[Mike Schultz]

as soon as i picked him up i was at the pet store picking up infrared bulbs and lamps a new hide, some new aspen substrate(the previous owner had regular mulch )

I keep all my adult ball pythons on mulch from the local nursery... And so do many other successful keepers and breeders