HELP?!- Breathing hard, Scales Wrinkly

[Nefertiri]

Now her breathing is erratic.

[Nefertiri]

I don't have a probe to measure that... I'm pretty new at this.
They are analog.

[tqmidget85]

Generally speaking those analog gauges are garbage. If her breathing is erratic I would take her to a herp vet ASAP.

[tqmidget85]

Do you feed her in the cage or separate feeding area? I'm wondering if she swallowed some substrate.

[tqmidget85]

Ahh I wish someone with more experience would post!

[Phiban]

You should go out and get a digital thermometer/hygrometer. The indoor-outdoor Accurite thermo/hygro costs about $10-15 from lowes, kmart, walmart, etc. Do you know what type of bark bedding you're using? If you aren't sure you should get rid of it right away and use paper towels or newspaper. The bedding could very well be cedar or pine. How big is the snake and the enclosure?

[tqmidget85]

I would at least take her out and put her in something with paper towels for the time being. If it is cedar or pine that her substrate is made from then that's most likely the cause. That stuff is like poison for Ball Pythons.

[Nefertiri]

Oh okay. Well I took her out to show her to my friend- and when I did her breathing was fine and she was really friendly again... so I guess it is the bedding...

[Nefertiri]

I just ordered a humidifier but I guess I need temperature stuff more.

[tqmidget85]

NO! Not MORE humidity! lol. I would look more into the husbandry section to get a better idea on how to properly house ball pythons. Since you're new, the more research you do, the better off you and your ball will be. We were all new to the hobby at once, but this site is the best place to get all the info you need! I'm glad to hear she seems to be doing better though