Q about urgency of vet visit for RI

[Homegrownscales]

If it's only clicking I would first bump her heat and humidity. Bumping the heat up a few degrees sometimes helps stop the Ri in it's tracks. You should still have her checked out though. The humid hide probably wasn't the source of the Ri. I wouldn't beat yourself up or anything. Stress, low temps, etc Can Jump start an Ri. Also double check her temps to make sure. Just in case. Good luck!

Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Skiploder]

The vet will determine the best antibiotic to use, so don't worry to much about that.

It is always better if they can culture the infection first. Too many antibiotic-resistant strains floating about these days. However, due to the snake's young age the vet may wish to forego a culture and start with the broadest spectrum drug.

Don't worry about humidity right now. Make sure your temps are correct and keep providing a humid hide. The hide will suffice for her humidity needs.

I know it's hard, but the best thing you can do right now is (1) make sure all of her husbandry parameters are correct and (2) leave her alone - no handling, no fussing about with her enclosure, etc. She needs to be relaxed and secure.

In the meantime, I would be surprised if the doctor you are waiting to see on Wednesday does not have an 24/7 answering service - most vets do. Check and see if he does, because the odds are that you can either speak to him or get an earlier appointment.

Make sure that you give the vet the pertinent info - the young age of the snake and the symptoms being key, and see what they recommend.

She may not even have an URI - they make all sorts of odd noises when stressed - clicking, sighing, wheezing, etc. The key is how often she does it and when she does it - is it with every breath? Does it only happen when you are holding her?

Secondly, the presence of tiny bubbles in the mouth can be misread - a certain amount of saliva is normal, and depending on how close it is to the glottis, some small air bubbles may also not be out of line.

As for stargazing, there is a big difference between stargazing that is associated with neurological issues and the normal pointless overhead staring some snakes do. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Steve-J]

Update: The vet put her on the Ceftazidime (Fortaz) but overall she looked very good with the exception of pale appearance to the inside of her mouth and the presence of mucous. the tiny bubbles in the upper interior nasal cavity did correspond to an RI. My thanks go out to Skiploder for the info and assistance. I'm watching temps and (as difficult as it is) not messing with the enclosure or handling, just letting her get better. BTW, I totally misused the term "stargazing" in the earlier post, now that I've read even MORE, what I should have said was "slightly elevating her head more frequently than usual".
Additional questions: is the humid hide recommended only when I see that she is going into a shed, or keep it around all of the time?
And
Should I keep her on her feeding schedule (she has been taking a meal every 5 days) even though she is being treated for the RI?

[Skiploder]

Update: The vet put her on the Ceftazidime (Fortaz) but overall she looked very good with the exception of pale appearance to the inside of her mouth and the presence of mucous. the tiny bubbles in the upper interior nasal cavity did correspond to an RI. My thanks go out to Skiploder for the info and assistance. I'm watching temps and (as difficult as it is) not messing with the enclosure or handling, just letting her get better. BTW, I totally misused the term "stargazing" in the earlier post, now that I've read even MORE, what I should have said was "slightly elevating her head more frequently than usual".
Additional questions: is the humid hide recommended only when I see that she is going into a shed, or keep it around all of the time?
And
Should I keep her on her feeding schedule (she has been taking a meal every 5 days) even though she is being treated for the RI?

If she'll eat, feed her. It won't hurt the antibiotic therapy. Just be careful that an injection isn't scheduled within 24 to 48 hours after feeding her - you don't need the hassle of dealing with a regurge/vomit while she's recovering.

Ceftazidime is every third day - right (ETD on the label)? If that's the case, I'd try offering her food no more than 12 hours after an injection. That gives her over 48 to get digestion under way before she gets another one.......

If she doesn't eat what's offered fairly quickly, don't tease feed her or mess around too much.

I'd recommend keeping the humid hide as a permanent fixture.