respiratory infection help please

[lance]

I would love to know how you handled and fixed any respiratory infections in your ball pythons one of mine just started to get it and I am on a search for all the tips and help and knowledge to help as well as I am taking her to the Vets after the weekend any links or help would be appreciated thank you

Lance

[llovelace]

Bump up the hot side temp to 93-95*, good luck at the vets

[kitedemon]

Good for you a vet is generally a great idea. Bumped temps are the first step. You should look to your husbandry to see if there is something out of whack they can just happen but it isn't typical. Usually it is temp related and can be humidity/ventilation related. treating the problem with out finding the cause is just asking for re-occurance, double check everything. Including your ambient AIR temps!

[lance]

Good for you a vet is generally a great idea. Bumped temps are the first step. You should look to your husbandry to see if there is something out of whack they can just happen but it isn't typical. Usually it is temp related and can be humidity/ventilation related. treating the problem with out finding the cause is just asking for re-occurance, double check everything. Including your ambient AIR temps!

she has been in this enclosure with other call pythons well let me re-phrase its a rack and has been in her individual tub for over six months and has been fine I did check the temps and bumped it but notice she has a bit of bubbles in saliva not much but small amount and makes a funny breathing sound every now and then. Any other help you can provide? And, thanks for the the help so far.

Lance

[kitedemon]

Wait for the vet. Anything I or anyone else says is just guessing your vet will have better judgement as they are there with your snake.

If you are sure of the temps how is the ventilation? Guessing again, there is a documented relationship between poor ventilation and high humidity with respiratory issues.

The only reason for looking at environmental issues is so often reptiles get sick due to a lowered immune system (tied to temps) or a over abundance of harmful bacteria or fungi (poor air flow and high humidity = petri dish) It is not always the case but often sickness is tied to husbandry conditions.

I wish there were real help to offer but the best I can do is guess and look to the obvious.

[lance]

Wait for the vet. Anything I or anyone else says is just guessing your vet will have better judgement as they are there with your snake.

If you are sure of the temps how is the ventilation? Guessing again, there is a documented relationship between poor ventilation and high humidity with respiratory issues.

The only reason for looking at environmental issues is so often reptiles get sick due to a lowered immune system (tied to temps) or a over abundance of harmful bacteria or fungi (poor air flow and high humidity = petri dish) It is not always the case but often sickness is tied to husbandry conditions.

I wish there were real help to offer but the best I can do is guess and look to the obvious.

thanks kindly the humidity in the tub is at 50% has a good sized amount of holes in the tub for cross ventilation and none near the heat source so she can thermoregulate properly not sure if something she ate gave it to hear or just some freak accident

lance

[kitedemon]

I think you should take the animal to the vet when you can, I also wonder if the animal has an RI? Are the bubbles inside the mouth? or outside the mouth? is it saliva or mucus? Just because I ask doesn't mean that I think a vet is not a good call, I do, even if it is nothing, RI caught early is much better than late.

[lance]

I think you should take the animal to the vet when you can, I also wonder if the animal has an RI? Are the bubbles inside the mouth? or outside the mouth? is it saliva or mucus? Just because I ask doesn't mean that I think a vet is not a good call, I do, even if it is nothing, RI caught early is much better than late.

the bubbles are in her mouth but can only be seen if you are holding her and move her lip up to see her gums, she makes a horrible sound every maybe hour or 2 like something is broken in her ribs so I figure RI, broken rib something so I don't wanna chance it and gonna let the Vet check her out she is one of my first snakes and I love the spider morph

Lance

[don15681]

if she's close to the bottom of the rack, might want to move her to the top where the air temp should be higher. I have a female that I never breed, she gets a R I every year right around breeding season. this is the only snake I have that ever had a R I . I have about 100 ball pythons and if it was related to my snake room temps or humidity being off. you would think that one of my breeder females that is under stress from breeding would be the one getting a R I. I know a big breeder in my area that been in this hobby over 30 years and with more than a 1000 snakes. he told me that he also has a female that gets a R I every year. he tried different things to try to prevent it with no luck.

[lance]

if she's close to the bottom of the rack, might want to move her to the top where the air temp should be higher. I have a female that I never breed, she gets a R I every year right around breeding season. this is the only snake I have that ever had a R I . I have about 100 ball pythons and if it was related to my snake room temps or humidity being off. you would think that one of my breeder females that is under stress from breeding would be the one getting a R I. I know a big breeder in my area that been in this hobby over 30 years and with more than a 1000 snakes. he told me that he also has a female that gets a R I every year. he tried different things to try to prevent it with no luck.

she actually is at the top of my rack since its a new rack from about 6+ months back the other snake on the top is ok just her she has me stumped, I wonder if this has to do with breeding season? like you said maybe something sets it off in some females on rare occasions during this time of year without any signs or warnings hmmmm....

Lance