Symptoms and care after URI?

[H_Kris_H]

Did your vet culture the infection?

How did the vet know it was a naturally occurring bacteria?

How did the vet pin point the cause on the bedding?

What was the treatment? - Type of antibiotic and frequency.

Your snakes need to go back to the vet. The infection needs to be cultured and treated correctly. If the first vet did not do this, then you need to find a vet that will treat your snakes correctly.

The other thing you need to do is stop soaking them. Regardless of whether your snakes are sick or well, soaking is something that does nothing but induce stress in them. Stress is something they don't need right now.

If your current vet recommended soaking your snakes as help with an RI, I would advise that you find another qualified reptile vet immediately. Frankly, that was rotten advice.

Bottom line - your snakes still have an infection. They need to go to a vet that will diagnose the bacteria responsible. They need to not be soaked. They need proper diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.

First, I would like to thank you for your time in your reply. That was thoughtful.

However, the way in which you replied came off as rude. If that was not your intent, then please disregard my previous statement.

As for the cultures, yes, I got cultures on every single one of my ball pythons in order to make sure that they would be getting the correct antibiotic and the correct treatment. There was no way that the vet would be able to give the correct treatment if not for the culture, just like a doctor.

The cultures showed on each and over abundance of naturally occurring bacteria just as a culture would fr a urinary tract infection or yeast infection in humans. Ecoli and yeast are both naturally occurring bacteria in humans which can run rampant if altered by an outside anomaly, such as antibiotics in humans or improper/poisonous substrate such as cedar. My ball pythons never had a problem until I switched them to the cypress, in which I did find traces of cedar.

As for the antibiotics, each of my ball pythons had to go back to the vet twice for a second treatment and a second round of two antibiotics each. After which they were cultured again and sent home with a clean bill of health. At the moment I cannot remember the names of the antibiotics.

As for the soaking, (though you will probably find this to be a cardinal sin) I have been soaking these ball pythons since they were hatchlings at least once a month to assist with shedding and to get them used to the soaks. This would ensure that there is no undue stress during the time of shedding which would also be bad for them. And it worked. None of my balls pythons ball anymore, I have never had one hiss at me and I have never once had one puff at me. Not to mention the reason the soaking was suggested to me in particular was because the mucus that was in their mouths was drying in their noses and mouths, making it harder for them to breath. Trying to take teasers or tongs to pull it out was just hurting them.

For the next three days after I soak my animals, they brighten, they seem healthier and they can breath.

Needless to say, you didn't answer my questions; I simply wished to know what the residual symptoms of an URI would be. Aside from my cinnamon, who is slowly getting better, they are all breathing better aside from the occasional drooling and heavy breathing.