Respiratory Infection [Quick Question]

[AMBiEN22]

Hey everyone,

So i recently purchased a breeder male off craigs list weighing in at about 1200 grams. He has been in my possession for about two days now and on the first day i noticed a slight wheeze on the first night. Now on the second night, after i had gotten home from the bar at 1am, i heard him expelling air quite hard. Loud enough that i thought he was pooping and slid out his tub to check on him.

After observing this the only thing i can think is that he has a minor respiratory infection as i don't see liquid near his mouth or vent, and i don't see bubbling. However, as i illustrated above i did observe him expelling air and yawning a couple of time. What is weird is that during the day he seems fine. However at night i hear this behavior a lot.

From my research i have found that upping the temperatures within the enclosure can help with a RI and help fight it off. My question is simply if anyone could offer advice and or situations that they have found to work from them.

Now i know a lot of you are going to say "Take him to a vet", which in the long run i might end up going. However i am really going to try to contact the seller and have a few words with him.

Also in my research i have found that male breeders, and possible females. Often exhibit signs of respiratory infections from the strain of breeding. So i am kinda hoping that this is the case and he could just get better. (Super optimistic.)

[The Serpent Merchant]

Raise the temperatures a few degrees, and keep the cage hospital clean.

This snake is being quarinetined from any other reptiles you have correct?

[AMBiEN22]

Raise the temperatures a few degrees, and keep the cage hospital clean.

This snake is being quarinetined from any other reptiles you have correct?

Yeah hes on paper towells and his enclosure is spotless. Its weird I checked on him today and he seems 100% okay. I checked his trachea and there was no bubbles or clicking when he was breathing. The only thing I observed was a slight thickened saliva.

[satomi325]

Do you think he's in shed or just finished a shed?
Sometimes stuck shed around the nose area will cause wheezy noises.

Yup. Just bump up the temp to 95.

[SlitherinSisters]

Don't let the temps go over 90, you can easily cook a snake if you get carried away with the temp. Keep the entire tank/tub at 90 that way the snake can't move out of the heat. Don't plan on the higher temp alone curing the RI, it can, but only if it's the very early.

[AMBiEN22]

First off! (This post got longer than i thought it was going to originally be)

Thanks for the replies satomi325, and the ever so helpful slitherinsisters!

Do you think he's in shed or just finished a shed?
Sometimes stuck shed around the nose area will cause wheezy noises.

Yup. Just bump up the temp to 95.

I'm not sure the last time the new addition (07 Spider Male) has shed, however this could be another reason the snake could be making these loud exhales.

Don't let the temps go over 90, you can easily cook a snake if you get carried away with the temp. Keep the entire tank/tub at 90 that way the snake can't move out of the heat. Don't plan on the higher temp alone curing the RI, it can, but only if it's the very early.

I know a lot of care sheets and other reptile owners within the community often keep their hot spots anywhere from 88-92 degrees. I personally try to maintain a constant temperature of about 90 degrees on my hot spot. Since i have obtained my first snake i have been using a thermostat that has yet to fail me (Knock on wood), and my temperatures are checked daily.

I often wonder though what temperature do most find is SO high that it may cause a burn to a snake. What degree Fahrenheit could cause damage or "Cook" a snake...

As i said in my previous post above if things progressively get worse then a visit to the vet or a phone call to the local breeders in my area will be made. NERD and other larger companies are in my area and i have a few friends that may pull some strings for me to help nurse this snake back to health. BUT this is just a worst case scenario deal.

I feel that i have caught this unusual behavior early so that monitoring and making sure his tub is 100% clean sanitary and has fresh water is a top priority.

Today i took him out to examine his trachea, to check for bubbling or swelling and everything looked amazing. His trachea was a nice pink and there was no presence of swelling, bubbling, or unsettling findings. Although his saliva did seem relatively thick. When i was handling him for the ten minutes, during the examination, i did not observe any wheezing or unusual clicking and did not observe any fluids were they were not suppose to be.

Current status:

• Unusual exhaling has only occurred at night at approx 1am last night so (05/13/2012).
• Now 2/3rds of the tank is covered with heat.
• Priority on checking of temperatures and cleanliness of the tank will be made.

Things to note:

• The snake has now been in my possession for a total of 48 hours. (This behavior may replicate early signs of a RI, but could also relate back to stress from the transition)
• The snake is a proven breeder (Which i have heard often snakes that have bred could catch a mild respiratory infection.)

It should be noted that this is my first male snake so i made the assumption his physical characteristics should be that similar to a female but with the lack of the same sexual parts. Meaning that these weird huffing noises are something that should not occur.