I know it's basics but please bear with me

[Faerie]

Skade is my rehabilitation. I am still fairly new and my best friend helps with most things but is not responding at the moment.

Skade is underweight and feeds well, just getting her up to weight now. She is still fairly light, and judging by how she moves, had lost weight at some point. She just doesn't feel filled out, so to speak.

However, after her last feeding she started showing signs of coming up on a shed...soaking on and off, belly turned pink. Now the skin has a bluish hue, though her eyes are still clear as day. Chin has some loose looking skin on it.

I just gave her her short daily dose of love, and upon climbing into her tank, she went straight to the water dish...than out, and started wheezing. Now I'm paranoid Momma that it's an RI, but where I live, it's an hour drive to a vet that takes herps and they don't have an opening until MONDAY! Sooooo...in the meantime, I was curious if there is an easy way to tell if it's skin or what.

Stats:
20 gal tank with a UTH, no thermostat yet due to the fact that I wasn't expecting to take her in so I'm getting things as I can.
Thermometers show 90* hot, 80* cold in her respective hides.
Humidity is 65% atm.
Bedding is the ecoearth on the bottom than aspen on the top (set up by said friend).
Heat is a UTH

Is it possible she just ducked her head wrong when she went right into the water? This is the first I've ever heard sound from her!

Thanks!

[iPanda]

if her head went underwater, it's just water in her nostrils. watch her, make sure she isn't doing it consistently, check for bubbles and mucus. =]

[Faerie]

Thank you hun. I thought so, but paranoid mom and sometimes you just GOTTA hear it, ya know?
Her head def went under...so I'll watch her. She did that than climbed into the cold side and went back to sleep. Silly girl

[Flikky]

Sounds like water in her nose. My snakes have done it before when I've had to soak them and they decided they didn't like it.

[Rawbbeh]

Relax! We all choke on drinking water at some point in our life!

Look for mucus and bubbles and discharge. Also a decline in activity will be there as well. If those signs are MIA then so is RI.

[iPanda]

Thank you hun. I thought so, but paranoid mom and sometimes you just GOTTA hear it, ya know?
Her head def went under...so I'll watch her. She did that than climbed into the cold side and went back to sleep. Silly girl

no problem! My retic does it all the time..he doesn't like bath time xD

[Faerie]

LOL, I freely admit I'm paranoid as can be. Part of the reason friend felt okay leaving her in my care, actually. He gets daily updates on them cause I check on them right away. I'm just silly that way though.

And now that I am convinced that an RI is unlikely, I'll likely spend time with the foster some in a few too