RTI's

[tjohn310]

I have a Ball with a "uncertain" respiratory infection and I wanted to know how contagious this could be, should I worry about my other ball pythons even though they are all housed separately? should I not let her near my other pythons until the situation is dealt with? Thank you for all your help in advance as this is the first time I have had disease.

[bcr229]

Your vet should have advised you to isolate your sick one from the healthy ones, and use completely separate equipment for it. You did take it to the vet, right?

When I have a snake in QT I always handle it after the others have been cleaned, fed, etc. and then I shower afterward.

[tjohn310]

He's a normal male, a vet is too expensive and I haven't got the money to take him there, he is in quarantine but how likely is it that it can spread from his drawer of the rack to another? and I'm 100% certain this is a Upper respiratory infection even though I haven't been to the vet.

[CptJack]

If you can't afford a vet, you can't afford the pet.

You are dealing with a RTI. Unless you have a nebulizer and drugs on hand, you are not going to be successful in treating him yourself.

And in hte same rack as other snakes is NOT quarantine.

[tjohn310]

So 5 ft away in an open top cage is way better than in a rack?

[tjohn310]

And I'll HAVE money to take him to the vet I just don't have it now, im controlling the infection with heat for now and just wanted to get some tips on how transmittable it is without getting insulted

[Navaro]

I've dealt with RTI's a lot with rescued snakes. Its not something you want to muck around with.

RTI's unless viral (doesn't really happen in snakes, it's generally always bacterial) are airborne. With the humid environments most snakes are kept in, this is conducive to being fairly easily spread, due to contaminated moisture in the air.

you should be over zealous about your quarantine. It's easily spread from one drawer to another.

The snake should also be handled last, and change your clothes, shower / germx yourself after.

the faster you can get it to a vet, me on something like baytril the faster and easier the recovery. Snakes can get weak and go downhill fast.